Ukraine opposition says ready to pursue talks with authorities
27 January 2014, 18:06
The Ukrainian opposition is ready to continue talks with the authorities to prevent further escalation and bloodshed, settle the crisis and preserve the country's unity, the opposition National Resistance Headquarters said in a statement.
Over the past 24 hours Maidan has been observing reconciliation and peace, but 'the patience of the people made angry by the authorities' deafness can stop any moment,' the headquarters said.
Earlier The Party of Regions has issued a statement saying it believes the recent events in Ukraine pose a threat to the existence of an independent Ukraine and demands that Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka conduct an immediate investigation into the activities by so-called people's radas.
'The attempts made by opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Vitaly Klitschko, and Oleh Tyagnibok to disassociate themselves from the actions taken by their supporters and the seizures of public administration bodies in the regions are clumsy attempts to avoid political, moral, and criminal responsibility for these actions. The people's rada they headed up on January 22 sends directives to the regions ordering self-proclaimed radas and committees to seize power,' the Party of Regions press service said in its statement, which was released on Monday.
The Party of Regions believes that 'the fascist youths' in the streets of Ukrainian cities are turning the country into a battlefield.
'The very existence of the independent Ukraine is in jeopardy now. Trying to carry out a coup, which will divide the country, they are not thinking about the life and future of millions of peaceful citizens who are not involved in this chaos,' the statement says.
The Party of Regions is calling on all reasonable people and all political and public organizations to 'manifest their civil stance and stand up to defend the constitutional system.'
The party also asked the Ukrainian prosecutor general to 'urgently conduct an investigation into the anti-constitutional actions taken by the so-called people's radas, give a legal evaluation, and prosecute the culprits in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.'
Klitschko urges protesters to end occupation of Justice Ministry
Ukrainian opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko called on demonstrators Monday to end their occupation of the Ministry of Justice. 'They want to stay but I'll try to convince them otherwise,' said Klitschko in the capital Kiev.
The former boxer said a political solution should be found to the power struggle between government and opposition, and urged that provocations be avoided.
Justice Minister Yelena Lukash called on the radical opponents of the government to leave the ministry and said she hoped a peaceful solution would be found.
She planned to meet with the national security council and ask it to impose a state of emergency if the protesters do not leave the ministry that they occupied on Sunday.
Protesters were occupying other public buildings in Kiev and in the provinces, including the major industrial centres of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhya.
Police units stun grenades and teargas in Zaporizhya to thwart an attempt by hundreds of demonstrators to storm government offices.
Demonstrators threw stones at police and there were reports of injuries.
Ukraine may issue state of emergency if protesters don't leave Justice Ministry
Ukraine's Justice Ministry has been occupied by protesters, RT reports. Local media reported that no one was hurt during the seizure of the building of the Justice Ministry in central Kiev. Following the incident, political organization Obchee Delo claimed responsibility, posting a message on their Facebook profile.
'At 22:38 security in the building called in an attempted seizure of the building. Information was confirmed, the building remains seized," police said, according to Unian news agency.
Ukrainian Justice Minister Elena Lukash has said she will ask the National Security and Defense Council to introduce a state of emergency if rioters do not leave the ministry building.
'If the protesters do not leave the Justice Ministry building in half an hour I will ask the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose the state of emergency," she told Inter TV channel.
Lukash said the ministry building was captured just when the last amendments were being made to the law "On Changes to the Constitution of Ukraine" in order to return to the 2004 text of the constitution.
UDAR party leader Vitaly Klitschko has entered the building, Interfax reported.
According to AFP, the group entered the building without any resistance and is currently building a system of barricades just outside the building. Common Cause is reportedly the same group that earlier occupied the Energy and Agricultural Ministries.
Voice of Russia, Interfax, RIA, AFP, TASS, RT, dpa
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