PACE Hearing on Ukraine Issue Could Be Deferred Until September

The EC Monitoring Committee has decided to recommend that the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council defer the hearing of the so-called Ukrainian issue until the September PACE session. The Monitoring Committee session scheduled the agenda of the PACE January session was to hear the issue of Ukraine’s fulfillment of its commitments to the EC on the agenda during the coming PACE session. According to For-ua.com, PACE Monitoring Committee member and People’s Deputy Ivan Popesku stressed that the decision was due to the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine. He said he was the one to put forth a proposal to defer the hearing of the Ukrainian issue until the PACE September session. The Monitoring Committee agreed to his arguments that in view of the parliamentary elections due to be held in March 2002 it is not advisable to listen to Ukraine’s report in January.