Sunday, October 27, 2013

European Union to Ukraine: Release Tymoshenko or no Deal

Ukraine must still offer a "suitable solution" in the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko if it hopes to seal a political and trade accord with the European Union, the bloc's president said Friday.

Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of EU heads of government, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Ukraine had made good progress on some reforms but signaled an arrangement which sees Ms. Tymoshenko released to travel to Germany for medical treatment without some form of pardon would not be enough.

"We will stick to our commitments if Ukraine also commits to what it has to do," Mr. Barroso said. "Ukraine still needs to find a suitable solution to the Tymoshenko case."

At the same press conference, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy also made clear that, as things stand, the EU would not be able to sign the trade and political deals with Ukraine at next month's Vilnius summit.

He said Ukraine needs to take "determined action and tangible progress."

"We will not discuss here how we solve this problem of selective justice and we will not discuss here in public how to solve the problem of the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko," he said. Ukrainian leaders are "fully aware that we need a solution for this case."

EU leaders discussed the Ukraine situation Friday on the second day of the Brussels summit.

The case is the main sticking point facing Ukraine as Mr. Yanukovych aims to take the former Soviet republic of some 46 million into a free-trade and political-association deal with the EU at a summit in November, despite Russian attempts to draw Ukraine into an economic bloc it is forming with ex-Soviet neighbors.

Anyone doubt what a 'suitable solution' is? Really?

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