As Crimea Referendum Nears, Tensions Rise

By Jonathan Rozen Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10 2014 (IPS) - With the referendum on Crimea only days away, the sense of emergency at the United Nations, over the impact a vote could have on the already volatile crisis in Ukraine, has continued to rise.

“I am increasingly alarmed by the developments in Ukraine. Since the beginning of this crisis, I have appealed to all parties to de-escalate tensions and to engage in direct and constructive dialogue in order to forge a peaceful way forward,” U.N. Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon said in a statement released Monday.

“Recent events in Crimea in particular have only served to deepen the crisis. As tensions and mistrust are growing, I urge all sides to refrain from hasty actions and provocative rhetoric.”

This statement came three days after U.N. spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters that the referendum announced for March 16 by the Crimean authorities is a “worrying and serious development,” and articulated that “all concerned should think about the implications of any hasty actions or decisions taken in the heat of the moment.”

On March 10, 2014, the U.N. Security Council met on Ukraine for the fifth time in the last ten days.

“The situation is worsening by the day,” stated Gérard Araud, French ambassador to the U.N. “The Russian army is reinforcing its presence in Crimea…and now we have this referendum which is organised, actually, by Russia.”

“If this referendum is held, there could be a sort of inner logic with the Duma, with the public opinion in Russia, that suddenly we could face the situation of the annexation,” Araud continued. “Russia is ready to recognise the results of the referendum, so it’s very, very, very dangerous.”

“The Russians are not showing any signal that they are listening to us…[there is] a sense of emergency among the members of the council.”

The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.N. has repeatedly expressed the Ukrainian government’s position that a referendum in Crimea would violate the constitution of Ukraine and current Ukrainian legislation.
“Any vote that goes ahead on March 16 cannot be considered a legitimate reflection of the wishes of the people of Crimea or the people of the Ukraine,” stated Mark Lyall Grant, ambassador of the United Kingdom to the U.N. “A free and fair referendum cannot take place while Crimea is under the illegal control of Russian troops and armed militias who are denying access to international monitors.”

The referendum, set to take place in Crimea on March 16th, will ask residents to choose between joining Russia and staying as part of Ukraine.

Responding to questions at a press briefing last week, Vitaly Churkin, Russian ambassador to the U.N. did not confirm Russian support or responsibility for the organisation of the referendum.

The referendum in Crimea follows an increase of Russian troop levels into Crimea, beyond the numbers permitted by their base agreement with Ukraine. Russian authorities have cited the need to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine after the violence and political turmoil, which began in November 2013.

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, is currently in Ukraine assessing the human rights situation and will remain there until March 15. He will visit Crimea later in the week.