|
Ukraine rivals fail to resolve stalemate
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-27 08:16
Ukraine's two rivals for power failed in nearly three hours of talks Friday
to resolve the political stalemate over who will lead the bitterly divided
nation, and opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko told a huge rally that he was
insisting on a new election.
Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma presided at the meeting with Yushchenko,
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and a delegation of key European envoys, and he
said a working group had been established to find a solution to the crisis over
who will succeed him.
The Krelim-backed Yanukovych was declared the winner of Sunday's election but
cannot be inaugurated pending hearing of an appeal to the Supreme Court filed by
the Yushchenko camp.
![Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, right, and Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski, chat as they listen to Ukrainian President Kuchma's statement after their negotiations in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 26, 2004. Kuchma, who met with the two men who claim to have won the election to succeed him and top European envoys, said a multilateral working group had been established to find a way out of the crisis that has brought hundreds of thousands of supporters of losing candidate Viktor Yushchenko into the streets. [AP]](xin_55110127081819506751.jpg)
Ukrainian
opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, right, and Polish President Alexander
Kwasniewski, chat as they listen to Ukrainian President Kuchma's statement
after their negotiations in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 26, 2004. Kuchma,
who met with the two men who claim to have won the election to succeed him
and top European envoys, said a multilateral working group had been
established to find a way out of the crisis that has brought hundreds of
thousands of supporters of losing candidate Viktor Yushchenko into the
streets. [AP] | US President Bush said from his vacation home in Crawford, Texas, that the
world "is watching very closely" and he hoped the crisis would be "resolved in a
way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government." The United
States and European Union have said they cannot accept the results of the runoff
election, warning of "consequences" of Ukraine's relations with the West if the
current outcome stands.
Hundreds of thousands of Yushchenko's supporters have massed in the streets
since Sunday to protest what they and Western nations have called seriously
flawed balloting.
Yushchenko did not give details of what was discussed in the talks at the
ornate Mariinsky presidential palace, but he told tens of thousands of his
supporters in Independence Square shortly afterward that his side was insisting
on a rerun of the voting, which he said he wanted to be held Dec. 12 under the
observation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Yushchenko did not specify in his statement to the crowd, but he appeared to
be calling for a new nationwide vote, rather than only in some areas. In recent
days, speculation had been high that a new vote in only some districts could be
acceptable — primarily districts in Yanukovych stronghold regions where
observers said turnout figures appeared to be wildly inflated.
Earlier Friday, the Unian news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Alexander Yakovenko as saying that Moscow regarded potential revoting
favorably — an apparent significant retreat from its earlier insistence that the
elections were fair and valid.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had all but publicly endorsed Yanukovych,
and underlined his support by visiting Ukraine on the eve of both the initial
vote and Sunday's runoff. He has twice congratulated Yanukovych on his victory
but on Thursday said the election dispute should be settled in the courts, not
in the streets.
Kuchma said all sides "stand against any use of force that would lead to
bloodshed" and said the working group would begin its consultations immediately.
The Supreme Court appeal is to be heard Monday, and the protests are expected
to continue for several days. The size of the crowds could rise as the weekend
frees many people from their jobs, but some protesters seemed disappointed with
the results of Friday's talks and that could slow down the demonstrations'
momentum.
The meeting included European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and
Boris Gryzlov, speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament. Jan Kubis, the
head of the OSCE, and Volodymyr Lytvyn, speaker of the Ukrainian parliament,
also participated.
The Western-leaning Yushchenko had previously said he would only negotiate
with Kuchma, and he said the main condition for holding talks would be the
president's acknowledgment that the election was invalid.
Before he brought both sides together, Kuchma called for an end to the mass
demonstrations.
"Any revolution must end in peace," Kuchma said in a televised statement.
"The sooner this so-called revolution ends, the better it will be for the
Ukrainian people."
The nation of 48 million has been seized by an ever-escalating political
crisis since last weekend's vote. Throngs of Yushchenko supporters, wearing
scarves, shirts, hats and ribbons in his campaign's orange colors, have set up a
sprawling tent camp along a main avenue and the central Independence Square in
Kiev, braving snow and freezing temperatures for six straight nights.
Yanukovych, meanwhile, rallied some 2,000 supporters waving his
blue-and-white campaign flags in front of Kiev's train station.
"I don't need power at the cost of spilled blood," Yanukovych said in remarks
broadcast on the pro-Yanukovych TRK Ukraine television.
In Chernihiv, about 80 miles north of Kiev, police fired smoke grenades over
the heads of a pro-Yushchenko crowd after someone threw an "explosive packet" at
a police cordon outside the mayor's office, police spokeswoman Raisa Deikun
said. Two policemen were hospitalized, she said.
It was not immediately clear what the explosive packet was. Deikun said the
protesters had been trying to seize the mayor's office.
In Kiev, protesters standing five deep and linking arms blockaded the Cabinet
of Ministers building where Yanukovych works, and refused to let staff enter.
Protesters also blocked surrounding streets with buses and vans decorated
with Yushchenko's orange flags, posters and ribbons. Apart from a few traffic
policemen wearing orange armbands, there were no police in the immediate area.
However, special forces were massed nearby.
Protesters also surrounded the presidential administration building, which
was heavily guarded by police in riot gear.
Ukraine's Supreme Court has ordered the election's final results not be
published pending an appeal filed by Yushchenko's camp.
Although Yanukovych enjoys Kuchma's backing, the Supreme Court is respected
as an unbiased body that hasn't hesitated to rule against the government, said
Igor Zdanov, a political analyst with the Kiev-based Razumkov think tank.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin was
concerned by the West's attempts to influence events in Ukraine, "especially
when some European capitals say that they don't accept the elections and their
next thesis is that Ukraine must be with the West"
"The Ukrainian people must decide who Ukraine wants to be with, and such
statements make you think that somebody really wants to draw new dividing lines
in Europe," Lavrov said.
Moscow considers Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and a buffer between
Russia and NATO's eastern flank. The United States and the European Union have
said they cannot accept the results and warned Ukraine of "consequences" in
relations with the West.
On Friday, Moldova said it does not recognize the results of the election in
Ukraine, putting the former Soviet republic at odds with Putin.
The crisis has threatened to further divide Ukraine. Yanukovych drew his
support from the pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half of Ukraine,
while Yushchenko's strength was in the west, a traditional center of
nationalism.
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top World
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
