Yushchenko to do his best so that parliament works, presidential representative says

KYIV, September 19 /UKRINFORM/. President Viktor Yushchenko will take all efforts so that the Verkhovna Rada continues work. This was disclosed by Maryna Stavniychuk, Deputy Head of the Presidential Secretariat, President's Representative at the Constitutional Court and Central Election Commission. Asked by reporters whether the Head of State will have the right to dissolve the parliament October 3, as the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional and suspended operation of the Verkhovna Rada's interim regulations, she said that the President will do his best so that the current convocation Verkhovna Rada works.

Government predicting reduction in gasoline, diesel fuel import

KYIV, September 19 /UKRINFORM/.  The Cabinet of Ministers forecasts reduction in import of gasoline and diesel fuel by 33.3% or 1.6 million tons in 2009 compared to a forecasting indicator of 2008 to 3.2 million tons. A gasoline import is expected at 1.1 million tons (2008 forecast - 1.9 mn tons), diesel fuel - 2.1 million tons (2008 - 2.9 mn tons), according to a draft law on the state program of economic and social development 2009. The government predicts that a gasoline and diesel fuel production will grow by 24.66%.

Donald Tusk notes progress in Ukraine, Poland Euro-2012 preparations

KYIV, September 19 /Оleksandr Khorolskyi - UKRINFORM/. A dynamics of Euro-2012 preparations by Ukraine and Poland has optimized, Polish Premier Donald Tusk told a tete-a-tete meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

"UEFA experts note that we are advancing together - Ukraine and Poland," he underscored referring to a preliminary information about UEFA's conclusions on Ukraine's and Poland's Euro-2012 preparations.

Renowned writer and Soviet-era dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn backed the Kremlin line on the divisive issue, dismissing Ukrainian claims that the famine was genocide as a "fable."

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"This provocateur's cry of 'genocide' began to germinate decades later - first secretly, in the moldy minds of chauvinists maliciously set against (Russia), and now elevated to government circles of today's Ukraine," he wrote.

The fact remains that the European powers collectively have invested tens of billions of euros into energy projects with Russia, and they do not want to risk losing those investments by upsetting the Kremlin.

With 80 percent of its Russian gas imports transiting Ukraine, the European Union's greatest nightmare is waking up one morning to find its gas artery severed due to internal conflict in Ukraine instigated by its powerful eastern neighbor.

But analysts say it isn't just Russian opposition that is keeping the two former Soviet republics' NATO dreams on hold. Although both countries have made impressive progress on military and political reform, both also still have significant issues that need to be resolved.

Analysts say Georgia also needs to complete critical political reforms and must make progress in resolving conflicts in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are strongly supported by Moscow.