UKRAINE POSTPONES RESTARTING CHORNOBYL REACTOR. Chornobyl nuclear plant director Serhiy Parashyn has announced that the restarting of the plant's third reactor following repairs will be postponed until mid-May, Ukrainian Television reported on 27 April. According to Parashyn, the European Bank For Reconstruction and Development requested the postponement on behalf of the 3,000 delegates who are to attend an EBRD annual conference in Kyiv in 8-12 May and fear for their safety. French experts have found cracks in the reactor's circulation system, Western news agencies reported last week. JM

UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN HUNGARY. In his first trip abroad as Ukrainian foreign minister, Boris Tarasyuk said in Budapest on 27 April that his country supports a proEuropean foreign policy, Hungarian media reported. Tarasyuk's Hungarian counterpart, Laszlo Kovacs, said Hungary has a vested interest in seeing a democratic, independent, and stable Ukraine and seeks to expand bilateral trade, border cooperation, and joint efforts toward fighting organized crime. He told Tarasyuk that Hungary will support Ukraine's integration into international bodies such as the EU and NATO and asked him to continue pursuing minority policies that are in line with European norms. MSZ