European media publish interviews with President Yushchenko

"Ukraine has done everything it had to do..."

Leading European newspapers: ‘The Times’ (Great Britain), ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ (Geramny), ‘Le Monde’ (France), ‘El Pais’ (Spain) and ‘Dziennik’ (Poland) published their November 18th interview with President Victor Yushchenko, according to the President`s press-office.

Answering question by The Times journalist about prospects of deepening cooperation between Ukraine and NATO Victor Yushchenko said: "I am sure that the ball is not on the Ukrainian side of the field, Ukraine has done everything it had to do". "We are devoted to this pace. Everything else is an issue of political will of those allies who represent NATO", - he added.

When speaking about Ukraine’s bid to be given NATO MAP President said: "A Membership Action Plan (MAP) is not a guarantee for Ukraine to join NATO, but it is a guarantee that we will have a more intensive and ample dialogue... that western Europe can hear us and give their supporting hand to us. This is the signal we would like to receive," he said.

Discussing economic situation in Ukraine with El Pais journalist President said that main precondition for world financial crisis damaging Ukrainian economy so hard became shortsighted steps in social policy in the beginning of the year. “A leftist social populism prevailed in the policy”, - he said, adding that growing social payments among others led to the highest inflation in Europe.

Giving answers to questions by Dziennik, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Le Monde reporters about the main subject for the interview: Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine President Yushchenko again emphasized that Ukraine does not accuse any nation or any state of the Great Famine. “We do not blame

Russian nation for Holodomor, only the communist regime”, - he added.

“We must honor the memory of all those who died in those times – in Ukraine, in Russia, in Kazakhstan, in Belarus or in Europe. Does this have to breed strife among us? I am assured it does not”, - said Victor Yushchenko. “It was a sad page in a history of our fight for independence, culture and identity”, - he added.