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Ukraine's incumbent foreign minister to stay on - president

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KIEV, December 11 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's president said Monday that Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk will remain in his post.

Ukraine's parliament voted last week to dismiss Borys Tarasyuk, a key supporter of the Western-leaning president, on a request from pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. However, President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree ordering the minister to carry on.

"The foreign minister will remain in office," Yushchenko said.

He said Tarasyuk's dismissal is the result of recent constitutional reforms that saw some presidential powers transferred to parliament and government.

"Parliamentary powers have expanded somewhat. We are now at a stage where these relations have not yet been clearly formulated, so there are attempts to play on somebody else's turf," he said. "That is the only explanation I can offer for the attempts to fire some Cabinet ministers."

Under Ukrainian law, the president appoints the ministers of foreign affairs and defense.

The motion to fire Tarasyuk was passed by the 450-assembly with 247 votes in favor, well clear of the necessary 226 votes.

The Rada also voted for the leader of the Socialist Party faction, Vasiliy Tsushko, to replace Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko. The Socialists are part of Yanukovych's governing coalition, along with his Party of Regions and the Communist Party.

Tarasyuk, who has been a leading proponent of the president's bid to join NATO and the European Union, pledged to challenge the legality of parliament's decision in court.

Russia's foreign minister said that the Ukrainian parliament's sacking of the foreign minister will not affect relations between Moscow and Kiev.

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