BYuT UKRAINE
GOVERNMENT PORTAL
INFORM NEWSLETTER
Byut dismisses hysterical statement
26 August 2008
Published in
Inform
issue #82
See the full issue here.
Officials at the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) dismissed as a “hysterical statement” the accusation that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is guilty of “betraying” national interests because of her measured response on the Georgia-Russia conflict.
“The allegation does not warrant serious discussion,” said Hryhoriy Nemyria, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European integration and official government envoy to Tbilisi. “The accusation says more about the Presidential Secretariat than it does any semblance of fact,” he added.
The accusation of treachery came from the Deputy Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Presidential Secretariat, Andriy Kyslynsky, in the form of a statement on the Secretariat’s website. It alleges that the premier is in collusion with the Russian government for taking a measured position over the conflict with Georgia, in return for Russian funds to back her presidential campaign.
The statement claims "nearly one billion US dollars have been reserved for the project to support Yulia Tymoshenko," and that Viktor Medvedchuk will run
Ms Tymoshenko’s presidential election campaign. It contends that evidence supporting the allegations will be submitted to the authorities. But to-date no information has been made available for scrutiny.
See the full issue here.
Officials at the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) dismissed as a “hysterical statement” the accusation that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is guilty of “betraying” national interests because of her measured response on the Georgia-Russia conflict.
“The allegation does not warrant serious discussion,” said Hryhoriy Nemyria, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European integration and official government envoy to Tbilisi. “The accusation says more about the Presidential Secretariat than it does any semblance of fact,” he added.
The accusation of treachery came from the Deputy Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Presidential Secretariat, Andriy Kyslynsky, in the form of a statement on the Secretariat’s website. It alleges that the premier is in collusion with the Russian government for taking a measured position over the conflict with Georgia, in return for Russian funds to back her presidential campaign.
The statement claims "nearly one billion US dollars have been reserved for the project to support Yulia Tymoshenko," and that Viktor Medvedchuk will run
Ms Tymoshenko’s presidential election campaign. It contends that evidence supporting the allegations will be submitted to the authorities. But to-date no information has been made available for scrutiny.
The sensational claims, which are designed to
undermine Ms Tymoshenko’s popularity, have backfired
spectacularly.
Senior BYuT officials claimed that Ms Tymoshenko made her views on the conflict clear from the outset, in that Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity must be observed. The Cabinet of Ministers merely deferred major statements on the conflict to the president and got on with the important job of evacuating Ukrainian citizens and their families and coordinating deliveries of humanitarian aid.
“It is entirely inappropriate for the president’s office to seek to politicise the conflict for domestic purposes – we don't do PR on bloodshed, such behavior is inexcusable,” said Mr Nemyria.
Even the leader of the Opposition, Viktor Yanukovych, appeared flabbergasted. "I have no information on this issue. If I had it I would offer my assessment," said the former prime minister and leader of the Party of Regions. He added that concrete facts should be provided in such cases.
Ukraine’s first president, Leonid Kravchuk, said he was against officials making irresponsible statements and noted that Ms Tymoshenko has been accused of all crimes imaginable. “They still have one more crime to pin on Tymoshenko. They can say that there hasn’t been Armageddon yet because Yulia Tymoshenko hasn’t engineered it. When they accuse her of not starting the Armageddon, I will say it out and loud they are nuts, and instead of going in for politics they should be going for treatment in a clinic.”
Senior BYuT officials claimed that Ms Tymoshenko made her views on the conflict clear from the outset, in that Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity must be observed. The Cabinet of Ministers merely deferred major statements on the conflict to the president and got on with the important job of evacuating Ukrainian citizens and their families and coordinating deliveries of humanitarian aid.
“It is entirely inappropriate for the president’s office to seek to politicise the conflict for domestic purposes – we don't do PR on bloodshed, such behavior is inexcusable,” said Mr Nemyria.
Even the leader of the Opposition, Viktor Yanukovych, appeared flabbergasted. "I have no information on this issue. If I had it I would offer my assessment," said the former prime minister and leader of the Party of Regions. He added that concrete facts should be provided in such cases.
Ukraine’s first president, Leonid Kravchuk, said he was against officials making irresponsible statements and noted that Ms Tymoshenko has been accused of all crimes imaginable. “They still have one more crime to pin on Tymoshenko. They can say that there hasn’t been Armageddon yet because Yulia Tymoshenko hasn’t engineered it. When they accuse her of not starting the Armageddon, I will say it out and loud they are nuts, and instead of going in for politics they should be going for treatment in a clinic.”