The FINANCIAL — The Party of Regions will not allow the Ukrainian entry into NATO against people’s will, the party said on January 20, according to Itar-Tass.
“The letter sent to the NATO headquarters on behalf of the Ukrainian administration, which requests the alliance’s Bucharest summit approval of the Ukrainian access to the Membership Action Plan, is an illustrative example of political speculations ahead of presidential elections,” the party said.
The letter was classified, and neither the public, nor territorial communities, nor the parliament were aware of its content, the party said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian constitution says that letters of the kind must be signed exclusively by the chief of state, and he must be responsible for the content of the letters.
This time, the letter was signed by the president, the premier and the Verkhovna Rada speaker. “They acted separately, and each had one’s own goal,” the party said.
The move of the president, the premier and the speaker damaged the Ukrainian authority, the party said.
“The trio has displayed the lack of professionalism, profound internal confrontations and presidential ambitions of each of its members, especially [Prime Minister] Yulia Timoshenko,” the party said.
The party said it would force “the Orange authorities to reckon with the will of the people.”
Ukraine applied for joining the NATO Membership Action Plan, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar said on January 15 after a meeting with the opposition Party of Regions.
Russia may support the NATO aspirations of Ukraine, as it will enhance Russia-NATO partnership or even become a way of Russia’s European integration, Director of the Peace, Conversion and Foreign Policy Center Alexander Sushko said.
The letter of President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk that asked NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to consider the Membership Action Plan for Ukraine at the alliance’s Bucharest summit in April triggered a political conflict in Ukraine. In fact, Kyiv asked NATO to launch the procedure that might eventually lead to membership.
The opposition Party of Regions and the Communist Party blocked the parliament activity on January 18 and demanded that Yatsenyuk must revoke his signature under the letter to the NATO chief.
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