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KYIV CONCERNED ABOUT MINSK'S REACTION TO EU STATEMENT. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern about what it called the "harsh reaction" of the Belarusian government to a statement issued by the European Union in connection with the controversy over the UBP. The Belarusian government condemned the EU statement as revealing "a one-sided and politicized approach." In a statement released on 4 August, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Office stressed that Kyiv "devotes particular attention to the issue of securing a proper level of democracy, basic human rights and liberties, including the rights of ethnic minorities, in European and CIS countries and regards as unacceptable pressure and interference on the part of the government of any country into the legal activities of public, nongovernmental organizations and media outlets," Belapan and Interfax-Ukraine reported. RK

FORMER TALK SHOW HOST CLAIMS CANCELLATION WAS POLITICAL. Savik Shuster, who moderated the popular NTV show "Freedom of Speech," has charged that his program was discontinued for political reasons, "Novaya gazeta" reported on 4 August. "I was told that my program undermines the foundations of the state," said Shuster, who has since moved to Kyiv. He added that he will resume the show's format on Ukrainian ICTV, which can be seen in Russia. Shuster said he accepted the offer to work in Ukraine after the Orange Revolution because the new government in Kyiv began to create the foundations of a European legal system and institute free speech and an independent judiciary. VY