Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday demanded that the Ukrainian parliament cancel its vote to dismiss the government.

 

"Today I signed an appeal to parliament with a demand to cancel the unconstitutional decision to sack the government," Yushchenko said at the opening of a government meeting.

 

Voicing support for the Cabinet, the president said, "Today Ukraine has a fully-fledged government in the center and in the regions."

 

He said the vote to sack the Cabinet was backed by "political forces that work against national interests." He accused opposition lawmakers of seeking "to create instability in the country."

 

Yushchenko also revoked his signature on a cooperation agreement between the government and the opposition. He said the move by the opposition has "violated the fundamental principle of this agreement -- cooperation in working out joint actions concerning the stabilization of the internal political situation in Ukraine."

 

Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to dismiss Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov's government following last week's deal to pay much higher prices for gas imports from Russia.

 

It remains to be seen exactly how the parliament will respond to Yushchenko's request.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2006)