Security Council Secretary Ivan Plyushch on Tuesday said President Victor Yushchenko had suspended article 2 of his April 26/2007 decree to dissolve parliament for two days to "show his respect" for Sunday’s political agreement. “This period will be enough to pass all the necessary legal changes. One must work instead of searching for reasons to violate the agreement,” he said, according to the President`s press-office.
“The sides have pledged not to abuse their authority to interfere with the work of the judicial branch and law enforcement agencies. This item must definitely be implemented by each of them,” he said, adding that legal actions and court rulings to ensure the fulfillment of Yushchenko’s decrees “should not be regarded as violation of the agreement.”
Plyushch said the president’s position on the dismissal of the prosecutor general and constitutional court judges as well as his assessment of Interior Minister Tsushko’s actions “has not changed.”
“The president does not abuse his powers. He appointed V. Shemchuk as acting prosecutor general and there has been no appeal so far against this decision. S. Piskun can appeal against the decision but do it correctly,” he said, adding that last week’s political raid on the prosecutor general’s building and officers of the State Guard Directorate “should be assessed so that such things never happen again in the future.”
Plyushch said Ukraine’s interior ministry troops would continue to be under Yushchenko’s command. “As stated in Ukraine’s constitution, laws passed after its adoption, especially the Law on the Interior Ministry Troops, are valid only if they are consistent with the constitution. As the country’s supreme commander in chief, the president commands all troops, including the interior ministry troops. Ukraine’s new parliament will probably bring this law in line with the constitution,” he said.
Plyushch said he was “surprised to see some strangers are trying to take part in hearings of the constitutional court." “There are presidential decrees to dismiss three judges of the constitutional court. There is no ruling to reinstate them.”
Secretary Plyushch said he hoped the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine would resolve all the issues to hold early parliamentary elections.
