Foreign Minister in US tells why Yanukovych cannot pardon Tymoshenko

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych cannot intervene in the situation with the imprisonment of ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko because it would mean the violation of the law, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara said during his visit to Washington.

According to a posting on the Web site of Radio Svoboda, the minister said the president of Ukraine made a move indicative of Ukraine's commitment to European integration. Yanukovych pardoned six convicted persons accused of corruption and embezzlement of budget funds, among whom are former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko and former Environment Minister Heorhiy Fylypchuk.

"Someone might ask why the president did not pardon former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The answer lies in the framework of the rule of law. The president cannot pardon a prisoner until he uses all legal possibilities. There are also other cases opened against Tymoshenko," said Kozhara in the United States.

"Believe me, nobody is happy about the fact that the lady, the beautiful lady, the former prime minister is in prison. But everything should be done according to the law," he added.

Tymoshenko was arrested during the trial on the "gas case" on August 5, 2011.