US-Ukraine Observer: "Arrest and Release: Paradoxes of European Thought!"

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the US-Ukraine Observer:

Writing in the US-Ukraine Observer, analyst Sergey Bychkov exposes the paradox of the European Union's demands that aspiring former communist countries root out corruption – and then punish their efforts to do precisely that:

"Arrest and Release: Paradoxes of European Thought!"

"If this were not the case in real life, I would have thought that it had been made up. The excesses of yellow journalism. The grumblings of mudslingers. Judge for yourselves! A well-established European political figure, boisterously invoking the concept of truth, categorically states:

'Hey, there, all you new candidates for membership in the European Union! You have to demonstrate your support for democracy! You have to combat corruption! You need not fear bringing charges against even the most senior government officials, right up to your prime ministers!'

"To be more precise, this thought was expressed in a presentation by Mark Gray, the European Commission's representative, emphasizing that it is important for those aspiring to join the EU to conduct an all-out battle with corruption at the highest echelons of power. These comments were directed first and foremost at Romania and Bulgaria but refer to all candidates for membership. He added that Bulgaria must pass legislation to confiscate property acquired illegally. In Romania, investigations of crimes by high-ranking officials are proceeding too slowly. And he further observed: Brussels is waiting for transparent results with regard to the seizure of belongings that have been acquired through criminal activity.

"And here we call for the reader's attention! Mark Gray made these statements and in doing so caused his devotees and EU colleagues considerable embarrassment. My goodness, he spoke so poorly, so ineffectively, that it almost makes one cry. He called for prime ministers to be arrested for corruption but forgot to mention that this was done in Ukraine well before his appeal was made. But this is exactly the nature of the paradox! At the same time that Mark Gray was making his eminently reasonable comments, certain of his partners were standing at another microphone shouting: 'Free Ukraine's former prime minister!'

"And the European Union now finds itself hoisted on its own petard. What exactly is the message: combat corruption or arrest criminals? Or begin living based on the paradox of: arresting lawbreakers, pressing charges, holding court trials, issuing declarations and releasing those sentenced, i.e., fulfilling all of the European Union's totally contradictory wishes? And here's another thought: Maybe it's best not to listen to everyone indiscriminately? Maybe something is jammed up in what they are doing? And maybe we should be asking, Do we need them more, or do they need us more? There may be some other acceptable options available to Ukraine. For instance, America seems to have stopped shaking its finger at Ukraine reproachfully, and Obama just possibly is pondering whether we might lose Ukraine with our political jaunts."

US-Ukraine Observer, "Arrest and Release: Paradoxes of European Thought!" http://spectator.org/archives/2013/05/31/another-double-standard

Originally published in Russian, September 2, 2013: http://www.mk.ru/politics/article/2013/09/02/908469-arestovat-ili-vyipustit.html2 

Contact: Frank Abernathy, 615-290-5662, [email protected]

SOURCE U.S.-Ukraine Observer