Ukrainian MP proposes temporary ban on arms sales to Georgia

Kyiv, December 8 (Interfax) - The Verkhovna Rada temporary commission investigating the supply of Ukrainian weapons to Georgia intends to initiate a temporary ban of arms sales to Georgia, Commission head Valeriy Konovaliuk said.

Following the investigation the commission has prepared a decree proposing a temporary ban of arms supply to Georgia. The commission intends to publish this decree in the parliament on Tuesday, Konovaliuk told Interfax on Monday.

The document includes a request to the Prosecutor General's Office to continue the investigation and make a legal assessment of the activity of the officials involved in the arms supplies, as well as an initiative to extend the authority of the commission until May 2009 to investigate the incident with the Faina vessel, which was transporting Ukrainian weapons to Kenya and was seized by Somali pirates.

The main violations detected by the commission were the following: the Ukrainian armaments were supplied in detriment of national security and at reduced prices; the funds received from arms sales also failed to be transferred to the state budget in full measure, Konovaliuk said.

Initially the commission did not doubt the fact that Ukraine had breeched the international law on military technical cooperation because "Ukraine actively supplied offensive weapons from 2004, when Georgia exceeded its needs in defense," he said.

The Ukrainian Security Service has been covering up offenses in this case, Konovaliuk also said.