Yushchenko urging against political confrontation in anti-crisis program development

Related photo

During Friday's meeting on the efforts of all branches of state power and political forces in crisis conditions of economic development, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko urged the Verkhovna Rada Chairman, the Prime Minister, and Central Bank Governor and the opposition to coordinate their work on anti-crisis measures, the presidential press service told UKRINFORM.

Yushchenko stated that crisis phenomena are taking place in the national economy against the background of global stagnation predicted for 2009, and called for giving up politics in the vital problem settlement.

"We have essential political, ideological and professional differences. We have different ideas of the nature and scope of crisis processes, but the way out of crisis is within the system of power," Yushchenko emphasized.

"Over-politicizing of this process will cause only damage. I am addressing you exclusively as statesmen who must think of tomorrow rather than elections," the head of state emphasized.

He proposed unification around a joint anti-crisis program, whose objective is to get out of crisis as painlessly as possible. In the first place it is necessary to preserve social standards. .Our priority task is to keep the situation under control, save the economy from a deep crisis, and preserve high social standards for people," the President stressed.

To respond to those challenges, he suggested three basic principles: maintenance of social support in 2009; effective anti-crisis package including tax reform, support for domestic producers, and energy saving policy; revision of the national budget and reduction of authority spending in order to fill the stabilization fund, in particular.

The head of state also urged against pressuring the banking system and the National Bank, calling restoration of trust in banks as the main objective.

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Central Bank Governor Volodymyr Stelmakh and Party of Regions MP Mykola Azarov were present at the meeting.

UKRINFORM