European envoys push for Ukrainian election talks

As Ukraine’s political opposition savoured a court victory blocking official publication of results in a disputed presidential election, three European envoys were headed to the ex-Soviet republic today on a quest to nudge the two candidates’ camps into talks.

The crisis has brought throngs of protesters into the capital, Kiev, where they have set up a sprawling tent camp along a main avenue and square, braving freezing temperatures for five straight nights.

Official results from Sunday’s presidential run-off indicate Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won. But his Western-leaning opponent, Viktor Yushchenko, says the ballot was rigged, and Western observers have concurred.

Today, the protesters – standing five deep and linking arms – blockaded the Cabinet building where Yanukovych works and refused to let staff enter.

The opposition candidate’s camp filed an appeal yesterday against the Central Election Commission’s final tally with the Supreme Court. Hours later, the court ordered that the results not be published until the appeal is heard on Monday. Yanukovych cannot be inaugurated until the publication.

Although Yanukovych enjoys the backing of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s Supreme Court is respected as an unbiased body.

Yushchenko praised the decision, but told the crowd: “This is only the beginning.” Some of his allies have pushed for more radical action, with popular opposition leader Yuliya Tymoshenko calling on opposition supporters to seize power by surrounding government buildings, blocking railways and transport. The opposition has called a nationwide strike – but it remained unclear whether the country was responding.

Yanukovych said late yesterday: “I don’t see any possibility for resolving this conflict by the path of ultimatums; we should sit at the negotiating table.”

But his opponent has insisted that the main condition for starting discussions was that “both sides acknowledge the results of the election were not valid”.

Neither Kuchma nor Yanukovych has shown any willingness to do that.

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski was due in Kiev today at Kuchma’s request, and he was also due to meet Yanukovych and Yushchenko, the Polish Embassy said today.

Kwasniewski was bringing a three-point plan: to call on both sides to renounce violence, to urge a re-count of the vote and to try to initiate round-table talks.

Also expected to arrive were Javier Solana, the European Union’s chief foreign policy representative, and Jan Kubis, current head of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, whose election observers criticised the presidential runoff as marred by fraud.

The crisis has threatened to further divide the nation of 48 million, and raised the prospect of civil conflict. Yanukovych drew his support from the pro-Russian, heavily industrialised eastern half of Ukraine. Yushchenko’s strength was in the west, a traditional centre of nationalism.

Yesterday, Ukrainians in the west heeded the opposition’s calls to block roads. Along a main western road leading from the city of Lviv to the Polish border, Yushchenko supporters put up a barricade of logs and burning tyres.

“We are doing this for our president, Yushchenko,” said Maria Cherkas, standing at the roadblock.

Meanwhile, in Kiev – Ukraine’s very European capital, which has thrown its support overwhelmingly behind Yushchenko – opposition supporters maintained their vigil on Independence Square, while Yanukovych supporters continued to arrive on trains and buses from the east.

“People in Kiev are treating us like lepers,” said Yuriy Koshchun, 24, from Melitopol in Ukraine’s south-east, who supports Yanukovych. “They even refused to give us water.”

The opposition, meanwhile, received another boost yesterday from visiting Lech Walesa, the founder of the Polish Solidarity movement, who said he was “amazed” at their enthusiasm and predicted their protest would succeed.

The election has led to an increasingly tense tug-of-war between the West and Moscow, which considers Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and a buffer between Russia and Nato’s eastern flank. The United States and the European Union have said they cannot accept the results and warned Ukraine of “consequences” in relations with the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has put his personal prestige on the line by openly backing Yanukovych and by paying two high-profile pre-election visits to Ukraine, where he met Yanukovych both times.