PRESS RELEASE ON ALLEGATIONS OF ARMS SALES TO IRAQ

UKRAINE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

April 8, 2002

On April 5, 2002 the Ukrainian-language newspaper "Svoboda" published in the United States placed an interview of the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) Dr. Hans Blix, who said that there was "neither direct nor any other evidence" of Ukraine's involvement in the illegal arms sales to Iraq. As Dr. Blix noted, there is no documentary evidence of Ukraine's arms export to Iraq in the UNMOVIC records.

Earlier Deputy Chairman of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee Mr. Jagdish Koonjul confirmed that there were no grounds for accusing Ukraine in violating the UNSC embargo against Iraq.

These statements of the UN officials were prompted by the recent mass media reports alleging Ukraine's involvement in arms sales to Iraq in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.