| Europe is increasingly trying to replace the “alien” Russian peacekeepers in Moldova with “our own” bayonets. The Chairman of the Supreme Council of the unrecognized Transnistrian Republic, Grigory Marakutsa, said yesterday that he would like to maintain the usual composition of the Transnistrian peacekeeping forces - Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan troops. “The experience of Western peacekeepers, as shown by the events in Yugoslavia and Iraq, is by no means flawless,” Mr. Marakutsa noted.
After another delay in the removal of weapons from the former 14th Russian Army from Tiraspol, which was unblocked by the head of the Russian Presidential Administration Alexander Voloshin, who recently visited Chisinau and Tiraspol, the Moldovan public became firmly convinced that Russia does not want to leave Transnistria. Moreover, there have been reports that Vladimir Putin will come to Chisinau this fall only if Voronin agrees to the creation of a Russian military base in Transnistria.
The leadership of Moldova, asking for help to resolve the Transnistrian problem, knocked on all Western doors - the OSCE, the European Union, NATO, the USA. But in Tiraspol they stated that they do not seek good from good. The region trusts Russian peacekeepers, but NATO soldiers, even those in blue helmets, are unwelcome guests here.
The Chisinau press invites the Moldovan president to prove his European orientation and invite the EU to participate in a peacekeeping operation. But Voronin is silent. The famous Moldovan political scientist Oazu Nantoi believes that his political future depends on the choice between the EU and Russia. In Moldova they are sure that all the troubles are due to the split of the country. In a year and a half, presidential elections will take place there. Whoever unites the country will receive people's love and power. A foreign partner who helps to do this will gain the status of strategic partner number one.
Meanwhile, the head of the OSCE mission in Chisinau, William Hill, believes that the basis for a possible peacekeeping operation in Moldova should be the OSCE mandate. “Any OSCE state, including Russia, can participate in such an operation,” Mr. Hill said. Thus, Russia, which stopped the war on the Dniester and has ensured peace in the region for more than ten years, is invited to be only one of many powers participating in the peace process. And the leading role in resolving the Transnistrian conflict will pass to the European Union, which, after Romania joins it, will border on Moldova. By the way, yesterday the EU announced the allocation of 50 million euros to Moldova in the form of economic assistance for 2003-2004. Svetlana GAMOVA, Chisinau
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