KIEV, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's foreign minister Monday accused the Cabinet and parliament of dragging their feet on legislation that would help the post-Soviet nation join the World Trade Organization.
Spokesmen for the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc quoted Minister Boris Tarasyuk as saying: "The latest WTO-related developments give little hope for optimism. I think the Cabinet, and especially the Supreme Rada, are disrupting timeframes on the preparation and consideration of bills that could pave the way for [Ukraine's] WTO accession."
Our Ukraine, led by President Viktor Yushchenko, and a parliamentary coalition of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions, the Socialist Party and the Communists signed a national unity pact in August, committing themselves to completing formalities for Ukraine's entry into the global trade body by the end of this year. But the legislature has so far passed only a handful of the more than 20 bills needed to qualify for WTO membership.
"Failure to deliver will become yet further proof that the pact's provisions are being ignored," Tarasyuk said.
Taking Ukraine into the WTO, the European Union and NATO has been a priority of Yushchenko's policy since the Western-leaning president came to power on the back of the "Orange" revolution two years ago. He insisted that all of the country's major political forces sign the national unity pact to ensure that he would be able to go ahead with the plans even after the appointment as prime minister of Yanukovych, his main challenger in the 2004 presidential election.
Yanukovych's pro-Russian party garnered the largest number of parliamentary seats in March polls this year, but not enough to form a government on its own, and had to build a coalition with the Socialists and the Communists. The months of talks that followed failed to produce an agreement between the leftist coalition and the rival "Orange" camp, led by Yushchenko. To end political uncertainty, the president offered the prime ministerial job to his arch rival.
Last Thursday, five Cabinet ministers allied with Yushchenko submitted their resignations, citing the Yanukovych-led coalition's attempts to disrupt the president's election promises, including integration into major Western blocs.
