Gas Deal in Europe Is Undone and Redone

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: New York Times

A European Union-brokered deal between Russia and Ukraine to restore the flow of heating fuel to the Continent seemed to be falling apart Sunday evening, less than a day after it had been signed, with Moscow objecting to conditions that Ukraine attached to the agreement after Russia had already signed it.
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In a flurry of shuttle diplomacy over the weekend, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, secured the signature of Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow and then flew to Kiev, where Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, also signed the agreement.

Yet by late Sunday, the off-again-on-again deal appeared to be off again. Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying he would not honor the pact.

At issue was a handwritten phrase that Ms. Tymoshenko wrote beside her signature early Sunday morning, after the document had already been signed by Mr. Putin. In English, she wrote, “with declaration attached.”

Ms. Tymoshenko’s declaration, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, said that Ukraine had not been guilty of stealing gas from the export pipelines, a statement essentially asking Moscow to backpedal on the allegation that had underpinned its justification for halting shipments to Europe.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/world/europe/12gazprom.html?ref=world

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****ing signing statements! She's been watching Dubya too much!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That's a shame...

Europe's in the grip of a bitterly cold winter, and the loss of the gas is scary and dangerous.

Seems rather short-sighted of Ms. Tymoshenko with her signing statement...

[John Q. Citizen]

2. If she will pull that shit, what else would she try?

[leftstreet]

3. Yep, looks like Yulia pulled a Dubya!

[dipsydoodle]

4. Expressed differently here

Moscow alleged that Ukraine had added a clause denying it owed Russia for past supplies of gas.
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On Sunday the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, said Kiev had added provisos contradicting Moscow's position and that the deal was "null and void" until it was resolved.

But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke to Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by phone on Sunday in an effort to resolve the dispute.

The pair agreed to separate Ukraine's declaration from the main text of the agreement, said a spokesman for the European Commission, which negotiated the deal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7822694.stm