Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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Ukraine Opposition Leader Calls for New Elections
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=167D5A5:A6F02AD83191E160027F936EBCD7B5BF9574F7DCC14957C0 During a visit to
Washington Yulia Tymoshenko also sharply critical of her government's
energy policies Yulia Tymoshenko, the principal opposition leader in
Ukraine, is in Washington, where she has been meeting with U.S.
officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. VOA's Barry Wood reports Tymoshenko repeated her
call for early elections and was sharply critical of the government's
energy policies.







Yulia Timoshenko (file photo)Addressing reporters Friday, Tymoshenko
said Russian energy interests exercise near monopoly control in
Ukraine and pose a danger to the entire region.

"What are we worried about? Since starting in 2004 in Ukraine we've
had the operations of the company Rusukenergo, which is strengthening
every day," she said. "In our opinion from this company we have seen a
lot of shadow operations."

Tymoshenko said that Rusukenergo, which is half owned by Gazprom of
Russia, has practically destroyed Ukraine's independent energy links
with Kazahkstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

To diminish Russia's dominance in the energy sector, Tymoshenko is
advocating construction of a new pipeline that would bring Central
Asian gas across the Black Sea to Ukraine.

Following a dispute over pricing, Russia in January 2006 briefly cut
off shipments of gas to Ukraine.

Tymoshenko was the charismatic and dominant leader in Ukraine's
November 2004 Orange Revolution. She served as prime minister in 2005
before falling out with her main ally, Ukraine's pro-western president
Viktor Yuschenko. Her party lost last year's parliamentary elections
and the Kiev government is now headed by Viktor Yanukovych, an
adversary of both Tymoshenko and Yuschenko. In Washington she repeated
her call for new elections.


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