Ukraine leaders sign joint statement

President Victor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and Speaker Oleksandr Moroz on Sunday morning signed a joint statement to defuse Ukraine's political crisis, President's office informed.

Joint Statement by the President of Ukraine, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Ukraine on Urgent Measures Aimed at Resolving the Political Crisis Through Early Parliamentary Elections

May 27, 2007

Being fully aware of the responsibility for the country’s social, political and economic situation, guaranteeing that there will be no escalation of the political crisis, seeking to resolve it as quickly as possible through exceptionally peacefulmeans on the basis of a dialogue involving the leading political forces, guided by the Constitution of Ukraine and wishingto uphold the nation’s interests and preserve the country’s unity, the sides have agreed to:

1. for the purpose of creating proper conditions enabling the citizens to exercise their constitutional rights, ensure that there are no attempts to aggravate the conflict in society and prevent all possible actions provoking the use of force;

2. hold an early parliamentary election on September 30, 2007;

3. accept that this election will be held to implement the President’s decree based on paragraph 2 of article 82 of the Constitution of Ukraine;

4. hold plenary sessions of the Verkhovna Rada on May 29-30 to adopt and enact the bills for conducting fair, transparent and democratic elections, particularly:

• pass and enact the draft laws worked out by the authorized representatives of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, the parliamentary coalition and the parliamentary opposition;
• readopt the laws passed between April 2 and May 29, 2007;
• pass and enact the necessary WTO laws and other legal acts on economic issues.

5. ensure that the Cabinet of Ministers and the Central Election Commission oversee the implementation of the Law on the State Voting Register;

6. appoint new members of the Central Election Commission to fulfill the agreements reached by the authorized representatives of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, the parliamentary coalition and the parliamentary opposition for the purpose of holding fair, transparent and democratic elections;