President blames Premier for blocking direct regime of Odesa-Brody oil pipeline "only by political motives"

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President Viktor Yushchenko is convinced that the blocking of the direct regime of the Odesa-Brody oil pipeline operation is caused solely by political motives. "Today, the direct regime of the Caspian oil delivery is blocked by political motives alone," the President told Ukrainian reporters in Baku adding that such situation is connected with "political promises and obligations" Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had undertaken before the September developments in the parliament [BYuT-OUPDS coalition split September 16 - ed.].

The President reminded of the existing intergovernmental agreement between Ukraine and Poland on the direct regime of the use of the Odesa-Brody oil pipeline. The very clause was fixed in the coalition agreement, he said.

Despite these two documents, "I suppose, Prime Minister Y. Tymoshenko will not fall for the diversification of oil sources supplies to Ukraine due to those political promises and obligations she had undertaken. This is my strong conviction," Yushchenko underscored.

All the same, the Head of State assured that the project will not stop. According to him, in 2009 the Ukrainian party anticipates delivery of about 6 million tons of the Azeri oil which will ensure the transfer to the direct-flow operation.

At the same time, V. Yushchenko said in this connection that "we will then have the government able to carry out healthy policy that meets the national interests".

The President informed that today's Baku Energy Summit raised questions before the European Commission about vesting the Odesa-Brody oil pipeline, like the Eurasian oil transportation corridor project, with a strategic priority of the European Commission. "I am sure we will agree on this issue as well," he emphasized.

V. Yushchenko noted that Ukraine has done the utmost for implementation of the project of the Eurasian oil transportation corridor and even goes in the vanguard of these processes. However, the current blocking of the direct-flow operation of the Odesa-Brody pipeline strongly pegs Ukraine with the only source of oil supplies [Russia - ed.].

UKRINFORM