Political rivals Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have decided to temporarily bury the hatchet and meet officials from the European Union, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and energy companies in Brussels on March 23 in a conference to discuss a programme of political reforms and physical repairs to the former-Soviet state’s giant gas network. “Both Tymo - shenko and Yush chenko are coming; that shows the importance Ukraine is giving to this conference,” Ferran Tarradellas Espuny, the spokesman for EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, told New Europe on March 20.

Yushchenko and Tymoshenko are also expected to meet with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The conference is to see the conditions that Ukraine has to fulfil to attract investments. In order for Ukraine to join the Energy Community it has to prepare for the implementation of the related EU legislation and to pursue the necessary reforms of their energy markets. “If they want to join the Energy Community they have to adopt the (EU) Aquie Communitaire and that means freedom of transit, unbundling, etcetera,” the EU energy spokesman said. “We will see if Ukraine can meet the conditions.” The European Commission has held talks with Ukraine concerning their accession to the Energy Community Treaty. Piebalgs has said that talks may be completed in 2009. Brussels wants to help Kiev improve Ukraine’s 13,500-kilometre network of gas pipelines.

One fifth of all the natural gas consumed in the EU flows through Ukraine’s pipelines. Ukrainian national stock company Naftogaz, which runs the pipeline system, finds it hard to attract the necessary investment. Naftogaz head Oleg Dubina is expected to attend the conference that should pave the way for Western and Russian donors to invest in the renovation of the network. The question of Ukra - ine’s gas transit system has been a highly-charged one ever since Kiev and Moscow became embroiled in a dispute over gas prices and fees for using Ukraine’s pipeline network. Accusing Ukraine of stealing gas, Russia shut off supplies through Ukraine, leaving many EU countries with little or no gas for two weeks in January. The dispute tarnished both countries’ reputations as the EU’s energy partners. Yushchenko has accused Russia of using the dispute to acquire control of the strategic pipeline network.