European Union foreign ministers on Friday
urged Ukraine to solve its political crisis constructively if it wants to move
closer to the EU, just days before a major summit.
"I hope that political leaders in Ukraine will choose a path which
leads the country back to being able to negotiate (with the EU)," German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at an informal meeting with EU
counterparts in the French town of Avignon.
"The political squabbles of the last few months have already led to
blockades between parties in parliament and between parliament and government.
That must be changed and I hope that ways will be found to do it," he
said.
On Tuesday EU leaders are set to meet Ukraine's embattled President Viktor
Yushchenko in the French spa town of Evian. The pro-Western Yushchenko is
widely expected to push for closer ties with the EU in the wake of August's
Georgian-Russian war.
But the political storm that erupted in Ukraine on Wednesday, with the
pro-Western government coalition apparently crumbling in a feud between
Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, has led many to question
whether Ukraine's political culture is stable enough for it to become a closer
partner.
"Obviously, there are important responsibilities for Ukraine's leaders
that the political debate does not become national disunity," Britain's
Foreign Minister David Miliband warned.
"Membership prospects (for Ukraine) would go too far, we
have to take it one step at a time, be very careful," Finnish Foreign
Minister Alexander Stubb added, dpa reported.
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