KIEV, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian parliament passed a resolution Tuesday to impose a state of emergency in the Crimea, the Black Sea autonomy, in response to the recent bird flu outbreak.
The bill passed in the Supreme Rada with 291 votes in favor of the state of emergency, with 226 votes required.
According to the law, President Viktor Yushchenko is required to submit a resolution to parliament outlining the borders of the area under the state of emergency, the terms of the emergency status, and the list of state and local self-governing bodies responsible for handling the problem.
Poultry imports from the autonomy were banned after a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus was discovered in three Crimean districts Sunday. Mass vaccinations of the population are under way.
