ON WEDNESDAY 26 DECEMBER THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE CONTINUED ITS PLENARY PROCEEDINGS

418 People's Deputies Registered to attend the Meeting.

Having opened the Morning Sitting, the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatseniuk explained to The Deputies that although a Meeting of the Conciliatory Council had been held prior to the Plenary Meeting, he has not succeeded in having the Draft Resolution on the Election of Chairmen, First Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries and Membership of the Committees of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and also the Election of the Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, Secretary and Membership of the Ad Hoc Privatisation Supervisory Panel, signed by the Leader of The Party of Regions Faction.

A. Yatseniuk said that distributed to each of The People´s Deputies will be a Draft Resolution, signed by the leaders of four Factions, but without the signature of the Leader of The Party of Regions Faction. This Draft will be discussed at the Plenary Meeting.

The People´s Deputies took the floor with their announcements, statements and proposals. Volodymyr Lytvyn, Leader of The Lytvyn Bloc, one of several Deputies taking the floor, emphasized the necessity of continuing with the Land Sale Moratorium, as regards agricultural land in particular. He insisted that this matter should be considered even before the Law on the State Budget 2008 is adopted. Substantiating his motion he said that ‘This matter has not been dealt with by The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, because our Faction has the feeling that today the only prevailing wish is to adjust the internal document of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, i.e. The Standing Orders; so that it fits the political situation, the current political moment, and the processes taking place both within and beyond the Coalition´.

V.Lytvyn also tabled a motion to pass a Law on the major Social expenditures, which must be implemented before the Budget is passed.

The People´s Deputy, Olexander Lavrynovych, speaking from the Rostrum, alerted the Deputies to the dismissals, on political grounds, of Government personnel by the new Power. He stressed that The People´s Deputies 'should counteract such decisions and steps, which may once again result in the people of Ukraine face political persecution together with prohibition to occupy administrative positions, or preference at employment, given to those belonging to any particular clan.

The People´s Deputy, Mykola Tomenko, announced that the BYuT Faction is ready to vote on passing the Resolution on the Election of Chairmen, First Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries and Membership of the Committees of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and also the Election of the Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, Secretary and Membership of the Ad Hoc Privatisation Supervisory Panel, i.e. to immediately deal with the formation of Committees so they may commence working without delay, in order to pass the Law on the State Budget before the end of this year.

The People´s Deputy, Kateryna Samoilyk, announced the creation in The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of an Inter-Faction Association of People´s Deputies in support of the Canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine. This Association consists of 155 People´s Deputies.

The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatseniuk, summarized all the facts of the speeches and discussions, emphasizing that the Law on the State Budget for the coming year has not yet been introduced to The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. ‘It will appear after the Government Meeting scheduled for today´, said the Chair.

A. Yatseniuk commented that the procedure for the adoption of The Law of Ukraine ‘On The State Budget´ has been violated for objective, not subjective reasons. The Three Readings, as envisaged in The Law of Ukraine ‘On the State Budget´ cannot possibly be implemented.

‘Should we fail to adopt the Budget until the end of the year, we shall destroy the whole system of social standards', she said. ‘In view of this legal collision, we must use Clause 96 of The Constitution of Ukraine, with its clear-cut directions that the Budget Year starts on 1 January of each year. In view of the above, and in order to avoid any accusations of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of its inability to adopt the Budget, I have offered for your approval a Draft Resolution of the Procedure and specific aspects for consideration and adoption of The Law of Ukraine ‘On the State Budget 2008´, said A. Yatseniuk.

The Chair appealed to the People´s Deputies, pleading with them to consider this Draft Resolution, provide their comments, and adopt it.

A. Yatseniuk then notified The Deputies of the decision taken at the Meeting of the Conciliatory Council, re the consideration of the matter of Committees of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He said that the Faction Leaders are now in agreement with the Election of the Chairmen, First Vice-Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries and Membership of Committees of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada responded to this by passing the decision, with 340 votes, to consider the Draft Resolution on the Election of Chairmen, First Vice-Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries and Membership of Committees of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, together with the Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, Secretary and Membership of the Ad Hoc Privatisation Supervisory Panel.

The Deputies taking the floor on the reasons for voting supported the necessity of passing this Resolution. The People´s Deputies R. Zvarych and P. Symonenko offered amendments to the Draft apertaining to transfers of individual People´s Deputies between Committees.

Following the account of these proposals by R. Zvarych and P. Symonenko, the Resolution ‘On the Election of Chairmen, First Vice-Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and Membership of  the Committees of  The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the Election of the Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, Secretary and Membership of the Ad Hoc Privatisation Supervisory Panel´ was passed by 401 votes as a basis for further discussions.

The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, A. Yatseniuk, appealed to the Chairmen of Committees to start exercising their duties, and to begin by convening their relevant Committees.

A. Yatseniuk expressed his belief that until the end of the day, the People´s Deputies will be given all the materials related to the Draft Budget 2008. The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was going to ask the Government to speak before the Budget Committee on the matter of the Draft Budget, A. Yatseniuk called for continuing the proceedings tomorrow, and listen at the evening meting of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to a report by the Cabinet of Ministers on the Draft Budget 2008.

The Morning sitting was then closed.

The next Plenary Meeting will be held  at 4 pm on Thursday 27 December.