Associated Press - 03.20.2007

Ukraine's parliament approves foreign minister, ending two-month battle with president

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's parliament overwhelmingly approved a new foreign minister on Wednesday, putting an end to a nearly two-month battle with President Viktor Yushchenko after he backed down and abandoned his first choice for the job.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a 32-year-old former economics minister and close ally of Yushchenko, became the country's new top diplomat after winning 426 votes in the 450-seat parliament. Yatsenyuk immediately signaled that he would pursue a pragmatic course, particularly in Ukraine's bid to join the European Union.

Yushchenko has made EU membership a top goal, but Ukraine has been unable to secure any promise from the EU of future membership. The European Union has agreed only to work toward closer political and economic ties with this nation of 47 million people, and has emphasized that Ukraine should focus its immediate efforts on continuing internal reforms.

"Ukraine must not ask, it must be invited," Yatsenyuk told lawmakers. "Europe is not the aim in and of itself. European values are the aim."

Yushchenko backed down late Tuesday and nominated Yatsenyuk after his previous choice, career diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko, was rejected twice by parliament's Russian-leaning majority coalition, which had complained about Ohryzko's pro-Western and pro-NATO views.

The president "cannot allow a state organ — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — to continue to be without a leader, undermining faith in Kiev's foreign policy course," said Yushchenko's chief-of-staff, Viktor Baloha.

Yatsenyuk told parliament he would strive to make Ukraine's foreign policy predictable and would defend the country's interests. Yatsenyuk, also a former acting head of the National Bank, said one of his goals as foreign minister would be to add focus to economic issues in foreign policy.

Speaking of relations with Russia, Yatsenyuk said Kiev would aim to foster a good and predictable relationship. "Russia is too big a country with which to have an unpredictable foreign policy," he said.

The Foreign Ministry post came open in January after the president's political rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, forced the ouster of the pro-Western Borys Tarasyuk. Under Ukraine's constitution, the president proposes the foreign minister, but parliament must approve the choice.

Yatsenyuk's approval came after parliament's majority coalition — made up of Yanukovych's Party of the Regions, Socialists and Communists — agreed to back him. The Yushchenko-allied opposition parties also cast their votes in his favor.