Petro Symonenko, chairperson of the Communist Party faction at the Verkhovna Rada, stands for the parliament banning privatization of the Odesa portside plant (Odesa region) and Ukrtelecom, the largest telecommunications company in Ukraine, the Communist Party press service has informed Ukrainian News.

Symonenko intends to initiate Rada's endorsement of a law to prohibit privatizing enterprises of strategic importance, specifically of the Odesa portside plant and Ukrtelecom.

"Ukraine and the world are in crisis now. Today we must preserve but not sell," the press service quotes Symonenko as saying.

The chief communist believes that President Viktor Yuschenko has his personal interest in the sale of the Odesa portside plant.

"Many times I noticed hand of President Yuschenko and his business family in speculations on supplies of Russian and Middle Asian gas in Ukraine jointly with RosUkrEnergo... Recent events around the Odesa portside plant one more time have proved our statements to be true," the press service cites Symonenko as saying.

Apart from this the politician stresses that the main bidder for purchasing the Odesa portside plant is Group DF, owned by Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President Viktor Yuschenko revoked on November 18 the presidential decree suspending the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution No. 261-r issued February 11 on privatization of 99.52% in the Odesa portside plant.

On October 29, Yuschenko suspended the Cabinet of Ministers resolution that transferred the power to manage the state's shares in the Odesa portside factory to the Industrial Policy Ministry.

The Cabinet granted the Industrial Policy Ministry the right to manage the state's shares in the Odesa portside factory on October 17.

Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Oleh Prozhyvalskyi expects management of Ukrtelecom to be transferred to the Transport and Communications Ministry.

The Cabinet approved an updated plan for sale of shares in Ukrtelecom on February 6.

The plan provides for reserving a 25% stake plus one share in Ukrtelecom for the state and sale of 67.79% via an auction.