Tymoshenko ready to meet with governors in hollows of tree trunks

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko insists that Oblast State Administrations must be subordinated to the Cabinet of Ministers, and regrets that governors are not allowed to take part in government’s sessions.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, she claimed this to a news conference in the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday, after a regular session of government.

“Unfortunately, as of today, governors are not allowed to participate in government’s sessions, carried out by the Prime Minister. Shortly we with governors will create a network of secret addresses to meet there, or in hollows of tree trunks, somewhere in the Mariyinskiy Park, we will exchange notes, to avoid, with the help of God, dismissals of governors. I believe a normal situation is when governors are subordinated to the Cabinet of Ministers in line with the Constitution”, Yulia Tymoshenko said.

In her opinion, at present, the government is “cut” from executive structures in regions.

“This indicates the defective state of the current power, and the defective state of the Constitution”, she said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 11 of the current year, President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko signed a Decree on regulating business trips of local government heads, in order to strengthen disciple of officials. In line with the document, all trips of Oblast State Administration heads, Kyiv and Sevastopol Mayors, outside their regions, must be agreed with the President.

On May 6, deputy President’s Chief of Staff Roman Bezsmertny claimed that the government should agree with the President all business trips of Oblast governors. R.Bezsmertny threatened that those regional heads who will not fulfill the President’s decree will be dismissed from their posts.