YUSHCHENKO
KIEV/ASTANA (Reuters):
PRESIDENT VIKTOR Yushchenko accused Ukraine's parliament yesterday of destabilising the country by sacking his Government, a move that sent the local currency tumbling to its lowest in nine months.
The vote was led by opposition MPs whom analysts said were using anger over a costly gas deal last week with Russia to undermine Yushchenko's supporters ahead of a March 26 parlia-mentary election.
"Yesterday's decision was incomprehensible, illogical and wrong," he told reporters in the Kazakh capital Astana where he is on a visit. "It simply serves to destabilise the situation. I don't see this as a tragedy. It's an experience that will increase the quality of Ukrainian politics."
Financial markets were less sanguine and the normally tightly controlled hryvnia currency dropped to its lowest level since April 2005.
