SECOND ORANGE CHANCE

by MONITOR
The Ukrainian Orange Revolution, so dramatically acted out on the world's television screens only eighteen months ago, has seemed destined for failure after the coaltion government broke up three months ago and a general election failed to return a single party able to take over the government. Therefore yesterday's news that the political parties which led the revolution have agreed to try again to find a way of working together is very welcome; the new government will be headed by the dynamic but somewhat intolerant Yuliya Tymoshenko whose previous spell as prime minister was brought to an end by President Yushchenko last September. Hopefully, all those involved in the unsatisfactory bickerings of the past year–and–a–half have now come to their senses and accepted that Ukraine's long–term ambitions for membership of the European Union and an association with Nato will never be achieved unless they settle their differences. Ukraine is a deeply divided country between the eastern industrial part which still hankers after a close relationship with Russia and the western part which tooks towards Europe. Mrs Tymoshenko is hostile to Russia and suspicious of Moscow's continued links with eastern Ukaine. At the general election the party of the former pro–Moscow President Yanukovych won the most votes, although not enough to form a govenment. If Ukraine is to move forward Mrs Tymoshenko will have to find a way of working with a significant part of the country which does not share her views.