UKRAINIAN POLITICIANS DIVIDED OVER 16 APRIL REFERENDUM. Former President Leonid Kravchuk, Social Democrats (United) parliamentary caucus leader Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Ukrainian Popular Rukh leader Yuriy Kostenko have told Interfax that they will vote in the 16 April constitutional referendum. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko, Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz, and Progressive Socialists leader Natalya Vitrenko have all declared that they will not vote. The three leftist leaders believe that the referendum was launched on a presidential rather than a popular initiative and that the people do not need such a vote. Moroz said the authorities "are today forcing people to [vote in] the referendum" in order to "ensure the necessary results." The referendum will be valid only if at least 50 percent of eligible voters take part. JM

UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL SAYS IMF NOT LIKELY TO RENEW LOAN BEFORE JUNE. First Deputy Premier Yuriy Yekhanurov said on 13 April that the IMF will not consider resuming the $2.6 billion loan program for Ukraine before June, Interfax reported. IMF mission head Julian Berengaut did not name any date for the loan resumption. Berengaut is currently in Kyiv to examine Ukraine's compliance with earlier programs and the results of an audit by the National Bank in connection with allegations of the misuse of IMF funds. The same day, the government approved a resolution to issue foreign loan bonds in 2000. Neither the volume nor the conditions of this issue have been made public. JM