Tymoshenko's political future should be for Ukrainian courts and voters to decide, says US diplomat

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. Department of State Thomas O. Melia has said that the political future of jailed former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko should be decided by the Ukrainian courts and voters.

"We continue to engage at the highest levels, including directly with President [Viktor] Yanukovych, to express concern about the politically-motivated prosecution of opposition leaders. As regards former Prime Minister Tymoshenko, her political future should be for the Ukrainian courts and voters to decide," Melia said in a statement made available to Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, the U.S. government supports the mission of former Presidents Pat Cox and Alexander Kwasniewski in finding a solution to allow Tymoshenko to go to Germany for medical treatment.

"The United States fully supports the Ukrainian government's goal of signing the Association Agreement with the European Union at the Vilnius Summit in November and urges Ukraine to fulfill all necessary conditions, including, comprehensive judicial reform which continues to make good progress, as we heard during the working group I was here to lead," Melia said.