Roundtable unlikely to change Ukraine Rada coalition - speaker
28/07/2006 15:05
KIEV, July 28 (RIA Novosti) - The signing of a final document by parties to roundtable talks on means of pulling Ukraine out of a four-month political crisis will not change the composition of the anti-crisis coalition in parliament, the Supreme Rada speaker said Friday.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko held roundtable talks Thursday with the leaders of all parliamentary factions, and prominent political and public figures. The parties to the talks are currently harmonizing a final document laying down the principles for forming a new national unity coalition in parliament.
Oleksandr Moroz said, "Whether or not an agreement is signed does not mean the anti-crisis coalition will be reformed, enlarged, reduced or reformatted."
The Party of Regions, led by Yushenko's former arch-rival Viktor Yanukovych, which received the largest number of parliamentary seats in a March election, formed the anti-crisis coalition earlier this month with Moroz's Socialist Party and the Communists.
Anatoly Kinakh, the leader of the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc, which includes five other parties, said Friday the bloc would not join a coalition with the Communist Party, but hinted it could reach a compromise with the Socialist Party.
"We will not enter a coalition with the Communists, since we have fundamentally different agendas," he said. "Our Ukraine considers it possible for the Socialists to become members of a new coalition."
He said discussions at Thursday's roundtable talks had not changed his bloc's standpoint on the situation - Our Ukraine wants the Supreme Rada be dissolved and a new "compromise" figure to be nominated for prime minister.
But the Party of Regions, said it would not surrender its coalition partner, the Communist Party.
"The coalition will not reject any members, including Communists," faction spokesman Taras Chernovol said, commenting on Our Ukraine's ultimatum.
"Our Ukraine lacks a political culture or an ability [to make] compromises," he said.
Chernovol said the roundtable discussions were "in the final straight."
President Yushchenko is now facing a dilemma between confirming his "orange" revolution rival Yanukovych as prime minister or dissolving parliament - a right he received after the assembly missed a 60-day deadline for forming a new government on Tuesday. He has until August 2 to decide how to respond to Yanukovych's nomination.
