A) President’s statement on the events in the Verkhovna Rada

Dear fellow countrymen!

Yesterday the events have happened that resulted in discontinuance of functioning of the democratic coalition in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. And there is only one cause for that in my opinion: the fight for power. Deaf to your problems and needs. The cynical and cruel fight for power.

I would like every one of us to understand that yesterday’s events are no ordinary. Yesterday not just a common technical voting took place.

It is the moment of our truth I am assured. For every one of us and for the country as a whole.

The new parliamentary coalition has de-facto formed in the Verkhovna Rada.

Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko made an alliance with Party of Regions and communists and this alliance is based on non-Ukrainian, and I emphasize that, on non-Ukrainian and non-state interests.

This alliance is a treachery of the democratic majority.

Yesterday’s events have cleared everything for us.

Undoubtedly, coalition’s breakup had been well planed.

All the attempts of Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense Parliamentary Group to gather the meeting of the coalition’s council, to work out common agenda and common position on the most sensitive issues yesterday were rejected by Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko.

The supreme representative body in the country and the democratic majority in particular were unable to provide consolidated opinion on the war in Georgia.

The deputies failed to find courage to provide an answer to challenge to the highest national value – to the respect to integrity of a sovereign state and sacred inviolability of its boarders.

It is a challenge to us all. It is a humiliation for Ukrainian nation because it is a humiliation of our own integrity and our boarders.

But that is not the main thing that happened yesterday. Primarily – yesterday the political constitutional coup in Ukraine has begun in the Parliament.

Anti-Ukrainian and anti-state decisions were adopted.

Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, Party of Regions and communists restored the anti-constitutional Law on the Government, which, I would like to remind, had provoked parliamentary crisis and extraordinary parliamentary elections back in 2007.

This law establishes dictatorship of the Prime Minister: head of the government is appointed in contravention of the Constitution, decrees of the President of Ukraine and decisions of National Security and Defense Council are ignored.

The alterations to the Law on Constitutional Court render protesting unconstitutional decisions of Government impossible.

Government stands beyond any control and elementary balance of power in Ukraine is destroyed.

We have heard numerous promises of cancellation of deputies’ privileges and immunities. Instead, everything remained intact: unlimited pension, special service, VIP halls.

But it appears that it was not enough – yesterday Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, Party of Regions and communists gave themselves authority to be investigators and judges. Because they yet can’t, they want to conduct investigations, seize documents, question people; they want institution of criminal proceedings for refusal of providing explanations to a state deputy.

In addition deputies want to put Security Service under their and Government’s command.

I ask BYuT, communists, Party of Regions – is it where effectiveness of Ukrainian authorities lies? That is your constructive cooperation? That is what Ukrainian people are expecting today? I am assured that the answer is – no.

Unconditionally I will veto all these anti-corruption measures.

Dear countrymen!

For three years in a row the parliamentarians have been fighting for power in Ukraine.

In 2007 I initiated pre-term parliamentary election in response to collusion and political corruption within the precincts of the Verkhovna Rada.

Not with empty words, but with my concrete actions, I have been continuously caring for unity among democratic forces in Ukraine. They were obliged to take responsibility in the Parliament and in the Government.

As the Head of State I have been interested in the fastest beginning of the Verkhovna Rada and the new Ukrainian Government’s work.

That is why, despite of everything, I brought in the nomination of Yulia Tymoshenko for the post of the Prime Minister of Ukraine twice.

I was guided by not only my own will, but by the will of millions of Ukrainians, who expected effective and determined actions and decisions of the coalition and of the Ukrainian Government.

I would like to emphasize the following: I have been protecting the coalition and the Government from mistakes and miscalculations that very often occurred in their activity. Only a part of my remarks was adequately perceived on both human and professional levels. Innocent eyes in front of the public and narrow decisions in support of own interests behind the backs of the President and of the partners from the coalition.

In eight months of the work only 41 laws were submitted to the Parliament out of 245 that had been foreseen in the coalition agreement. Out of them only 11 were adopted. This is the effectiveness of the Government and of the coalition. And that happened because other interests were dominant and often remained behind curtains.

The Tender Chamber was liquidated only under compulsion and the new state purchases procedure is until now implemented manually by the Government.

Laws on local authorities have not been amended. And these are sensitive laws that form system of state authority. I mean self-government and local administrations.

Laws within the framework of courts system reform and corruption fighting have not been adopted. Six draft-laws, submitted by the President, have been in the Parliament for 9 months already.

Not a single law has been adopted on land market. No attention provided to middle class or to businessmen.

Military reform has been halted. No financing was provided to create contract-based army. Lack of financing has become a cause for another cannonade at munitions depot in Lozova town. The financing of Ukrainian army this year is lower (with regard to inflation) than it was in previous years. Is this the adequate response of the Government to the situation? I am assured that the answer is – no.

Instead, leadership of the Government succeeded in accomplishing personal tasks.

A number of attempts to change leadership of State Property Fund in contravention of the Ukrainian Constitution were made.

Intentions of simple sale of strategic enterprises have been elaborated.

Instead of systematic reforms, new redistribution of property has began together with populist distribution of privileges, money and often land.

I am assured that every Ukrainian feels the consequences: the highest inflation rates in the region and in Europe. As for today it estimates at 34 percent. What explains such a policy? Only unprofessional approach does. Only populism that is paid for by the whole nation does. But people, who suffer the most, are those, who the politicians are talking about the most; these are the poor. There is no worst toll than the toll of inflation. Because it harms interests of the poorest people, rather than those of prosperous or of millionaires.

My demands to protect people from inflation through alterations to State Budget were ignored in March, in May and in June. I am assured that only changes to the Budget, including new subsistence wages and new social standards would be honest and adequate response of the Government to the enormous inflation that had been provoked by it in the first half of the year. But this did not happen.

Yesterday everything was put into place.

Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko united with communists and Prty of Regions. I understand perfectly that this alliance is unnatural. I understand that this alliance promises no good for the country. It is a well known practice. It was used by the previouse coalition in the Parliament to usurp power.

This alliance in my opinion has buried democratic majority in the Parliament.

Yet, the situation is not grave. It is not durable.

The citizens should see the difference today between state oriented policy, all-Ukrainian policy and policy of corruption, policy of treachery that does not guarantee territorial integrity, sovereignty, inviolability of boardes of the country, or its European integration course.

I would like to emphasize and I would like my words to be heard by every citizen of Ukraine: I will keep to state oriented policy regardless of any alliances.

And the last thing. Dear countrymen!

From legal point of view the events in Ukrainian Parliament I see as a formal beginning of creation of a new parliamentary coalition.

If the coalition of deputies factions is not created in the time constraints provided by the Supreme Law of Ukraine, I will use my right to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada and to announce extraordinary election.

Thank you for your attention.

03.09.2008 12:54 - Press office of President Victor Yushchenko

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B) Address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko on political situation in Ukraine

Dear compatriots! Yesterday Our Ukraine Party by one-sided means has seceded from the democratic coalition and today President of Ukraine V. Yushchenko addressed the people with a special statement and declared that half of his faction chaired by him had gained its ends nevertheless and ruined the democratic coalition. Two conditions were called as reasons, the first one – my wrong stand on Georgia’s conflict and the second – formation of the coalition with Party of Regions and communists.

My stand on the conflict in Georgia is clear, comprehensible and unambiguous, it completely coincides with the European Union’s stand on recognition of the integrity and sovereignty of Georgia’s territory. My stand is peaceful and does not tolerate Ukraine’s involvement in any military gambles, it will remain the same in future.

As regards my coalition and coalition of our political force with the Party of Regions and communists, I think that all people remember well that it was not me who signed the Memorandum on Friendship with Party of Regions, not me who signed the Universal of National Unity with V. Yanukovych, communists and Moroz, not me who submitted V. Yanukovych to the post of Prime Minister and created wide coalition. As a matter of fact, I didn’t appoint to the post of NSDC Secretary one of the leaders of Party of Regions Raisa Bohatyrova, practically creating the second Government of Ukraine in NSDC.

And so if we speak about treason we should remember the newest history of Ukraine or the President’s proper biography. From whatever angle or whatever point of view we look at today’s events one is clear. Unfortunately, President of Ukraine V. Yuschenko for the second time of his presidency ruined and destroyed the democratic coalition, and this is Ukraine’s hope for European choice and other good hopes the people had. For the first time in 2005 when I tried to struggle against total corruption in his circle, it is happening again right now, today, when the Secretariat of President aim all their presidential might at killing the democratic coalition in Ukraine.

I believe that you also kept up with the President’s destruction of the democratic coalition and democratic Government since the first day of their creation. Such pressure, such onrush and aggression toward the Government, me personally, the whole team I haven’t felt event in the period of the most zealous opposition’s activity.

I was silent all this time, and I know, you highly evaluated my silence. I have even made my special principle – do everything good you can do for the country and do not pay attention to any intrigues.

I held up this coalition achieved through suffering, fought for it with my last ounce, maintained it from collapse through agreements, guarantees, persuasion everything I could. But in vain. President Yuschenko was killing it meaningly, with preconception and successively.

But even in spite of all, the Government operated normally, operates and, I am confident, will operate in future uniting around all political forces, uniting all sensible politicians.

I want just to tell you that during the last 8 months we are keeping one of the highest showings of economic growth among other countries. I want to inform you that we have harvested crops twice as much as against the previous year and broken all records of corn crops even during the Soviet Union times and restored our granary name in the world.

Due to the struggle against corruption and shadow schemes the Government has additionally received above 32 million UAH to the budget and that is an essential part of Ukraine’s budget for giving these funds to the people.

We have built in Ukraine the first transit highway Kharkiv-Dnipropetrovsk according to European standards and started to project Ukraine’s good image of a transit state.

Moreover, we stopped and the last two years reduced that inflation which we have inherited at record 17% level of annuals last year.

As Prime Minister I can be proud of the fact that this year we increase coal production by 4 million in Ukraine whereas last year it was by 5 million lower. And we want to do our best to restore that level of coal production we had at the beginning of the 90s, and this is really serious records.

Students’ scholarship increased twofold, wages and pensions were increased. Six million people, contrary to colossal resistance of the President, received the first tranche of savings – 1 thousand UAH. The democratic Government did much more than I have cited, regardless of the fact that every our initiative, every our project faced strong resistance from the Head of State and his circle, daily we had to breach concrete walls and take barriers.

But you know what is the most unpleasant in this story – that dirty deed of the democratic coalition’s destruction was disguised with ostentatious patriotism, verbal spirituality and for show morals. The truth – real cause that President of the country Viktor Yuschenko has declared me personally and all democratic team war of attrition – this, unfortunately, struggle for victory at the upcoming presidential elections in 2010. For this victory, unfortunately, they are ready to go to the extremities, though there are no chances already, they were lost in the course of this absolutely senseless struggle. But they were so blind with presidential elections that they even failed to hear my assurances that I am ready to yield and support once again one candidate from the democratic coalition at presidential elections if we achieve harmonious work and the Government won’t be impeded to operate. Aren’t these great victories? Isn’t it a normal cooperation?

Today the President said that the Prime Minister had set up a dictatorship in the country. Viktor Andriyovych, we have no dictatorship, unfortunately, in the democratic coalition with You at the head except dictatorship of irresponsibility and disorder which I wanted to stop yesterday very much through voting in the Verkhovna Rada. I wanted, firstly, to separate clearly powers between the Government and President as the Constitution envisages and not to do so that there are three governments, six Premiers in the country and all govern and nobody exercises responsibility.

Secondly, I wanted yesterday in the Parliament through voting of our party to separate Your circle from influences on the Security Service which today, unfortunately, has transformed into a repressive authority against politicians which you are considering your rivals. The Security Service today fails to perform its main duties – does not protect national interests of Ukraine and does nothing to make Ukraine be strong.

Dear compatriots, I understand that my narrative is not very cheerful but all the same I know that everything will be good in our country. Ukraine – is a powerful state of wise, wonderful people and surely we’ll achieve success despite all political storms and tempests. I appeal to my colleagues from People’s Self-Defense and People’s Movement of Ukraine, I address to Yurii Lutsenko, Borys Tarasiuk, Anatolii Hrytsenko and all other deputies of Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense who strongly objected by their vote collapse of democratic coalition. I thank you very much for political courage, honor and dignity that you abide by ideals of democracy and justice, were resistant to provocations of the Presidential Secretariat and immediate circle and did not sign the declaration of secession from the democratic coalition.

And those who signed break-up of democratic coalition, you had to make such demarches when the Presidential Secretariat and President in person were ruining the democratic coalition, and not to make break-up’s demarche of your and the President’s last.

I appeal to colleagues and team-mates from Our Ukraine, it is not time to ruin the last democratic barricades because democratic coalition can and must exist. You have 10 days long, without ultimatums, demands, provocations to return calmly to democratic coalition. No voting in the Parliament, no decisions to which you refer does not represent the facts, can’t be the cause for leaving the coalition. If 8 months long our team and I tolerated all this and barred from ruining the democratic coalition then you have to appreciate it as we appreciate and develop it.

I sincerely hope for wisdom and prudence of our colleagues of the democratic coalition. I believe that work of democratic coalition will be resumed.

Dear compatriots, thank you for listening me. Be aware that situation in Ukraine is absolutely normal, the Government is operating regardless the fact that one part of it was ordered by the President to quit, we secure a quorum and the Government as strong as before these absolutely unpredictable events. No reckless schemes and provocations will stop us, we are calm and confident, we have enough powers and opportunities to fulfill our obligations to all you assumed during elections.

As of today I will launch consultations with all political forces in the Parliament in order to create a system of consolidation, to stop discord, to create a stability island in the Parliament and Ukraine.

And I am happy that today the Parliament is voting so smoothly as clockwork. Yesterday all laws without exception have been passed for coal industry elevation. Today we have approved all decisions and budget amendments which enabled to increase all budget wages of education, medical and culture employees. This is transfer to a Single tariff network. And every day the Parliament and Government will take those decisions which you expect.

Moreover, I think that all of us get tired of waiting for order in the justice system, system of local government authorities, putting in order division of powers in the country, and so that the President did not fulfill the PM’s duties, and Prime Minister took practically a back seat of any executive duties, so that never occurred such things that somebody keeps out heads of regional state administrations from urgent meetings of the Prime Minister. We need without fail constitutional changes in order to strengthen human rights and freedoms, to increase law supremacy, abolish monopoly of coercive structures and make the politics consolidated and reliable.

Within nearest time I will propose fundamental, absolutely considered and necessary for Ukraine constitutional changes. And I believe that new amendments to the Constitution will consolidate the Parliament and all sensible forces.

In my opinion, politicians have already wearied the country with snap elections. It is necessary to work but not to drive the country into crises all the time. And I want that all of you know, you can rely on me, that all principles and ideals declared during the revolution and which despite colors of parties’ flags conceived by the whole country, they will be kept on and carried to its logical conclusion. I am with you as ever. And I believe that we succeed despite all problems and disorders. Be sure of it.

04.09.2008 | 16:30 | Office of mass media relations of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Secretariat

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