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Communist Party of Ukraine Leader Petro Symonenko urges President Viktor Yanukovych and the Cabinet of Ministers to be refrain from rash renewal of the functioning of free economic zones and the territories of priority development in Ukraine.

Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the press service of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

The leader of the Communist Party, which is now a part of the majority coalition in the Verkhovna Rada, believes that the renewal of function of free economic zones and the territories of priority development requires creation of innovative-investment programs for each free economic zone or territory of priority development.

Otherwise, free economic zones and the territories of priority development can be used for money laundering, according to Symonenko.

"Such zones and territories will virtually turn into 'black holes' where state funds will disappear for good, as well as foreign and domestic loans taken under the state guarantees... In the guise of investment will be laundered there dirty money earned from illegal trading in drugs, weapon, human trafficking, prostitution, and so on," said Symonenko.

At the same time, the leader of the Communist Party sees a positive role that the free economic zones and the territories of priority development can play for taking Ukraine from the economic crisis and for the social and economic development of the country, for better prosperity of common people of the list of activities in the zones and territories are endorsed by the legislation.

Symonenko also calls for concentration of scientific and research institutions in such zones and territories as well as high-tech production facilities.

"I am convinced and we have been insisting on this from the very beginning that in the free economic zones and the territories of priority development should be concentrated high-tech production facilities, scientific enterprises, design bureaus, scientific-research institutions," said the leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

Symonenko also professes the Verkhovna Rada's considering the question of renewal of the free economic zones and the territories of priority development simultaneously with the draft national budget for 2010 and the program of the Cabinet of Ministers.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Viktor Yanukovych in September 2009 said he wanted to renew free economic zones and the territories of priority development if elected the president of Ukraine.

In the 1999-2004, Ukraine created 11 free economic zones and 9 territories of priority development.

In March 2005, the Verkhovna Rada in the law on the national budget for 2005 canceled benefits provided for the free economic zones and the territories of priority development.