Members of the Ukrainian delegation so claim

A press conference of the members of the Verkhovna Rada permanent delegation at Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the results of January 2001 session took place on January 30. According to Interfax-Ukraine, deputy member of the permanent Ukrainian delegation to PACE Roman Zvarych (Rukh Udovenko fraction) stated that members of the parliamentary delegation of Ukraine had reached preliminary agreement with PACE monitoring committee monitors Hanna Severinsen and Renata Volvend on possibility of stopping monitoring Ukraine’s fulfillment of the commitments it had made on entering the Council of Europe.

He underlined that Ukraine had met virtually its all commitments with the exception of enacting four codes. According to him, the speakers agree to consider the issue of possibility of cessation of monitoring if Verkhovna Rada passes the criminal and civil codes before the PACE April session. Mr. Zvarych also informed journalists that a preliminary agreement had been reached on postponing discussion of the issue of Ukraine’s fulfillment of its obligations to the CE from the April session to the June one. According to him, the monitors also irewed positively regarded a proposal to hold a session of the monitoring committee in May in Kyiv so as to in more detail familiarize itself with the situation in Ukraine. In the course of the press conference head of Ukraine’s delegation to the PACE Borys Oliynyk (Communist Party faction, center the photo) and other members of the delegation pointed to united and coordinated work of the Ukrainian parliamentarians “when the talk was about the interests of the state.” Mr. Oliynyk also dwelled on the report prepared by a delegation member Serhiy Kurykin (Green faction) on environmental consequences of the war in Yugoslavia for Southern and Southeast Europe, calling it “brilliant.”

When speaking about they heard at the PACE session on the Ukrainian issue (on the situation with freedom of expression and functioning of parliamentary democracy), the lawmakers pointed out that the resolutions and recommendations approved as a result of discussing the issue were not directed at diminishing the authority of Ukraine, underlining constructive and balanced character of the approved documents meant to improve the situation with the mass media in this country. In particular, Mr. Zvarych mentioned, the intent was to help Ukraine “find a way out of its difficult situation.”