Ukraine leader sacks diplomat, wants minister out

KIEV, Jan 23 (Reuters) Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko sacked his ambassador to Austria today for helping process visas for several exiled opposition leaders from Turkmenistan, which threatened to damage relations between the two states.

Yushchenko also asked the government to consider dismissing Transport and Communications Minister Mykola Rudkovsky in connection with the visit to Kiev by the opposition leaders.

The Ukraine government had received a complaint from the Turkmen authorities after several exiled opposition leaders visited Kiev in December, according to the deputy head of the presidential secretariat, Oleksander Chaly.

Turkmenistan is one of Ukraine's main gas suppliers. Ukraine imports up to 80 percent of its energy and wants good relations with suppliers after a row over prices with Russia last year.

Rudkovsky was quoted by the media as saying he had invited the opposition leaders to Kiev. Chaly said visa procedures had been violated for them.

''The president believes that minister Rudkovsky had blatantly violated laws, interfered with the Ukrainian diplomatic service's work and pushed officials to grant the visas in violation of instructions,'' he told a news conference.

''The actions prompted a crisis in relations with Turkmenistan and put in danger coordination of foreign policy.'' The president fired Volodymyr Yelchenko, ambassador to Austria, and reprimanded diplomats in other embassies.

Turkmen opposition figures, including proposed presidential candidate Khudaiberdy Orazov, spoke in Kiev last month about the situation in their country after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled for 21 years, crushing his rivals and developing a bizarre personality cult.

Rudkovsky said he had called the embassy, asking diplomats privately to help process visas for the exiled leaders.

Rudkovsky, appointed transport minister last August, is a senior member of the Socialist party, a partner in the government coalition under Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.

Yanukovich said the government had no reason to sack him.

The premier has been locked in a struggle with Yushchenko to win greater powers since he took over the government in August.

Yushchenko beat Yanukovich in a 2004 presidential election after ''Orange Revolution'' protests but named him prime minister after his allies fared badly in a subsequent election and failed to form a government.

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