<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">Forwarded From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Fierman, William</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wfierman@indiana.edu">wfierman@indiana.edu</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 12:03 PM<br><br> Ukraine President Says No Objection To Vote On Regional Power<br><br><br><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ukraine President Says No Objection To Vote On Regional Power
<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><img src="cid:image001.jpg@01D07061.BDFB0E30" alt="Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko" height="151" width="268"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 06, 2015
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on April 6 that he does not object to a referendum on giving more
powers to restive regions in eastern Ukraine. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">When the conflict between Russian-backed separatist rebels and government troops began last year, protesters
in the east demanded a vote on giving their regions more autonomy.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Such calls were rejected by the Ukrainian government at the time. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">However, after meeting a parliamentary commission that is drafting amendments to the constitution, Poroshenko
said that, if the commission decides such a vote is necessary, he would not stand in the way of a referendum.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The president said he still opposed the idea of federalization, which Russia has advocated, but he is in favor
of decentralizing power in favor of the regions.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poroshenko pointed out that decision-making on security, defense, and foreign policy would remain in the hands
of the central government.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poroshenko also said he was against making Russian a second official language, saying "Ukrainian has been and
will be our only state language."<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Based on reporting by AP and Interfax<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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