Ukraine’s president canceled his first official visit to Israel due to a “tight schedule.” Victor Yuschenko “has a very tight schedule, and the schedule of his foreign visits abroad has been changed,” Irina Geraschenko, the president’s press secretary, told JTA. Another reason is that Ukraine just appointed a new ambassador to Israel this month, “and we need more time to arrange the visit,” Geraschenko said. Some observers in the Jewish community said the cancellation could have stemmed from different reasons: Kiev’s desire not to irritate Iran, with whom Ukraine is seeking closer economic cooperation. The allegations have been denied by Yuschenko’s staff. Jewish leaders in Ukraine noted that Yuschenko, unlike many other world leaders, did not speak out against the Iranian president’s call to destroy Israel. Ukraine and Iran have been discussing the construction of a pipeline to export Iranian gas though Ukraine to Western Europe.
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