KIEV, Jan. 26 ??“ Valentyna Semeniuk, the head of the state property fund, on Friday rejected the criticism from the office of President Viktor Yushchenko that had accused the fund of a slow pace of privatization.

Yushchenko sent a letter to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych urging him to take measures to speed up the pace of selling state assets or to consider dismissal of Semeniuk.