UKRAINE:Ukraine's duelling president and prime minister, Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovich, appeared to edge towards compromise yesterday, as tens of thousands of people rallied in Kiev under rival banners.
After another round of talks, Mr Yushchenko said he would suspend his order to dissolve parliament and call snap elections if Mr Yanukovich agreed to change about a dozen laws, including one that boosted the legislature's power and weakened the president.
"Does the president agree to suspend his decree? Let me say firmly that I am in agreement if a series of political compromises are concluded over a short period of time," said Mr Yushchenko, who was swept to power in the Orange Revolution of 2004 that overturned Mr Yanukovich's "victory" in a rigged election.
"If we are talking about a compromise agreed in advance, if we have agreed on specific actions in terms of changing or amending concrete laws, this could be done in a day or two days," the president added.
Mr Yanukovich, who is closer to Moscow than his rival and much less keen on Ukraine joining the EU and Nato, suggested the crisis could soon be over. "Let us do as I agreed today with President Yushchenko, so that over a short period of time next week we can remove all obstacles.
"The president said he was nearly ready to suspend his decree and, after we find political and legal ways to solve our differences, conclude a peaceful settlement and ask politicians and the people of Ukraine to uphold peace."
The politician least happy with a compromise could be popular pro-western party leader Yulia Tymoshenko, whose supporters called for early elections in Kiev yesterday.
