Western Concern Grows Over Tymoshenko Arrest..bail requests rejected

[Boethius]

Yulia's $11B is much less than the rumored $40B of Putin

And to think, Yulia started that vast fortune by renting porn videos to minors.  I'm sure her supporters will all provide evidence of how that fortune was made legally/above board by a true "victim" of political persecution.

[SteveOR]

It was certainly not Putin's idea to let Ukraine get away and in fact on more than one occasion has questioned Ukraine's territorial integrity.  At a NATO conference in 2008 Putin told then President George Bush  "You understand George, Ukraine is not even a state".   

Jack, found this in yesterday's Kyiv Post.  It includes the quote from Putin to Bush at the NATA Conference and goes on to quote Putin as saying "Russia didn’t need Ukraine’s contributions to win World WarII."  That's an interesting rewrite of history that I'll bet most Ukrainians wouldn't agree with:
 
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/113859/
 
With Russia wanting greater influence over Ukraine and Ukraine apperantly wanting to look in a more Westerly direction it will be interesting to watch what happens.  The Tymoshenko thing seems to be more of a sideshow that looks like it will be resolved quickly and quietly by changes in the law:
 
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/113932/
 
Selected quotes:
 
"The trial of Ukrainian ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, on a charge of abuse of office, was adjourned on Friday for 11 days to give the political leadership time to ponder its next move in the face of fierce criticism from the West. "

"The EU, with which Ukraine is negotiating important agreements on association and free trade, has said these will be jeopardised if Tymoshenko is jailed.

It has urged Yanukovich to push through amendments to the criminal law to re-classify the charge against Tymoshenko to allow her to go free and continue as an opposition politician."

 

[Boethius]

The European Union expects to finalise an association agreement with Ukraine by the end of the year, despite the controversial trial in Kiev of former prime minister  Yulia Tymoshenko, according to the EU president, Herman van Rompuv. .  .

(S)peaking at a summit in Warsaw, Van Rompuy said the EU still expected to finalise a key agreement with Ukraine by the end of the year.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/30/european-union-ukraine-pact-tymoshenko?newsfeed=true

[I/O]

But my question to you I/O is why you say Putin  "needs this to happen",  for JT to be set free.  What do you see that he, or Moscow/Russia, will gain by JT being set free?

Jack, macro politics is often difficult to grasp but in essence, if you follow tha money trail, you'll usually see it for what it is. This one is pretty simple, her inside doesn't sit well in the west which in turn doesn't help his cause in courting the west controlling the resident suckers (both Ukraine and the west) energy supplies.

Her outside, Moscow can be seen as a stable energy supplier, her inside, the Caspian line gets up. This is far bigger in revenue terms than Yankthewitch or YT. 

[Jack]

Jack, macro politics is often difficult to grasp

Agreed I/O but from one non politician to another non politician was more interested in getting another person's direct to the point opposing views.

This one is pretty simple, her inside doesn't sit well in the west which in turn doesn't help his cause in courting the west controlling the resident suckers (both Ukraine and the west) energy supplies.

Of course it does not set well with the west but I do not see how this "doesn't help his cause".

Her outside, Moscow can be seen as a stable energy supplier, her inside, the Caspian line gets up. This is far bigger in revenue terms than Yankthewitch or YT.

Her outside, or inside the big house I do not see as having a bearing on Moscow as being a stable energy supplier.  This is going to be the same regardless of if she serves time or not and the Caspian line is going to proceed regardless.

Here is my take on this I/O and why I somewhat disagree as to JT being released will be good for Putin  (i.e., Moscow/Russia).     Putin is pressing hard, and is going to press even harder over the coming months for Ukraine to join the pact he is trying to create.  He (Putin) realizes their is no country more important to his plans to create a new pact than Ukraine.   He wants Ukraine and is getting fed up with Yanucrookvych ho-hum to Moscow's plea.    Should anything serious happen to Yanucrookvych in the coming year I would look no further than Moscow as to the cause.

The EU has made it even more clear over the past week, and in the past 24 hours, if Julia is jailed Ukraine will not be getting into the EU.  Well, guess WHO does not want Ukraine getting accepted into the EU?  Good ole President Putin.  For Julia to not get out, for the EU to say "Sorry Yanucrookvych, you had your chance" would be the best possible scenario for Putin's plan to have Ukraine as his center piece for the beginning of a new mini-USSR.




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From today's Sunday October 2 Bloomberg Businessweek,  EU Officials indicate treatment of Tymoshenko could prove a hitch to the 27 nation bloc.

While Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said yesterday he wants to sign an Association Agreement this year with the EU in an effort to steer the former Soviet state toward membership, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the EU was observing the treatment of Tymoshenko closely and that the case could prove a hitch to improved links with the 27-nation bloc.

“We want to help Ukraine in its aspirations,” Tusk said at a press conference with the EU leaders today. “But the poor treatment of opposition members makes closer ties more difficult.”

 

http://www.taiwannews.com.

Prospects for concluding negotiations with Ukraine had appeared at risk because of the imprisonment and trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Western leaders view the trial of Tymoshenko, the country's key opposition figure and a leader of the Orange Revolution, as politically motivated and a sign of Ukraine's weak commitment to the rule of law.

Van Rompuy said EU officials expressed their opposition to Tymoshenko's trial repeatedly at the summit, where Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was in attendance.

He said EU leaders "expressed our concern" about the selective use of judicial procedures against members of the past administration.

"This is a serious matter in our relations and we are expressing ourselves very clearly on this matter," Van Rompuy said.

Prime Minister of Poland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, Donald Tusk said that under Tymoshenko's term Ukraine embarked on its pro-European path.

"Bad treatment of the opposition will have negative effects for the negotiations," Tusk said.

 

http://www.cortezjournal.com/

in Warsaw, European leaders tried to re-ignite the passion in both the EU and the East for closer integration, reminding both sides of why they should continue their courtship.

Key to the summit was Ukraine, a country of 46 million people to Poland's east that has been negotiating association and free-trade agreements with the EU, landmark deals that could help pull Ukraine closer to the West.

Because of Ukraine's size and key strategic position, the deals could also mobilize Ukraine's neighbors to embrace greater reforms.

However, the deals have lately been threatened by the ongoing trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the main opposition figure and a hero of the Orange Revolution.

EU leaders view the trial as politically motivated and some warned Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych recently that the talks on the association and free-trade deals could be threatened by them.

However, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said the bloc still expects to finalize the talks with Ukraine by the end of the year - even though he stressed that the EU is concerned about the ongoing Tymoshenko trial.

"This is a serious matter in our relations and we are expressing ourselves very clearly on this matter," Van Rompuy said.

Yet Van Rompuy warned that partnership with the EU is only for those "who have chosen the path of reform, who have chosen the path of democracy."

 

The Wall Street Journal

The EU leaders also said they put pressure on Ukraine to end the trial of the country’s former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, accused of exceeding her authority in sealing a gas-supply deal with Russia in 2009. Mrs. Tymoshenko said earlier the trial was a case of “political lynching.”

Mr. Van Rompuy said the Tymoshenko case was being raised with the Ukrainian delegation, headed by President Viktor Yanukovych, who defeated the former prime minister in presidential elections in 2010.

“We expressed concern over her fate,” Mr. Van Rompuy said.

Ukraine is likely to conclude its EU association talks later this year, but Mrs. Tymoshenko’s case may weigh on the negotiations, Mr. Tusk said.

[Jack]

The likelihood of Ukraine joining the EU is very, very slim

We will just have to agree to disagree on this manny.  Key members of the EU very much want Ukraine in the EU and these big time EU players will certainly be able to sway the lesser members to vote their way.  The politics behind such a move manny is probably much greater than you are giving credit to or considering.

and would be many years away in any event. 

Well, I certainly am not one experienced enough in the process of EU ratification to be able to debate efficiently.  But from what little I do know manny, (1) the process has already consumed much time,  (2) that as early as this coming December "if" the EU proceeds forward the association agreement could be signed and (3) once the association agreement is signed the whole remaining process would take about one year for all 27 member states to ratify, however if this agreement is not signed by late December the process will miss the current legislative period and then it would indeed take up to another three years.

So manny, so much is riding on the start of the implementation agreement being signed within the next 2.5 months.  If this happens manny Ukraine could be accepted into the EU in about a years time.

I think we learned already that we don't need any more penniless lame ducks in the EU. We also don't want to all have to pay to drag yet another corrupt second world country into the first world. 

Your dislike of Ukraine is and has been well noted manny.  The EU does have some worthless lame ducks that they are having to bail out now and Ukraine would have to be seen as a country not hurting in the same light as Greece, Portugal, Spain and other potential default countries for sure.

You service providers best hope Ukraine stays out of the EU, as the moment they join, the MOB industry there will pretty much close down overnight as it did in Latvia, Lithuania, Czech and Estonia.

Before I address this let me say,  ....   Mod's, manny's post and my reply might be seen as taking the current subject way off topic and as such feel free to relocate.

manny just voicing my opinion here,  nothing else.   Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia (The Baltic's) were never much of a serious player/contender in the pursuit for a Russian bride industry. It was more of a short fad they went through in the mid to late 90's and nothing more.  Their was never any great numbers of men seeking brides from this region other than this brief period of time when it was nothing more than a fad.

The Baltic states being accepted into the EU had absolutely no bearing on the Russian bride market at all. If in your opinion it did, then you and I will simply have a 180 degree disagreement in this. Nothing more. We have disagreed in the past.

If Ukraine is accepted into the EU it will have absolutely no bearing on the Russian/Ukraine bride industry for at least two generations, certainly after yours and my lifetime manny.    Comparing the conditions, culture, and the main reason's ladies from Ukraine are looking for a foreign husband to the Baltic states is like comparing apples to lettuce, not even close.   

All one has to do is look as to the main reason today ladies from Ukraine are looking for a foreign husband.  And plelase note I say the "main" reason.  Is it economic?  Only to a small degree.  Unlike the time frame from the mid 90's to early 2000's, the econmic's is not a major, but a minor factor for many of the women today.   

Is it the politics', corruption of the country, ladies seeing no immeadite hope for their country?  Just as with economic's, this play's a role with a small percentage.   I was speaking with a wonderful young lady of 23 I have known for some time about three weeks ago and we were discussing the on going politics.  Her comments to me are felt by many young ladies here.  "Jack, I can not see wanting to raise my future children in a country like our's today".  And she was referring to the poltics and corruption of the country.  But still, this is not the major reason why sincere ladies of 23 to 40 are looking to leave Ukraine.  And the number one reason I am told by many, many women that they want a foreign man is because they want a good provider for their family, a caring father and faithful husband.  If these ladies could find men like this in Ukraine they majority of women would not be leaving Ukraine.

Their are many good, faithful, caring men in Ukraine. Many excellent fathers and husbands.  But this number is around 35% and many of these men are taken.  Of course this is only my opinion, but it is an opinion built on what I have seen and heard over the last 17, soon to be 18 years. 

So manny, unlike the Baltic's, nothing to do with being accepted by the EU, once these Ukraine men begin to change, and my God are these men spoiled with so many beautiful women, but once this process begins to change, and it hasn't even started yet, it will take two generations.  Nothing short of Ukraine or American government actions is going to effect the pursuit for Ukraine/Russian brides as we know it today in Ukraine.

[Vinnvinny]

I think Manny is much nearer the mark on this one Jack.

[Boethius]

Their are many good, faithful, caring men in Ukraine. Many excellent fathers and husbands.  But this number is around 35% and many of these men are taken.  Of course this is only my opinion, but it is an opinion built on what I have seen and heard over the last 17, soon to be 18 years. 

  Were this true, 2/3 of UW would never marry.  Yet, the majority of UW marry UM.

EU leaders expressed "concern" over the Tymoshenko trial, but it won't hold up negotiations on the association agreement.

http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/1267279-process-nad-timoshenko-byl-odnoj-iz-glavnyh-tem-sammita-v-varshave

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that Ukraine advanced the furthest in the process of integration with the European Union of all the countries of the Eastern Partnership.  The high official expressed this opinion after his meeting with the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday, September 29, 2011 during the Eastern Partnership Summit that currently takes place in Poland.  The Polish Prime Minister noted Ukraine's recent progress in employing European standards and expressed optimism about the latest round of negotiations on the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.  The Polish Prime Minister said that Europe along with Warsaw had approved Ukraine's political determination to integrate with the rest of Europe.  The politician reckoned that Ukraine's journey westward would come to an end quite soon with the Association agreement signed by the end of the year.  During his meeting with Prime Minister Turk, President Yanukovych emphasizsed the importance of including of the European perspective for Ukraine in the text of the Association agreement.  The Ukrainian leader said that the work on the economic integration of Ukraine, Poland, and the rest of Europe was going on for the sake of providing favorable conditions for business development, guaranteeing the free movement of goods, capital and people.  "Poland continues to support the European aspirations of Ukraine, our most important neighbor." said the President of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski during his meeting with the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.  The President of Ukraine also held meetings with other top European politicians - the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuv, the Deputy Minister of the UK Nick Clegg, the Prime Minister of Ireland Enda Kenny, the Prime Minister of South Korea Kim Hwang-Sik, and the Prime Minister of Portugal Pedro Passos Coelho.  Nick Clegg noted that Ukraine has the potential to become a European giant due to its vast agricultural and energy resources.  The British Deputy PM emphasized the necessity to build market economy and introduce democratic standards in order to put that potential to use.

http://stockmarketsreview.com/pressrelease/


What is happening on the political level currently is about the huge amounts of money locked in the country.  There is no way to move this money out of Ukraine.  Yanukovych et al believe that free trade with the EU will allow them to legalize some of their illegal cash.  This self preservation is why they are pursuing it so vigorously. 

I agree with Manny and Vinny, Ukraine will not be in the EU anytime soon.

[I/O]

Her outside, or inside the big house I do not see as having a bearing on Moscow as being a stable energy supplier.

You deleted "seen". 

[Jack]

Ok, let me add seen.


Her outside, or inside the big house I do not see as having a bearing on Moscow seen as being a stable energy supplier.



Talked with an individual today who I hope is mistaken with his thoughts, but maybe he is not.

He's a native of Kiev and say's that Yanucrookvych has no problem on passing up being part of the EU.  He would have liked to have been accepted but not at the risk of releasing Julia.  Yanucrookvych knows if Julia walks she will be the next President and Yanucrookvych want's no part of that.  So he'll make sure she is committed of a crime, serves some jail time and then release her but she'll not be able to run for office which is his major concern.

This person say's Yanucrookvych will have his 300 people in the Rada and just like Putin he will pass through a new law which will extend his time to be able to be President.

If Yanucrookvych jails Julia then the EU is not going to happen.

[Jack]

Human Rights Commissioner: judicial arbitrariness must stop

Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner has spoken out against the restriction on who may be in the courtroom during the delivery of the verdict in the Yulia Tymoshenko trial.

"Understanding the situation that was created artificially to ban not just deputies but all citizens of Ukraine from the court during the final verdict, I will personally be present during the announcement," Nina Karpachova said today during a meeting of the Coordinating Council.

The Human Rights Commissioner pointed out that representatives of her office monitored the trials of Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko.

Nina Karpachova also said it was unacceptable for the court to use arrest as a measure of restraint. "Unfortunately, as the Human Rights Commissioner I am not part of the legislative process. But I appeal to the deputies to draft a law that would make arrest impossible if the court has already imposed a different restrictive measure," she said.

On September 30, Judge Rodion Kireyev of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv announced that only the parties to the case and media will be allowed into the courtroom during the reading of the verdict in Yulia Tymoshenko’s trial.

Her lawyers have called this ruling illegal and a signal that the former prime minister will be convicted.


***********************************************************************************************

Eastern Partnership Summit: Tymoshenko case casts shadow over signing of association agreement


The trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on abuse of office charges stemming from the signing of gas contracts with Russia in 2009 was a dominant issue at the Eastern Partnership Summit held in Warsaw, Poland, on September 30.

"The Tymoshenko case basically followed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. As EU President Herman Van Rompuy said at the briefing, Tymoshenko was discussed Thursday evening with Yanukovych during the dinner of heads of state and government, during bilateral meetings, including with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as during the plenary session on Friday," reports Deutsche Welle radio.

"We expressed our concerns about the fate of the former prime minister," EU President Herman Van Rompuy said, "and we expressed our rejection of the possible selective use of judicial measures against members of the former administration."

"Bad treatment of the opposition will have negative effects for the negotiations," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the Summit, adding that under Tymoshenko's term Ukraine embarked on its pro-European path.

This view was echoed by EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who said, "We remain seriously concerned by the problems coming from the situation of the former prime minister, and we want, in fact, this matter to be settled."


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Hryhoriy Nemyria, deputy head of the Batkivshchyna Party and former vice prime minister of Ukraine, met with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mevlut Cavusoglu today in Strasbourg, France.

He informed the PACE president of the deteriorating situation in Ukraine in terms of adherence to European standards, particularly the rule of law, democratic principles and human rights.

Mevlut Cavusoglu noted that he has repeatedly expressed to the Ukrainian government his concerns over the dangerous developments in Ukraine, particularly signs of political persecution of the leader of the largest opposition party in Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko. "In September I had the opportunity during the meeting in Yalta to personally convey my concern to President Viktor Yanukovych and his advisors. I can repeat today that serious problems must be resolved positively by those who created them," he said.

"Today at the current session of PACE we heard from nearly all political groups growing concern over events in Ukraine. My meeting with you is proof that I personally share this position," he added.

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Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland stressed that a member country of the Council of Europe must respect European democratic rights and procedures, not violate them.

"This is what we expected from the Ukrainian government," he said. "We continue to carefully monitor the situation, because the direction in which Ukraine is moving today is of increasing concern."

"We hope that a solution to this situation will be found soon," he added.

************************************************************************************************
The announcement of a verdict in the YuliaTymoshenko case is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 11

Yulia Tymoshenko’s defense has said that the judge's statement that the verdict will be announced "approximately on October 11" means it may be announced before or after this date.

"Certainly, holding Yulia Tymoshenko in custody until approximately October 11, as the judge said, doesn’t mean that he will announce the verdict on October 11. He may announce it after October 11. The point is that Yulia Tymoshenko has been illegally denied her freedom for at least one and a half to two weeks, and illegal detention of a person is nothing other than torture," Mykola Siryi told journalists.

Lawyer Oleksandr Plakhotnyuk also considers illegal the fact that the ex-premier wasn’t given the opportunity to prepare for the last word in the trial. "For unknown reasons, the judge denied her the right to the last word, that’s my first point. The second is that by not giving half a day to prepare for the last word, which is basically three hours, the judge is in the deliberation room until October 11, 2011, essentially taking two weeks to prepare the verdict, but he didn’t give the defendant three hours to prepare. This is a gross violation that I have never seen in my career. Regardless of what kind of trial it is – ordered, not ordered, political criminal – I have never seen a person be denied the right to the last word! The judge basically denied Yulia Tymoshenko the last word," he said.

Mykola Siryi explained the nature of the current stage of the trial. "The deliberation stage is specific. During this time nobody has the right to communicate with the judge, especially the participants in the trial. The judge, of course, has the right to take breaks, these breaks are not procedural, they are objective, but the judge at this time is protected and there is no access to him," Mykola Siryi said.

The lawyer said the verdict will be announced "once Judge Kireyev says he is ready to come out and announce his decision in this case." "Either this will be at 9 am on October 11, as he tentatively told everyone, or this will be a future date," he said.


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What does all the latest talks and reports indicate?

To me, the following,....

Yanucrookvych will forgo pursuing being accepted into the EU.    Great new's for Putin.  Now all Putin has to do is get rid of Yanucrookvych and maybe he'll be able to add Ukraine as the newest member of the new mini-USSR.

Yanucrookvych enjoy's being the King and does not want to give up his thrown.  He will want to rule as long as possible, will see to it that Ukraine's constitution is changed to allow for it, just as Putin did in Russia.

Yanucrookvych will not release or give amnesty to Yulia Tymoshenko.  By doing such he would be cutting his own throat in hopes of winning re-election during next presidential campaign.   Maybe after some time is served and she has a criminal record, and not allowed to run as President with a criminal record, he might allow her out of jail and to leave the country in order to help dissolve the for sure protest of the people as long as she is being jailed.

From my own observation most of the country is anti-Yanucrookvych. Yanucrookvych has his small followings of thugs and goons, they are rewarded for their services which entail silencing the oppostition.

What impact will Yanucrookvych have on the west?   I think their will be fewer companies wanting to invest in anything new in Ukraine.  The western companies already in Ukraine will stay for the most part as they already have millions and billions invested.  Some new western ventures who have been working on projects for years will continue but now with one very worried eye focused on the Yanucrookvych govermnment.

Yanucrookvych must have the Euro 2012 to proceed and un-interrupted. This is going to bring billions into the country.  The governing bodies of the various football organizations (soccer to us yanks) do not want to get involved with the politics of a nation and pretty much will not as we have seen with regards to the head of Euro 2012 and the Yulia Tymoshenko.  Only if Yanucrookvych flies off the deep end and things are done that could cause concern for the safety of foreigners would the governing body of Euro 2012 step in and change things.   Yanucrookvych is not going to do anything major along those lines to risk losing being co host of the Euro 2012 games set to begin in mid June 2012.   

After the games it's any bodies guess as to what this former convict will do to keep control of Ukraine.

[Boethius]

From Western capitals it’s far too easy to see the prosecution of the Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko as another example of post-Soviet repression. In reality, there are some serious questions surrounding her behavior in office over and above the usual corrupt practices of the region. Rather than directly challenging the prosecution, Washington and Brussels should insist on a greater commitment to rule-of-law standards in Kiev. Given that the European Union is in the process of negotiating a major trade deal with Ukraine, Brussels should be leveraging the Tymoshenko case to reinforce the rule of law there.       
 While questionable political and commercial practices are major problems across Ukrainian politics, the 2009 gas deal between Tymoshenko and Vladimir Putin was exceptional for the damage it did to Ukrainian interests. This was a deal that even Tymoshenko’s own cabinet refused to ratify along with the then head of the state energy company Naftogaz. It was only finally settled on her own authority.       
 The deal imposed a very high base price for gas of $450 per thousand cubic meters; a strict payment regime, which following any default could force Ukraine to pay for gas in advance; very high take-or-pay clauses that forced Ukraine to pay for gas it could not possibly use; and no ship-or-pay obligations on Gazprom (hence Gazprom, without penalty, could reduce shipments to Ukraine).       
 The deal’s impact on Ukraine’s economy and consumers was extremely negative. Ukrainian gas prices have remained substantially above those of most Western European countries. Ukrainian industries such as steel and chemicals have been hit hard by higher gas prices and greater competition from Russian rivals benefiting from much lower domestic gas prices. The deal’s high take-or-pay volumes made the situation worse for Ukrainian consumers and industry, as Ukraine was forced to pay for gas it did not need. This problem has been compounded by the economic crisis. As demand collapsed the take-or-pay clauses became more onerous.
 It is unclear why Tymoshenko agreed to this very one-sided deal. Various reasons are given by opponents and supporters. One government version is that she signed the deal in order to settle a Russian case against her involving her old firm United Energy Systems of Ukraine and the Russian defense ministry. Another view is that Tymoshenko agreed to the deal to ensure Russian support during the Ukrainian presidential elections. Her supporters assert that she acted to ensure continued gas flow through the winter. However, many independent observers question why she did not call on Washington and Brussels to help pressure Moscow for a better deal?       
 Brussels and Kiev are in the final stages of completing the so-called Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. There are calls in a number of E.U. capitals and Washington for Brussels to suspend the trade pact in order to force Kiev to end the prosecution of Tymoshenko.       
 While the West is right to be concerned by the prosecution of any political leader in the former Soviet sphere, its focus should be much more targeted on improving the rule of law in Ukraine. Rather than Brussels threatening to suspend negotiations on the trade agreement, Brussels and Washington should use the Tymoshenko case to promote the rule of law in Ukraine. Brussels, supported by Washington, should be looking for a side agreement on the rule of law as it negotiates the trade accord.       
 Brussels should recognize that adherence to the rule of law by Ukraine is a vital E.U. interest. One of the major concerns over the trade agreement is that the European Union will provide greater market access for Ukraine but that Ukraine will not reciprocate. Ukraine’s high levels of corruption and noncompliance with the rule of law will make it very difficult for Kiev to provide Western businesses with real market access according to modern trading standards.       
 A side agreement to the trade accord should include the creation of an independent international judicial commission to reinforce judicial independence. It should also include requirements to establish independent and properly funded agencies to underpin competition, promote trading standards and battle corruption.       
 Such a side agreement would boost the chances of successful implementation of the trade accord for all parties to the deal. It would also make the trade agreement much more economically effective in Ukraine, boosting competition, reducing corruption and opening up economic opportunity for both ordinary Ukrainians and foreign businesses.       
 The comprehensive free trade agreement should not be jeopardized by the Tymoshenko case. A great deal of effort has been deployed by both the European Union and the Ukrainian government to deliver a final agreement. Kiev has stood up to immense pressure from Moscow, which is very hostile to the trade accord and wants Kiev to join its own customs union. Rather than withdrawing from the trade accord and leaving Kiev with little option but to head in Moscow’s direction, the West should be seeking to bring more European standards to Ukraine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/opinion/05iht-edriley05.html?_r=2

[JohnDearGreen]

Joke on Ukrainian website during January 1, 2009 gas shutoff:


A plane carrying Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and pro-Russian opposition politician Viktor Yanukovych is flying over Ukrainian territory.
Yushchenko: I will now drop hope for the future on all Ukrainians and will become the most respected man in the country.
Tymoshenko: And I will drop a promise to pay each client of the savings bank an additional thousand hryvnias and will earn even more respect.
Yanukovych: And I will throw the two of you overboard and a monument to me will be erected in my lifetime.

[Muzh]

Another step in undoing what he referred to (in words something like this) as one of the greatest geopolitical disasters of modern times.

Oh, and it doesn't look good in the west, a group who'd like to stop buying your gas and sponsor the Caspian line and a group you'd like to join in with, to have your partner to a deal jailed for that very deal..............

I/O, the real reason Putin is backing Goldilocks all the way is IF she is convicted of these crimes, guess who will be guilty by association? Yep, Putin.

[JohnDearGreen]

The hapless Kireyev, nicknamed "Harry Potter" in the media, was selected at random from a pool of judges. His experience of multimillion-dollar fraud cases seems to be....er.. nil..   Looks like someone really "dropped him in the...

http://foreignnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/novice-judging-trial-of-century.html

[Jack]

Yanucrookvych knew his chances to control the trial 100% his way was by getting a new, still wet behind the ears judge. An established, seasoned judge might not be as easy to control.

Kireyev is nothing more than Yanucrokvych's puppet.  Julia noted this during her trial, many Ukraine and Western observers have also noted this.

What a shame how one low life individual, Yanucrrokvych, can have so much power that they can jail their number one political challenger.

After the puppet Kieryev proclaims Julia is guilty their will be an appeal.  Their is a chance, medium size chance, that once the appeal get's to a court and hopefully a judge not in Yanucrookvych's pocket the entire trial will be declared a mis-trial and with a new judge.  Now of Yanucrookvych can also control who the new judge is, the same process will be repeated. One would hope that somehow Yanucrookvych would not be able to hand pick the judge he wants.

[tfcrew]

Former Ukraine PM Tymoshenko found guilty of abuse of office, sentenced to 7 years in jail

The United States and the European Union have condemned the trial as politically motivated, and Tymoshenko has dismissed the trial as persecution ordered by her longtime foe, President Viktor Yanukovych, to bar her from politics. The case has galvanized her supporters, who regularly held rowdy protests inside and outside the courthouse.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/11/world/europe/ukraine-prime-minister-trial/?hpt=ieu_c1

Wash Post links are flaky today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15250742

[Jack]

King Yanucrookvych is now ruler of the land.  He could care less what any country thinks about him, he does not need the EU, he might consider a Putin offer if Putin lines his personal pocket, in a friends name of course, to the tune of maybe 80-90 million.   

[BillyB]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/11/world/europe/ukraine-prime-minister-trial/?hpt=ieu_c1

Wash Post links are flaky today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15250742

 
So what was all that talk about Yulia stealing earlier? She was found guilty of signing a document the court said is beyond her powers.
 
With energy shortages in Ukraine and Europe at the time, who was supposed to co-sign and energy agreement with the Russian Prime Minister if not the Ukrainian Prime Minister?

[Shadow]

Considering the opinion written in the Western media politicians aew allowed to steal and receive bribes, as long as they are on the good side.

[BillyB]

Considering the opinion written in the Western media politicians aew allowed to steal and receive bribes, as long as they are on the good side.

 
But where did Yulia get convicted of stealing? The ruling I read said she wasn't allowed to sign an energy agreement and thus abused her powers. If the second most powerful person in a country isn't allowed to sign agreements, who is?

[Shadow]

 
But where did Yulia get convicted of stealing? The ruling I read said she wasn't allowed to sign an energy agreement and thus abused her powers. If the second most powerful person in a country isn't allowed to sign agreements, who is?

I guess in a democracy a prime-minister has to receive approval from the President, Cabinet and/or the parliament to sign documents.l
If a signature is done without this approval, the signing has been done outside the democratic limits the function of Prime Minister has.
This approval is important in democracy, to ensure that a Prime Minister can not be corrupted in to signing Government papers for personal benefit.

If it has been discovered that a Government paper has been signed by the Prime Minister without approval, the document and its implications can be checked in Court. If this shows that approval was unlikely due to the nature of the deal, and it leads to possible self-enrichment the Court system can judge abuse of power.

Of course this could only be done in a democracy, as there the highest power are the People, not the heads of state.

[I/O]

I/O, the real reason Putin is backing Goldilocks all the way is IF she is convicted of these crimes, guess who will be guilty by association? Yep, Putin.

Apparently you missed my point...............
 

Oh, and it doesn't look good in the west, a group who'd like to stop buying your gas and sponsor the Caspian line and a group you'd like to join in with, to have your partner to a deal jailed for that very deal..............

[Muzh]

Apparently you missed my point...............

I don't think so...

[BC]

course this could only be done in a democracy, as there the highest power are the People, not the heads of state.

Last I heard Ukraine was a democracy?

Of course when her gas companies owe RU almost a half billion, that would be a factor that might influence her decisions as legal representative for Ukraine.

At least on a positive note there were no problems with gas transshipments last winter and doubt there will be this winter.