Parliament Rolls Ahead On WTO

Parliament yesterday gave preliminary approval to six more bills needed to join the WTO, passing them on first reading. Each bill got around 400 “yes” votes (out of 450 MPs), with all parties except the Communists in favor. Tom Warner: Although only first readings, the “yes” numbers send a powerful message that all major political forces and business groups are behind WTO entry. The votes also proved that parliament’s parties, the Cabinet and president can quarrel to their hearts’ content and still cooperate to get important things done. Russia’s bilateral agreement with the US on WTO entry (a hurdle Ukraine passed last year) was also very important, as Moscow is no longer leaning on Kyiv to slow down and coordinate negotiations. On Thursday parliament has scheduled second and final readings of nine WTO bills, out of 21 reportedly needed. The government’s target entry date of February is beginning to look realistic.