Yushchenko ratified agreement with EU

News / 29 December 2006 | 14:53

The President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko signed a bill “About ratification of agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on security procedures concerning information exchange with restricted access.”

On December 20 the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill “About ratification of agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on security procedures concerning information exchange with restricted access”.

This agreement was concluded on June 13, 2005 in Luxemburg. According to the agreement, information with restricted access means any information {knowledge transferred in any form) or materials defined as they are necessary to be protected from disclosure.

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Shufrych is satisfied with Emergency Ministry’s budget

News / 29 December 2006 | 14:28

The Emergency Minister Nestor Shufrych is satisfied with the budget of the Emergency Ministry for 2007. He told at the press conference on 275 rocket and ammunition base of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

“We will be satisfied with that we have. I am grateful to position of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and to the Cabinet for attention to the budget for 2007,” Shufrych said.

I think any head always can say that there is little money but it is necessary to be realists, consider real opportunities and use them effectively,” he added.

He also noted that the budget of the Emergency Ministry comprises UAH 3.180 milliard.

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Vice Prime Minister to launch study of history of Ukrainian regions in schools

News / 29 December 2006 | 14:00

Humanitarian vice Prime
Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk is initiating launch of an in-depth studying of
history of region of Ukraine, “Cabinet press office” reported.

European educational
institutions see studying local history of the countries. We can initiate a
similar program with the Education and Science Ministry, Dmytro Tabachnyk
noted.

Meanwhile Dmytro Tabachnyk
advocated obligatory tours across historical places of Ukraine.

Notably, the VR has
resolved to hold on January 9, 2007 Day of Government and to consider state and
prospects of development of education in Ukraine.

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Mykhaylo Fradkov congratulates Viktor Yanukovych

News / 29 December 2006 | 13:34

Prime Minister of the
Russian Federation Mykhaylo Fradkov congratulated Prime Minister of Ukraine
Viktor Yanukovych on New Year holidays, Cabinet press office reported.

“Congratulations and
best wishes for happiness and welfare in New Year 2007″, the congratulation
letter says.

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Yushchenko to celebrate NY in Ivano-Frankovsk

News / 29 December 2006 | 13:10

Victor Yushchenko has gone to his residence in the village of Huta in
Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, where he is going to celebrate the New Year and
Christmas with his family.

The President will hold a few meetings there.

Victor Yushchenko’s New Year television address will be broadcast on
December 31, at 11:52 p.m.

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Ukraine offers to help Russia supply gas to European consumers if Belarus blocks transit

News / 29 December 2006 | 12:55

Ukraine offered
Thursday to help Russia supply gas to European consumers if a pricing dispute
between Belarus and Russia disrupts supplies westward, International Herald Tribune reported.

“We are in a
position to offer help to European customers by increasing transit to whatever volume
is necessary to ensure the stable functioning of our neighbors in the European
Union,” Fuel and Energy Minister Yuri Boyko said.

Russian state gas
monopoly Gazprom has warned that it will halt supplies to Belarus on January 1 if
no new contract is signed to end their price dispute, and has warned European
countries their deliveries could be affected. Minsk has threatened to siphon
off Russian natural gas bound for Europe in the event of a suspension of
supplies to Belarus.

Boyko’s offer stands in
sharp contrast to the mood in Kiev last year when Ukraine was engaged in its
own bitter pricing dispute with Moscow. Russia temporarily turned off the taps
to Ukraine, which resulted in brief disruptions to European consumers. The
dispute was seen by many as punishment for President Viktor Yushchenko’s
pro-Western policies.

This year, Ukraine’s new
pro-Russian premier, Viktor Yanukovych, reached an early agreement with Russia
on gas prices for 2007, with Kiev pledging to pay US$130 (ˆ99) per 1,000 cubic
meters. That is 40 percent more than Ukraine paid in 2006, but nearly half the
price Russia is charging other ex-Soviet republics.

Boyko
didn’t elaborate about how much more gas Ukrainian pipelines could hold. Russia
already relies on Ukrainian pipelines to carry 80 percent of its gas exports to
European Union countries.

Gazprom is demanding
that Belarus pay US$105 (ˆ80) – more than twice the current price for gas – and
hand over a 50 percent stake in its gas distribution system.

The European Union on
Thursday called on Belarus and Russia to quickly resolve their dispute and
guarantee continued and adequate supplies to EU nations.

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Yanukovych congratulates employees of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers on New Year and Christmas holidays

News / 29 December 2006 | 11:45

The Head of Government Viktor Yanukovych congratulated employees of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on New Year and Christmas.

According to the Prime Minister, in spite of all changes within the House of Government in different periods – devotion of employees to their job remains unchangeable.

As the Prime Minister noted, today the system of public administration in Ukraine is changing and it envisages redistribution of powers aiming at more efficient activity of power. The efficiency of this system has been proved in many countries including the countries of Europe. And the time attested that this system is the most efficient, democratic and close to the society.

“We or our successors shall do a lot to make this system function in full. At the same time we must work at developing civil society which envisages attracting people to public administration by means of public organizations. Our state will develop in this direction”, Viktor Yanukovych stressed.

The Prime Minister underscored that he would always expect devotion to the job from every state employee. In the government institutions should work responsible, highly skillful people with state views. The Ukrainian PM wished the personnel of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine professional success and fruitful work for the sake of country’s development and enrichment of the common weal.

“I wish all your dreams come true, unpleasant moments remain in the past and the following year would be better. I wish we would be a single team that able to prove the society its capability to fulfill promises. I wish you and your families good luck, peace, well, health”, Viktor Yanukovych said, “Cabinet press office” informs.

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Ukraine’s Chief of Staff wants compromise in 2007

News / 29 December 2006 | 11:11

Secretariat Chief of Staff Viktor Baloha said on Thursday
Ukraine’s political forces “must pass a test on their ability to compromise and
coexist.”

“I am convinced that understanding will prevail. They impose
confrontation but we offer competition and compromise, for compromise is a
weapon of strong people. Instead of one C for conflict, we offer three
C’s for competition, compromise and consolidation. This is a formula of
success for 2007,” he said at a press conference, press office of the president reported.

Baloha said the year 2006 had shown that it was impossible
for one political force to monopolize power in the country. Summing up political
results of the year, he said the major event was the March 26 election and its
consequences. He said the vote had been conducted democratically and
transparently for the first time in our history.

“However, the changed Constitution impeded the transformation
of the political system. Following the election, there was a power struggle when
a governing coalition was being formed and later, when a war of powers broke
out,” he said, adding that the first lesson to learn was that “constitutional
reform is still raw and cannot be abandoned halfway, as it will be bad for the
political system and the country.”

“The Constitution needs further improvements to construct an
effective parliamentary-presidential state. So the year 2007 should be a year to
improve constitutional reform,” he said.

Speaking about the constitutional role of the President, the
Chief of Staff said the President “leads the country no matter who leads the
government.”

“There is only one head of state in Ukraine, the President. All
the branches of power have to serve the people. The President has been given a
direct mandate from the people and is responsible for the voters and our
history. He is the guarantor of the Constitution and stability. He will continue
to reinforce his hierarchy and determine the country’s staff policy. He will do
what he is entitled to do by the Constitution,” he said.

“The President will insist that the government be consistent,
pragmatic and professional,” he said. 

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych addresses journalists as 2006 draws to a close

News / 29 December 2006 | 10:50

Dear journalists!

Today’s our concluding meeting I would like to begin with the words of thanks to you.

Without journalists, their principle position it would be difficult to introduce democratic principles into daily realias of the country’s life.

Today I would like to stress once more that freedom of the press as well as other rights and freedoms of people is the highest value for our Government and in 2007 we will strengthen and develop democratic principles in Government’s activity.

Summing up this year I emphasize that strengthening democracy which we try to introduce in every step of the Government is our most significant achievement.

In particular, political reform plays a special role in developing democracy. The political reform gave us an opportunity to break authoritarian power.

The year of 2006 will go down in history of Ukraine when for the first time during Ukraine’s independence the power has been formed on the basis of parliamentarism.

According to the results of democratic and transparent elections to the Verkhovna Rada, which have been recognized throughout the world, a parliamentary coalition and coalition Government have been formed.

I have already told at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers today that we have practically “jumped into the boat on the spur of the moment”.

This “boat of economic revival and stability” could hardly leave Ukraine.

But we were in time. And in five months we have succeeded to efficiently undertake a complex of anticrisis measures and provide social stability and economic development. Today all basic economic showings demonstrate a positive dynamics.

The Government has timely prevented deficits and crisis in most receptive markets – grain and fuel-energy. We are timely prepared for winter.

We have also grounded stability for the next year. Ukraine will be provided with gas at the most optimal prices.

Especially, I would like to underscore that Government found a fitting way out concerning housing and communal tariffs increased by our predecessors.

Under unfair, framed-up charges we did our best to alleviate the impact of tariff increase, introduced by our predecessors, on the standard of living of not sufficiently provided people.

And we have found mechanisms to compensate expenditures at the cost of state for unprotected social strata.

I stress that we did not resort to idle talks, kept from populist discussions.

We were just looking for a way out. And we have succeeded.

In my opinion, protection of the most affected categories of people from consequences of tariff increase – is one of the greatest achievements of our Government in social sphere.

It’s a great pleasure for me to note that we have found an opportunity to increase social payments, pensions and wages in April and October of 2007 that we have provided these increases in the 2007 budget and we are confidently following the way of improving the life of our citizens.

I would like to say that those measures which we intend to take next year concerning economic revival will be positively reflected upon people’s standard of living.

We provide a basis for such policy in the result of which improvement of people’s life will depend on improvement of national economic showings.

In other words, every one will see the results of Government’s activity. But five months are not enough for this result.

During this period we succeeded in preventing crisis, prepared for winter, provided our country with energy carriers, patched up budget holes, audited all economic spheres.

In a word, we had time to stop decline and take the first steps for stabilization and development.

It is very important that we have initiated a system, principle and purposeful struggle against corruption. And the most important that it is not a campaign but a concrete program based on overcoming the reasons of corruption.

It is a top priority task for the Government. Struggle against corruption is one of priorities of Government’s activity in 2007.

And we have already taken the first steps in this direction. The Government adopted a number of decisions on this issue and joined the World Program on Struggle against Corruption.

I mean the Inter-Government Agreement on introduction of the “Threshold Program” for Ukraine aimed at reducing corruption in the state sector signed during my visit to the USA with Millennium Challenge Corporation.

The year of 2007 shall secure achievements of the last 5 months and keep on reforms.

Among the problems we pose for 2007 are establishment of such relations between the regions, regions and center, between the people which would not put any obstacles for business, economic and human relations.

Ukraine is a House of Unity. Ukraine is a state of equal opportunities, a country where abidance to rights and freedoms of people is a top priority. Ukraine – without poverty.

These words of my vision of the Ukraine-2007 and further prospects are supported with concrete plans and calculations.

Determined priorities and mechanisms of implementation. It is impossible to tell about it in a short opening address.

With this purpose I am ready to answer your questions. Thank you for your civil position and congratulate you, dear journalists, on New Year and Christmas.

ForUm

Ukraine’s President to veto law on Cabinet

News / 29 December 2006 | 10:30

Victor Yushchenko is going to veto a recently adopted law on
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, First Deputy Secretariat Chief of Staff
Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Thursday, president’s press reported.

Yatsenyuk said eighty-six amendments proposed by the
President had been disregarded and not included in the law.

“The primitive copying of rules of the Constitution, as well as
the reduction and enlargement of powers, is not an adequate approach to this
law,” he said.

The President insists that the law should help stabilize the
system of government in Ukraine and thus has many times suggested involving
members of the Secretariat and the Cabinet of Ministers in preparing a proper
bill.  

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