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PM: Ukraine to formalize gas deal with Russia, never cede pipeline control
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-13 14:55
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said Thursday that his government
would formalize a gas agreement with Russia despite the political crisis that
the deal set off, but vowed the state would never give up control of its
pipeline network.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Yekhanurov aimed to lay to rest
two widespread fears for Ukrainians: That the country's energy supplies could be
thrown into limbo by the political crisis, and that Ukraine would be forced to
use its pipelines as assets in a new joint Russian-Ukrainian company that will
be bringing in the nation's gas imports.
"The gas transport system cannot be privatized or transferred for management,
and this is the principled position of the Ukrainian government," Yekhanurov
told the AP.
Earlier this week, parliament voted to sack Yekhanurov and his Cabinet over
the deal with Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly, which resulted in nearly
doubling the price of imported natural gas for Ukraine, but the government has
called the legislature's move illegal.
The effects of the parliament's vote were not clear because Ukraine is in the
process of implementing constitutional changes that would allow the parliament
to fire the government; previously, that power was held by the president. The
changes have so far been enacted only partially, and many experts said that
while technically the legislature could now dismiss the Cabinet, it could not
appoint a new one.
Government officials say, and some opposition politicians acknowledge, that
the intent of the parliament's vote was to paralyze the government in the run-up
to March parliamentary elections.
Experts also had expressed concern that if the Cabinet becomes immobilized by
the crisis, the gas deal could be postponed until a new government is appointed
following the March vote.
But Yekhanurov vowed that the agreement with Russia, formalizing the deal
struck between the two countries' gas companies, would be signed by early
February.
The deal, which was concluded last week, also called for forming a
joint-stock company to be responsible for providing Ukraine with imported gas.
According to the deal, Ukraine's contribution to the company should be money
and "other assets," and many Ukrainians feared their country would be forced to
cede control over its gas pipelines _ a strategic asset used to carry Russian
gas to European markets. Yekhanurov denied that.
Yekhanurov said the sacking of his Cabinet had no legal authority, and
dismissed it as part of the opposition's election campaigning.
"It was a political decision _ elections are ahead, and many political forces
decided to consolidate and thought that this way that could weaken (President)
Viktor Yushchenko's team."
Yekhanurov lamented that the vote was backed by the bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko,
his predecessor as premier and a former ally of Yushchenko. He called that "a
direct betrayal of national interests."
He predicted Tymoshenko's adherents would only lose out from the political
crisis, having compromised themselves by siding with politicians who had been
their bitter rivals in the tumultuous 2004 presidential elections that
Yushchenko eventually won after massive protests against vote fraud.
Tymoshenko "will not be forgiven _ patriots will give a proper evaluation to
her actions," Yekhanurov said.
Tymoshenko's party, however, has vowed to seek annulment of the gas deal.
Bloc member Valeriy Chegrov called it "treason against Ukraine's national
security."
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