WASHINGTON URGES UKRAINE TO DESERVE MORE CREDITS…

Washington deems the Ukrainian government’s recent steps toward economic reform “laudable but insufficient,” Assistant Secretary of State Stuart Eizenstat told Ukrainian leaders during a visit to Kyiv. According to Eizenstat, who is responsible for international economic affairs, the US$2.2 billion credit program just approved by the International Monetary Fund can be “only the beginning of assistance to Ukraine” if the country accelerates reforms and significantly improves business conditions for foreign investors. U.S. corporate executives who conferred with Eizenstat in Kyiv complained of (1) persisting legal and bureaucratic impediments, (2) nontransparent customs, tax, and licensing procedures, and (3) official corruption (Ukrainian agencies, September 11 and 12).

…SUPPORTS UKRAINIAN ROUTE FOR CASPIAN OIL.