KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ The pro-government coalition will appoint a new foreign minister in the middle of February if President Viktor Yushchenko refuses to replace Boris Tarasiuk from the post, a senior government official suggested Tuesday.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych, the justice minister, said the recently approved law on the Cabinet of Ministers, allowing the coalition to appoint the foreign minister, will probably come into effect within the next 10 days.

The coalition may appoint the minister if the president fails to do so within 15 days after the post becomes vacant, according to the law approved on Friday. The president has 15 days to sign the law, or otherwise it will be signed by Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Moroz.

The disclosed timeframe gives an indication of when there will be a major escalation in the standoff between pro-Western Yushchenko and pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Unless the dispute is resolved, the development may lead to a situation that there will be two officials in Ukraine claiming the post of the foreign minister.

This would increasingly lead to the constitutional crisis and a sharp confrontation between the prime minister and the president, analysts said.

???Of course, this clause will be used,??? Lavrynovych said when asked whether the coalition will press with the replacing of Tarasiuk. ???If the president fails to nominate [new foreign minister] the coalition will obtain the right to make such nomination.???

Yanukovych, a pro-Russian figure, has been seeking to replace Tarasiuk for his open pro-Western foreign policy, including plans for joining NATO.

The plans have been opposed by Russia, the main supplier of natural gas and oil to Ukraine, which threatens with economic and trade sanctions against Ukraine should Kiev join NATO.

The coalition fired Tarasiuk last month, but he had suspended the firing after a court ruling. Yushchenko later reassured Tarasiuk??™s authority as the minister, but Yanukovych insists that the minister was fired.

Tarasiuk had an official visit to the Czech Republic in the capacity of the minister on Monday and Tuesday, triggering an angry reaction from Yanukovych.

Yanukovych on Monday accused Tarasiuk of undermining the image of Ukraine and asked the Prosecutor General Office to take an unspecified action against him.

The ministry responded on Tuesday that it was Yanukovych??™s ???artificial instigation of the conflict over Tarasiuk??™s foreign visit causes damage to the international image of Ukraine.??? (tl/ez)