Ukraine's Pro-Western Foreign Minister Resigns

KIEV, Ukraine -- Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk, the chief architect of President Viktor Yushchenko's pro-Western foreign policy, said on Tuesday he had resigned.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk leaves the hall after a news conference in Kiev January 30, 2007. Tarasyuk, the chief architect of President Viktor Yushchenko's pro-Western foreign policy, said on Tuesday he had resigned
"The president of Ukraine has taken the decision to accept my resignation," Tarasyuk told a news conference broadcast on national television.

He said he hoped Yushchenko, weakened by constitutional amendments cutting his powers, would soon choose a successor.

Tarasyuk, one of Yushchenko's closest allies in the 2004 "Orange Revolution" protests that vaulted him to power, had been one of only two ministers still loyal to the president since his arch rival took over as prime minister last August.

He had championed the president's main policy plank of taking Ukraine out of the shadow of big neighbor Russia and seeking membership of both the European Union and NATO.

Yushchenko took office in 2005 with plans to improve ties between Ukraine and the West. But rows provoked splits among the revolution's advocates and toppled his first government.

The president's allies scored badly in a parliamentary election last year and were unable after long talks to form a government, prompting Yushchenko to name his rival, Viktor Yanukovich as prime minister.

Within weeks of taking office, Yanukovich enraged the president by telling NATO officials that public support was too low in Ukraine to embark on a fast-track membership plan.

Defense Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko remains Yushchenko's sole cabinet ally. The president is now obliged to consult with both the government and parliament on only a handful of appointments, including the foreign and defense ministers.

Source: National Post