People rally against the plans of Ukrainian leadership to join NATO. The slogan reads: "No NATO in Ukraine."
Photo: Svetlana Privalova
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NATO Not to Easily Decide on MAP for Ukraine
The Membership Action Plan might be granted to Ukraine in 2009 provided the situation is politically stable there, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor made clear.
Ukraine applied for MAP in April and the request hasn't been met so far. The allies will consider the issue in December but the experts doubt the outcome of the summit will be positive for Ukraine.
For NATO, it won't be easy to decide on MAP for Ukraine, Taylor said in the Monday interview with Ukrainian 24 newspaper. Political stability is one of criteria that the foreign ministers have studied and taken into account before the summit. But Ukraine has the chances to attain political stability through either the old or the new coalition. The next summit of NATO is slated for April and the foreign ministers will again meet in early summer. It will be another chance to analyze political stability in Ukraine and its leaders' desire to join MAP.
NATO's readiness to grant MAP to Ukraine depends on the country's authorities. If they are interested in getting the MAP in April or in June, they will have the chance to attain this purpose, according to the U.S. ambassador.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved the Supreme Rada October 9 and called early elections for December 7. But a raft of lawsuits filed against that decree of the president prevented the election campaign from the timely launch and the elections were put off till December 14. Yushchenko temporarily resumed the authority of Supreme Rada to pass the anti-crisis act and to appropriate the funds for election campaign. The analysts forecast the elections to be held in January or February of 2009.
www.kommersant.com
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