Russia to give loan only on security of something

News / 18 March 2009 | 17:30

Deputy speaker of Russian parliament Valery Yazev considers it expedient to give Ukraine a loan to pay for the Russian gas.

 

“I don’t know the details, you’d better ask the Finance Ministry, but I would give a binding loan – only to pay for the Russia gas,” he said.

 

At the same time he noted that the five-billion loan must be secured. “I refuse any political agreements. The loan can be given on security of something, as the Russian governemnt must account to the parliament about the terms and conditions of the loan,” Yazev underlined.

 

As a reminder, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had officially asked Russia for a $5 billion loan.

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Yushchenko calls to cut Ukraine’s contribution part for CIS budget

News / 18 March 2009 | 16:40

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko proposes that the volume of Ukraine’s contribution to the common budget of the Commonwealth of Independent States must be reduced,Andriy Honcharuk, deputy head of the President’s Secretariat said.

According to him, Yushchenko insists on bringing Ukraine’s contribution to the CIS budget to the level of the country’s real participation in the activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Honcharuk noted that back in November 2008 Yushchenko requested the Prime Minister for the regulation of the contribution size, taking into account the foreign ministry calculations (maximum UAH 2.2 million). Nevertheless, the government still provided for 9.545,5 million (UAH 7.70 / USD 1) for the CIS budget for this year.

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Kiev mayor bids to show fitness before psychiatric tests

News / 18 March 2009 | 15:50

The mayor of Kiev exercised in front of journalists on Wednesday to demonstrate his fitness ahead ofa psychiatric examination ordered by Ukraine’s parliament in response to some of his policies, RIA Novosti reported.

Leonyd Chernovetskiy, who recently fired thehead of the Ukrainian capital’s zoo for failing to find a mate for the zoo’s elephant, andhasalso introducedentry charges at cemeteries, ran 400 meters, did 15 chin-ups and swam 50 meters in a swimming pool as reporters looked on.

“I want to demonstrate to Kiev residents and all of Ukraine that I am absolutely fit physically and mentally,” Chernovetskiy said quoted by the Unian agency. “I am perfectly in control of myself and my words.”

The commission set up by the Supreme Rada to inquire into the mayor’s activities said his initiatives ran counter to the law and made a mockery of the city authorities, and ruled last week that Chernovetskiy should undergo a psychiatric examination.

Chernovetskiy has also announced plans to charge citizens for receiving them at mayor’s office, to levy taxes on the unmarried and cancel free-of-charge secondary education in the city.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian media claimed the mayor had undergone psychiatric treatment while on holiday in Israel.

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SBU prepares updated list of persons implicated in Holodomor 1932-1933

News / 18 March 2009 | 15:00

The Security Service of Ukraine has prepared an updated list of persons implicated in organizing and executing Holodomor 1932-1933, the SBU press-service reports.

The securities established 136 surnames of persons who made decisions leaving millions of people dead, UKRINFORM reported.

The documents about Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine have from now on become accessible to public. They should help establish particular authors of genocide.

In summer 2008, the SBU disclosed archive documents regarding the persons involved in organizing and executing the Holodomor policy 1932-1933 and repressions.

According to various estimates, the artificial famine, or Holodomor, which was organized by the communist regime, killed seven to ten million Ukrainian citizens, including around four million children, due to the confiscation of food in the early 1930s.

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Gov’t cuts salaries to CMU officials twofold

News / 18 March 2009 | 14:10

The Cabinet of Ministers, at its sitting on March 18, has approved an ordinance on cutting twofold the salaries of Prime Minister, Vice Prime Ministers and Ministers for a period from April 1 of 2009 through January 1 of 2010 in connection with the global financial crisis.

With a proposition to follow the example of the Government they addressed people’s deputies and the President of Ukraine, Government portal reported.

In the process of discussion the Government members have agreed to reduce wages for only those, taking political posts. The officials haven’t supported the propositions to cut payments to the functionaries of all levels and the staff of national enterprises-monopolists taking into account low level of salaries in the mentioned structures.

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Cabinet accumulated UAH 2.76 billion in Stabilization Fund

News / 18 March 2009 | 13:20

Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko informed during a meeting with representatives of Kharkiv region, National radio reported.

“For today, the Stabilization Fund has money for financing,” the Premier stated adding that next week at the Cabinet’s meeting a plan-schedule will be approved for allocation of the funds for the defense industry enterprises. In the middle February, President Viktor Yushchenko asked the Government to urgently approve a procedure for using the Stabilization Fund costs. The amount of the Stabilization Fund is envisaged in the State Budget at over UAH 21 billion for this year. In February this year, wage arrears have been repaid at the Kharkiv Aviation Plant and the Kyiv Plant Aviant at the expense of this fund.

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Presidential Secretariat demands justice regarding Tymoshenko national treason charges

News / 18 March 2009 | 12:30

The issue of alleged treason by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has not been completely exhausted, according to the deputy head of the Presidential Secretariat, Andriy Kyslynsky.

Kyslynsky was commenting on statements by Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, the presidential press service reported, Interfax-Ukraine informed.

Kyslynsky said that all his statements regarding Tymoshenko’s bias towards the political elite of neighboring states are based on firm sources and have real facts behind them.

He said the SBU should thoroughly analyze the activities of the prime minister, “who aims to implement the political and economic interests of another country through destabilizing the social and political situation in Ukraine, threatening the state gas transportation system, energy objects, strategic companies, banks and the mass media. These scenarios involve Yulia Tymoshenko as well as BYT and its parliamentary allies”.

The deputy head of the Presidential Secretariat said that he would report to the president about his next steps in laying bear the unwanted activity of the mentioned people against Ukraine’s interests.

“If the president ignores my report, I will resign. This is my honest position on this,” Kyslynsky said.

As reported earlier, in his report to the parliament on Tuesday, SBU Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said that his office has found no evidence to back claims of high treason against the state by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

“I officially inform you that no fact or proof of state treason has been detected. The evidence from the appeal by the Presidential Secretariat has been disproved,” Nalyvaichenko said.

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France: Russia should be consulted before NATO expansion

News / 18 March 2009 | 11:40

French Defense Minister, Herve Morin, said in an interview with The Associated Press, that Moscow must be consulted before any further expansion of NATO.

“These are things that cannot be decided without speaking to our Russian neighbor. [Europe’s] security architecture must be built with Russia,” Morin said.

 

He noted that relations with Russia should be taken into account, especially regarding NATO membership of such countries as Ukraine and Georgia.

Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, said on March 17 that Russia would rearm its military and boost its nuclear forces from 2011 in response to NATO expansion.

“Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing,” Medvedev said at a meeting of the military’s top brass.

In Washington, White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Medvedev’s comments seemed to be “largely for domestic consumption” and dismissed any notion that NATO posed an offensive threat to Russia.

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