Powell Rejects Election Outcome, Calls for Peaceful Resolution

The United States cannot accept the outcome of Ukraine’s presidential election, Secretary of State Colin Powell said today in a strong rebuke to the validity of the balloting in the former Soviet bloc nation.

“What we stand for is free, fair, open elections. And we do not believe we have seen that in this instance,” Powell said at a brief news conference in Washington.

Election officials in Ukraine today declared Viktor Yanukovich, the candidate backed by the Kremlin, the winner amid a third day of massive demonstrations in the cold and snow in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Speaking to more than 100,000 protesters, the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, called for new elections.

Powell said he had cautioned the outgoing Ukrainian president, Leonid Kuchma, to avoid using force against the demonstrators and to examine the election.

“We call on all sides to work to achieve a fair and just outcome without the use of force. We remind the Ukrainian authorities that they bear a special responsibility not to use or incite violence,” Powell said.

Powell and the chief of the European Union warned Ukrainian officials today the country could face “consequences” in diplomatic and economic relations.

“If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine’s hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud,” Powell said. He did not elaborate.

“We cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse,” Powell said.

The EU Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, told reporters in Brussels today: “We regret that the Ukrainian authorities have not taken the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy. This could affect our relations in the future.”

Barroso said the EU would explain its position to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin at an EU-Russia summit Thursday in The Hague. “It is our duty to say we are not satisfied with the way the elections took place in Ukraine,” he said.

Asked whether he expected repercussions for the relationship between the United States and Russia, Powell said: “We’re not looking for a contest with the Russians over this. We’re looking for a way to make sure that the will of the Ukrainian people is respected.”