Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko (C) attends the military parade devoted to the 62nd anniversary of the World War II victory. The parade took place in Kiev.
Photo: Andrey Fedoruk
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Covert Threat
// Unknown killers joined the conflict in Ukraine
The political crisis in Ukraine exacerbated again on Friday. President’s staff announced that it had learned about schemed assassinations on the orange opposition leaders, and even on President Viktor Yushchenko himself. The parties of the conflict have evidently begun putting pressure on each other, after the negotiations on the early elections reached a stalemate. The parties want concessions from each other. The president threatened to solve “all issues” in the National Security and Defense Council, while Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych called the EU and Russia for help.
Valery Geletei, head of Ukraine’s main service for law-enforcement bodies, said Friday there were plotted assassinations on the orange opposition leaders, BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko and President Viktor Yushchenko among them.
Geletei’s ominous speech was given after the negotiations on the early parliamentary elections have actually failed. Yushchenko demanded on Thursday that the ruling coalition agree to the orange opposition’s suggestion and hold the elections in summer 2007.
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych addressed the EU and Russia with a request to immediately act as mediators for solving the crisis. European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said “the EU should not interfere in Ukraine’s political procedures as long as they are within the framework of democracy”.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Friday: “Russia will help if all parties of the conflict ask it.” However, Moscow will hardly receive such request from Yushchenko. Apparently, the president’s supporters began putting pressure on the ruling coalition, seeing the hard line of the Party of Regions. A small detail was missing, though: rumors about a plotted conspiracy. Geletei’s speech filled that gap.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 12, 2007
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