Ashton, Clinton send letter of criticism to Kiev over Timoshenko trial.     

      LONDON, September 13 (itar-Tass) - EU's High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and the U.S.
Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, have sent a joint letter to President
Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine in connection with the trial over former
Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko.
    The lady is accused of the abuse of office when signing an agreement
on natural gas imports from Russia in 2009. Prosecution says she
encroached on legal procedures when signing the inter-governmental deal.
    EU diplomatic sources said the contents of the letter are kept
confidential but it expresses concern "over a possible presence of
political motivations" in the course of consideration of the case by the
judges.
    Also, the two foreign policy chiefs describe the current situation at
and around the trial as "a departure from democratic standards."
    Well-informed sources indicate that Ashton and Clinton sent their
joint letter to Yanukovich last Friday.
    They also indicate that an unexpected decision to postpone the court
hearings for two weeks, which the judge Rodion Kireyev took Monday,
"doesn't look accidental in the wake of the motion."