Ukrainian Armed Forces to add new armored troop carrier to its arsenal

News / 31 January 2007 | 17:45

According to Deputy Minister of Defense Volodymyr Tereshchenko, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine intends to add the armored troop carrier “BTR-ZU” to its arsenal; this armored troop carrier has been commonly designed with German and US companies for export needs, “Cabinet press office” reported.

The Deputy Minister is convinced that the combat vehicle can meet the Ukrainian Armed forces demands.

The armored troop carrier is used for the infantry transportation and its accompanying artillery; it can be used for the reconnaissance, patrol and peacekeeping operations, and for the casualty evacuation. It is mounted with the Ukraine-produced combat unit “Shkval” with the 30 mm. automatic gun coupled with the 7,62 mm. machine gun “PKT”, the anti-tank guided missile “Konkurs”, the smoke screen system “Tucha”, the arms stabilizer “Karusel” and the optic-video system “Cyclop 1″.

In 2006 11 items of military equipment were added to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s arsenal. It is expected to add 22 types of arms in 2007.

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PACE observers to visit Ukraine in a month

News / 31 January 2007 | 17:25

Observers of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) Hanne Severinsen and Renata Wohlwend plan to pay next visit to Ukraine in late February- beginning of March with purpose to monitor the situation. The head of the delegation of Ukraine to PACE Vitaly Shybko told today at press conference.

According to Shybko, in the scope of the visit the observers of PACE intend to visit Kyiv and Donetsk. He informed that members of the delegation prepared their recommendations concerning possible meetings during the visit to Ukraine. Shybko noted that during their visit the observers will express their requests concerning fulfillment of obligations by Ukraine.

According to Shybko, these recommendations will become a base of PACE resolution that is supposed to be considered at the session of the monitoring committee in October of the current year.

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Yushchenko is called upon to veto law on imperative mandate

News / 31 January 2007 | 17:00

The Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) calls upon the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko to veto the law on Imperative mandate for people’s deputies of the VR of Crimea and local councils. The letter of the CVU, forwarded to the Head of the State, told.

“The CVU considers that adopted law does not solve the problem of party discipline, the law creates new antidemocratic mechanisms and restricts power of local people’s deputies instead, the letter said.

According to the CVU, the law on imperative mandate breaches the Constitution of Ukraine and does not correspond practice of the European democratic countries.

“First of all, the Ukrainian legislation does not have reverse power, thus norm on termination of plenary powers for those people’s deputies, who are out faction before the law introduction, is anti constitutional. Then the ;aw does not give irrefragable ground list for termination of plenary powers. Consequently, the head of the party can deprive deputy mandate at any reasons. This significantly restricts both deputy’s rights and voters’ rights. The Imperative mandate got negative resume of Venetian commission? And its implementation will negatively reflect international image of Ukraine,” CVU noted.

In general, adoption of this law will be a step back, the letter said.

In case of The President vetoes this law, the CVU intends to ask the deputies not to override the veto, Interfax-Ukraine informs.

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Justice Ministry registered the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers

News / 31 January 2007 | 16:38

The Justice Ministry has introduced the law on the Cabinet of Ministers into the single state register of normative-legal  acts.  The law was included into the register on January 30 and was  assigned the registration code, Cabinet press office reported.

The state register includes active, published and non-published legal acts, including with restrictive label, laws, Verkhovna Rada resolutions, decrees by the President, resolutions by the Cabinet of ministers, ministerial acts, international treaties, etc.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych commissioned the Ministry of Justice to prepare necessary amendments to the Ukrainian legislation for fulfillment of the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers.

“In my opinion, there are no reasons to impede the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers. It will be published and take effect. Very soon we will work with relevant authorities and responsibility”, Viktor Yanukovych said opening the Government sitting.

Besides, the Prime Minister doesn’t rule out that the parliamentary coalition and Government will consider the proposals of the President of Ukraine on amending and supplementing the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers.

“Next week the Parliament starts to work and the proposals of the President have been already submitted to it. They include 8 items, we’ll consider them and consult on a proposal for the plenary week. Probably, we’ll agree to the President’s proposals but undoubtedly, we’ll search creating an efficient mechanism of cooperation between the Government and President”, Viktor Yanukovych said.

 

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EC counts on good relation with Tarasyuk’s successor

News / 31 January 2007 | 16:21

The European Commission counts on good relations with a new head of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Hugo Mingarelli, EC Director-General on external relations told journalists commenting resignation of Borys Tarasyuk from the post of Foreign Minister of Ukraine. “We had good relations with Borys Tarasyuk and we count on the same relations with new minister,” Mingarelli said.ForUm

As a reminder, January 20 Tarasyuk resigned from the post of Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Today the government supported President’s proposition on appointment Volodymyr Ohryzko an acting Foreign Minister.

Ukrainians in America concern about Tarasyuk

News / 31 January 2007 | 16:00

Ukrainian congress committee of America (UCCA) concerns about Borys Tarasyuk’s resignation. It is told in statement of Ukrainian congress committee of America.

According to the statement, UCCA considers Tarasyuk’s resignation as consequence of dishonest and anti constitutional methods of anti crisis coalition headed by Viktor Yanukovych, Interfax-Ukraine informs.

“Tarasyuk as a Minister expresses himself as capable head and real Ukrainian patriot who achieved great success on integrity of Ukraine in world society, in particular on Ukraine’s accession to the WTO and dialogue development among Ukraine, NATO and EU,” the statement said.

At the same time UCCA hopes Tarasyuk’s successor will fulfill wish of Ukrainian nation and the President, stand for Euro Atlantic integrity, in such way providing democratic and worth future for Ukraine.

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Ukraine’s Yushchenko to make a speech in the VR

News / 31 January 2007 | 15:40

President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko plans to address the Verkhovna Rada in the latter half of February. Head of the  resident’s press office Larysa Mudrak told Wednesday at a briefing in Kyiv.

“The work on scientific part under name “About internal and external situations in Ukraine in 2006″ has been finished and delivered to the Secretariat. A working group is working on the text of Yushchenko’s address now, which will be announced in the parliament. The address is scheduled for the latter half of February,” Mudrak said.

She underlined that the exact date of Yushchenko’s speech in the parliament is not determined yet.

 

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President’s Secretariat: Cabinet law registered ‘illegally’

News / 31 January 2007 | 15:22

Although it can be found on the Verkhovna Rada website, the
controversial law on the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine has not come into force
yet, Deputy Secretariat Chief of Staff Ihor Pukshyn has said, president’s press office .

He said President Yushchenko had vetoed the law and sent it to
parliament along with his proposals in time. Thus lawmakers must consider the
issue again.

“Any action to publicize the law or register it as a legal act
is illegal, as the bill passed on January 12 is no such act,” he said, citing
the July7/1998 decision by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and article 127
of the Verkhovna Rada procedure rules. 

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Ukraine’s FM asks government to announce position as regards US missiles in Europe

News / 31 January 2007 | 14:59

Government of Ukraine must promulgate its position as regards US plans
to dispose anti-missile defense bases in Czech Republic and Poland. Acting
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko declared.

“Ukraine’s government must make a decision on consent to dispose these
bases. It is a normal practice of neighbouring countries – if these countries
intend to locate military bases on their territory, they try to find out
reaction of neighbours,” he said.

Ohryzko reminded that the Foreign Ministry had already published a
declaration in support of US military presence in the Eastern Europe.

Ohryzhko also refuted rumors on disposal of American missiles on the
territory of Ukraine. “The matter does not concern Ukraine yet,” he said.

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Modern sound recording studio to be created in Ukraine

News / 31 January 2007 | 14:40

Modern sound recording studio will be created in
Ukraine to record sound and dub foreign films in Ukrainian.

“We already have quite sufficient base of dubbing and subtitling
for broadcasting movies on TV channels, for example “1+1″, but there is no any
studio for dubbing foreign films for distribution,” Anna Chmil, director of
State cinema service, told Wednesday at a press conference in Kyiv.

According to her, within the frameworks of the
memorandum among Culture Ministry and film distributors on observation of the language
legislation, the state promises to assist in creating technical base for
dubbing foreign films. State budget for 2007 provides for ten million hryvnias
for purchase of equipment, which will be located in Dovzhenko’s National cinema
studio.

Chmil also informed that the biggest film distributors,
such as B&H Film Distribution, will invest about ten million UAH more to
create modern sound recording studio on the basis of Dovzhenko’s studio.

According to the director of State cinema service, the
studio is planned to be opened by the end of the year 2007, and in future it
will process up to 300 films annually, what is enough for the Ukrainian market.

At the same time, Chmil reported that she has information
that some foreign companies, an American and an Italian in particular, plan to
build film production studios o the territory of Ukraine.

Answering journalists’ questions, Chmil informed that
in 2007 it is planned to produce 14-16 films of Ukrainian production and a few cartoons.

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