Kuchma calls for negotiations in Ukraine

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma called for negotiations among all sides in Ukraine hours after opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election.

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma called for negotiations among all sides in Ukraine’s spiralling political crisis, hours after opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election and took a symbolic oath of office.

A top opposition figure accepted Kuchma’s proposal, the Interfax news agency reported yesterday.