KIEV, March 16 - Oleksandr Shlapak, the first deputy head of the presidential secretariat, says talks with the International Monetary Fund on renewing the work of the fund's mission in Ukraine are likely to be completed within two or three weeks.

"It seems to me that it is possible to complete the talks within two-to-three weeks if there is good, coordinated work. It seems to me the term could be realistic," Shlapak said, asked when Ukraine could expect to get the second tranche of the IMF's stand-by credit.