Weather Thwarts Yushchenko's EU Visit

KRAKOW, Poland -- Bad weather Thursday forced Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko to cancel a planned trip to Brussels to address the European Parliament.



Heavy snow meant his plane could not take off from Poland, where he attended events to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi's Auschwitz death camp, where his father was a prisoner of war.

The cancellation was a major disappointment for Yushchenko, who had planned to thank EU members for their support in the fractious election process, the BBC said. He also wanted to begin the process of seeking EU membership for Ukraine, with a target date of 2007 for beginning accession talks.

A spokesman said Yushchenko hoped to reschedule the Brussels visit for next month.

The pro-Western former banker has already traveled to Russia, France and Poland since his inauguration Sunday.