KIEV, Jan. 18 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko used a loop-hole on Thursday to veto the controversial law on the Cabinet of Ministers that had been dramatically reducing powers of the president.

Yushchenko said the law, apparently due to a mistake from the office of Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Moroz, had a slightly different text compared with the similar law previously vetoed by the president.

This means Parliament may have technically failed to override Yushchenko??™s veto on Jan. 12 as 366 lawmakers in the 450-seat legislature had voted for the law with a deferent text.

???The text??¦ was different,??? Yushchenko said in a statement. ???This means that the president has the right to again return the law for a repeated debate in Parliament.???

Although the difference in the text was minimal, Yushchenko??™s decision to veto the law shows the president has been taking a tougher line in his battle with the government.

The development is a setback for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who has been apparently seeking to obtain the power of defining the country??™s foreign and defense policies.

The veto is also a setback for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, an opposition leader, whose group had joined forces with the pro-government groups in an attempt to override the veto from Yushchenko.

Yushchenko made the statement shortly after a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, a body that advises the president on strategic issues. The meeting, which apparently focused on the impact of the law, has not been previously scheduled, underscoring the urgency of the issue.

Yanukovych, who also joined the meeting, gave a vague response when asked about possible reaction to the veto.

???There will be a law that will be totally harmonized with the constitution,??? Yanukovych said after the meeting. ???The powers must be balanced by the constitution.???

Yushchenko suggested removing all anti-constitutional clauses from the law, while at the same time creating a joint team that would work on the law.

Yanukovych and Yushchenko had been battling for control over the country??™s foreign policy since early August 2006 when Yanukovych was approved as the prime minister. Yanukovych seeks to slow down Ukraine??™s accession to NATO, Yushchenko??™s cornerstone foreign policy.

The law approved on Jan. 12 had been allowing the pro-government coalition to nominate foreign and defense ministers if the president fails to do so within 15 days after the jobs become vacant. The law also allowed the coalition to nominate the prime minister within 15 days after the coalition is formed if the president fails to do so.

Both clauses apparently violate the constitution, which lets the president nominate these figures.

???The approved law would systemically violate the Ukrainian constitution,??? Yushchenko said. ???This is a dead-end, the way to nowhere.??? (tl/ez)