Snow scuppers Yushchenko EU visit

By Helen Fawkes
BBC News, Kiev

Mr Yushchenko wants EU accession talks to start by 2007

Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, has postponed a visit to the European Parliament, where he was due to deliver an address on Thursday.

Bad weather meant he was unable to get to Brussels.

The pro-Western leader has already travelled to Russia, France and Poland in the last few days, following his inauguration on Sunday.

Mr Yushchenko was elected to power after a re-run of November's disputed presidential election.

This will be a disappointment to Mr Yushchenko - his much-anticipated speech at the European Parliament was to have been one of the highlights of his first week in office.

Mr Yushchenko had been expected to thank members for their support following the disputed election. He is also trying to press Ukraine's case for membership of the European Union, and wants accession talks to start by 2007.

But Mr Yushchenko was unable to get to Brussels. Heavy snow meant his plane could not take off from Poland, where he has been attending events to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp - where his father was a prisoner of war.

According to the president's spokeswoman, Mr Yushchenko now hopes to address the European Parliament next month.