Court Directs President to Set Referendum

A district court in Kyiv directed Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko to set referendum on the issues of joining NATO and of joining the “Common Economic Space” (an economic union with Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan). In 2006 activists collected 4.5 mln signatures for the referendum, but President failed to set it as the law directs. Yushchenko favors close relations with Europe and NATO rather than with Russia, but the majority of Ukrainian population is believed to be reluctant to join NATO.

http://lenta.ru/news/2009/07/09/nato/ (Russ.)