KIEV, Oct. 14 - The leaders of three central European countries will oppose Ukraine's efforts to integrate into the European Union as long as the former Soviet country keeps opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko in jail, Reuters reported Friday.

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland said Tymoshenko's arrest had raised questions over whether Ukraine was adhering to human rights standards.
"We agreed that we support a pro-Western orientation of Ukraine," Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, who hosted the meeting in Prague, told journalists.

"On the other hand, we are saying openly that we cannot imagine we would smoothly ratify the association agreement with Ukraine in a situation when the judicial system in Ukraine does not work and when former Prime Minister Tymoshenko is imprisoned."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the protection of human rights was "the most important European standard."
"As long as former Prime Minister Tymoshenko sits in jail, it is hard to speak of Ukraine meeting European standards," Tusk said.

Ukraine jailed Tymoshenko last week for seven years for abuse of office in a trial that the United States and European Union say was politically motivated.

The state security service SBU opened a new criminal case against her on Thursday, alleging her involvement in a "criminal conspiracy" 15 years ago to embezzle state funds through gas purchases from Russia.

The European Union has warned Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych that bilateral relations will suffer because of the trial and completion of an association agreement, including the creation of a free trade zone, is in doubt unless she is released.

SBU will investigate whether $405 million debt owed by Tymoshenko’s company to the Russian government had played a role in signing a controversial natural gas contract in January 2009.

The investigation was opened on Wednesday, a day after Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for ordering the singing of the controversial gas agreement.

SBU’s investigation comes in response to a letter from the Russian Defense Ministry in June that urges the Ukrainian government to pay the $405 million debt, owed by the United Energy Systems, from state budget funds.

The government, led by then Prime Minister Lazarenko, guaranteed the United Energy System’s debts, and when the company had gone bankrupt in 1997, the debt appeared to be a liability for the Ukrainian government.

SBU believes Tymoshenko may have used the company’s money - through a network of offshore registered companies, for example Somalli Enterprises – to pay bribes to Lazarenko and to wire money to the account that she secretly controlled.

Tymoshenko may face up to 12 years in prison if she is proved guilty in the new trial. (rt/tl/ez)