Yanukovich to be inaugurated as Ukraine's President.

KIEV, February 24 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine's President-elect Viktor
Yanukovich will be inaugurated on Thursday. The ceremony will be held at a
special session of parliament, which will open at 11 am Moscow time.
Deputies, members of the government, judicial authorities as well as
foreign delegations will take part in the inauguration ceremony. There
will be 11 heads of state, four leaders of influential international
organisations, over 15 foreign ministers and four parliament speakers
among them.
Russia will be represented by State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov,
Kremlin administration head Sergei Naryshkin and Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia Kirill.
Prior to the ceremony to inaugurate Viktor Yanukovich as President of
Ukraine on Thursday, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church will
officiate at the prayer in the Kiev Monastery of the Caves and will
conduct the liturgy of the Great Fast.
This is the first time that Patriarch Kirill participates in the
inauguration of a head of state outside Russia. Explaining this fact,
sources in the Moscow Patriarchate pointed out that Ukraine is part of the
canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the invitation to
the head of the Church to officiate at the prayer is quite natural, in
their opinion.
Outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko will not attend the ceremony. He
has refused to participate in the inauguration of Yanukovich. Prime
Minister Yulia Timoshenko, who refused to recognize the victory of
Yanukovich, is not expected to appear in parliament either.
After the ceremony, the new president will make a ten-minute address
to the Ukrainian people. After the session is closed, he will head for his
new residence - the secretariat of the president, in front of which there
will be a "military" part of the ceremony. As supreme commander-in-chief
of the Armed Forces he will receive a report from the commander-in-chief
of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Ivan Svida.
A reception for top guests, including delegations from more than 100
countries, will be held at 3 pm, Moscow time, at the National Center for
Business and Cultural Cooperation (Ukrainian House). According to
Yanukovich's close ally, Anna German, "the reception will not be long, as
Yanukovich has planned several bilateral meetings and a lunch with heads
of foreign delegations".
There will be no concerts and fireworks in Kiev because of the crisis.

.Newspaper on unification of two Koreas on federation principles.

PYONGYANG, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - The unification of two Koreas on
the principles of federation can became a guarantee of lasting peace on
the Korean peninsula, the leading North Korean Rodong Sinmun newspaper
wrote on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, such proposal envisages "the existence of
two different systems and governments within the framework of one nation
and one state".
The newspaper reminds the readers that at the present moment, major
military groups are concentrated on both sides of the demarcation line,
which plays the role of the border between North Korea and South Korea.
Such situation can trigger an armed conflict. However, "there is no
sense in fighting against each other" for Koreans, who are one nation, the
newspaper article stressed.
It said it has been 30 years since North Korea proposed to set up a
single Korean state, and it is important to make every effort towards a
peaceful unification as soon as possible.
The federation formula is "a correct and just way for uniting the
country, which meets the specific character of the current situation and
aspirations of the people," the newspaper stressed.

.Russia's men fail to qualify for ice hockey semi-finals.
25/2 Tass 93

VANCOUVER, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's men failed to qualify
for ice hockey semi-finals, losing 3:7 to Canada.
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