Back to business again

Now the NATO Bucharest summit has ended and Ukraine's NATO entry put onto the back-burner, PoR will quieten down the rhetoric on this issue.

Today's 'Segodnya' runs a story entitled:

"Source reveals 'Regionaly' could reject anti-NATO slogans"

At the congress of the Party of Regions, which takes place tomorrow, 19th April, according to the weekly "Kommentarii" which quotes sources in the party, a new version of the party program may be presented which will no longer contains key anti-NATO and 'language' declarations.

The preparation of the program was apparently supervised by VR deputy Boris Kolesnikov, and it's claimed that the inner-party group of PoR leader Viktor Yanukovych were completely cut out of the process.

The new party program is to be "a mix of the best political ideas and Christian- democratic values".

Furthermore, according to "Kommentarii", the group of party reformers headed by Kolesnikov will also present at the congress their own project of statutes for the party, which will limit the power of the party leader.

At the same time, alternative proposed statutes may be presented, which, on the contrary, would strengthen the role of the leader of party.

"Segodnya" is owned by companies linked to Rinat Akhmetov, whilst the source it quotes, "Kommentarii', is linked to the rival 'Industrial Union of Donbas', run by Serhiy Taruta and Vitaliy Hayduk.

For all of the squabbles and endless disputes associated with Ukrainian politics, the country's largest financial industrial groups are highly pragmatic, and more powerful that is often realized.

Yesterday Yushchenko spend a pleasant day in Dontesk meeting Akhmetov at the new Shakhtar stadium currently under construction. It will be used in the major Euro 2012 soccer tournamnent.

According to 'Segodnya' they also 'drove off together at high speed' with Yush behind the wheel of a Mercedes to Akhmetov's residence, where they spent about 3 'unofficial' hours together [discussing a new grand coalition, and the Supreme Court's ruling on Dniproenergo maybe? ]

Minister of the Interior Yuriy Lutsenko was in Donetsk too, where he embraced Akhmetov and greeted Kolesnikov, for whom he has prepared an award to be picked up in Kyiv.
Just after the Orange Revolution, Kolesnikov was 'banged up' in prison by Lutenko for several months, and Akhmetov's offices were 'busted' and surrounded by armoured vehicles...

'Segodnya' also runs this story on Yushchenko's views on NATO:

Yushchenko at long last honestly acknowledges that no-one in NATO wants us

Ukraine today "does not pose a threat to anyone", declares the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko.

He spoke of this yesterday in Donetsk at the all-Ukrainian conference, "With love and care for children".

On the question of the entrance of Ukraine into NATO, he noted: "I want to say honestly - there's more [there] that don't want us, than want us", and added: "This is a policy for Ukraine, and not against anyone. We pose not one new threat to anyone, not one threat."
The President explained that 14 years ago, Ukraine gave up its nuclear warheads and became a non nuclear power - "This was a global act, we made a colossal contribution to world safety".

"We should have a foundation of international safety, this is the right of our country, the right our people", emphasized Yushchenko. "Security can only be ensured by means of a mechanism of collective guarantee", but the President stressed, that he "would not want this to split Ukrainian society".

"We aren't talking today about entry, or not (into NATO). We are talking now about our intensive relations, nothing more," said the Head of State. "And then, when the moment arrives, we will give an answer in a most democratic manner - do we want to go in, or not." "But here I want to emphasize - we are a sovereign state, and sovereign means a state which does not avail itself of prompts from one, another, or from a third side... We are unique, wise nation, that is not more stupid than another European nation," concluded Yushchenko.