The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Ukraine's president promises to reshuffle government next week
- Ukraine leader pledges government reshuffle ahead of more rallies
- Syria sides to meet but peace talks may not take off
| Ukraine's president promises to reshuffle government next week Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:15 PM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, in what appeared to be an offer of major concessions to the opposition amid mass protests against his rule, pledged on Friday to reshuffle the government next week and to amend sweeping anti-protest laws. In comments to church leaders, reported by Interfax news agency, Yanukovich said key decisions would be made at a special session of parliament scheduled to take place next Tuesday. "We will take a decision at this session. The president will sign a decree and we will reshuffle the government in order to find the best possible professional government team," he said. The dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has been one of the main demands of the opposition in two months of unrest. Referring for the first time to the need to work closely with the opposition, he said opposition leaders would be brought into an anti-crisis team which he would lead. "I will do all I can to stop this conflict, to stop violence," he said. But he added that if this was not possible "all legal methods" would be used to tackle the situation. Yanukovich sparked the first mass rallies against his rule last November after pulling out of a free trade deal with the European Union in favour of closer economic ties with Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet overlord. They have since spiralled into protests against misrule and corruption among Ukraine's leaders and officials and there have been violent clashes with police in the city centre in which three protesters were killed this week. (Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing by Gareth Jones) |
| Ukraine leader pledges government reshuffle ahead of more rallies Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:15 PM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, in what appeared to be an offer of concessions to the opposition amid violent protests against his rule, pledged on Friday to reshuffle the government next week and to amend sweeping anti-protest laws. Yanukovich made his offer in comments to church leaders as the protesters erected more street barricades and occupied a government ministry building in Kiev ahead of what is expected to be another hot weekend of anti-government rallies. The president's Party of the Regions confirmed reports that two months of protests had spread to other parts of Ukraine, particularly to pro-European Union western regions, where it said "extremists" had seized administrative buildings. Yanukovich, who hails from the mainly Russian-speaking east of Ukraine, said key decisions would be made at a special session of parliament scheduled to take place next Tuesday. "I as president will sign a decree and we will reshuffle the government in order to find the best possible professional government team," he said in comments carried on his website. He gave no indication of how wide the government reshuffle would be and it was by no means certain Prime Minister Mykola Azarov or any other key figures would have to step down. The dismissal of the Azarov government has been one of the main demands of the opposition and Yanukovich's words were clearly intended to look like a concession to opponents who have voiced frustration at his stalling tactics in talks until now. The promise to reconsider anti-protest legislation, which was rail-roaded through parliament last week by Yanukovich loyalists, also appeared to be a concession, which may take some steam out of fresh protest rallies planned for the weekend. "RADICAL TROUBLEMAKERS" The mass rallies against Yanukovich's rule erupted last November after he pulled out of a free trade deal with the European Union in favour of closer economic ties with Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet overlord. They have since spiralled into protests against misrule and corruption among Ukraine's leaders and officials and there have been violent clashes with police in Kiev city centre in which three protesters died this week, two from gunshot wounds. The protesters control key parts of the city centre, including its main Independence Square. On Friday, they occupied the main agricultural ministry building after talks stalled on Thursday night between Yanukovich and the opposition. Commenting on the spread of protests to other cities, the Party of the Regions said in a statement: "The situation has grown sharper throughout the country." It urged Ukrainians to ignore the calls of "radical troublemakers" to join the rallies. Thousands stormed regional administration headquarters in Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytsky in western and central Ukraine, as well as parts of the northeast, the Party of the Regions said. More than 100 people have been detained in the unrest, including 24 formally arrested, according to police. But though some protesters lit tyres at the main flashpoint area near Dynamo Kiev football stadium, they generally appeared to have heeded an opposition call to maintain a truce. In other conciliatory comments on Friday, Yanukovich said he would bring opposition leaders into an anti-crisis team and he said people who had been detained so far and had not committed serious crimes would be amnestied. "I will do all I can to stop this conflict, to stop this violence and establish stability," he told the church leaders, according to his web site. But, referring to radicals who have bombarded riot police with petrol bombs and cobblestones, he said: "If we do not succeed, we will use all legal methods provided for by law." There was no immediate reaction from opposition leaders to Yanukovich's comments on Friday. INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION? Earlier, opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko said the only way out of the impasse lay now with international mediation. "Instead of shifting to solving the situation by common sense, Yanukovich has declared war on his own people. He is trying to hold on to power at the price of blood and de-stabilisation of the situation in the country. He has to be stopped," the former world heavyweight boxing champion said. In Vienna, Europe's main human rights and security body said it stood ready to mediate in the crisis after its current chairman, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, met Azarov on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Burkhalter told Azarov the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to which Ukraine belongs, "could offer its expertise to facilitate dialogue between the government and opposition", the OSCE said in a statement. The crisis in the ex-Soviet republic of 46 million people has rung alarm bells in the West, while Russia has warned against Western interference in the crisis. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden phoned Yanukovich on Thursday and warned him that failing to de-escalate the standoff could have "consequences", the White House said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have both called for dialogue. (Additional reporting by Michael Shields in Vienna; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Gareth Jones) |
| Syria sides to meet but peace talks may not take off Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:10 PM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - After a day's delay and repeated bitter recriminations, the warring sides in Syria will hold their first joint meeting on Saturday to launch talks aimed at ending almost three years of conflict. In a measure of the task ahead, diplomatic sources said the first two days of talks in Geneva would involve discussing a deal to allow aid into a single city, Homs, where people are starving. The peace conference almost collapsed on Friday, the day face-to-face talks were meant to start, and was only put back on track after United Nations mediator Lakhdar Brahimi persuaded the two sides to focus on smaller issues on which there might be agreement. "We do expect some bumps on the road," Brahimi told a news conference after separate meetings with the two delegations. With international divisions over how to end the conflict putting an overall political solution out of reach for now, the two sides will focus on small, confidence-building steps with no certainty negotiations will even last the week. "Both parties will be here tomorrow...they will not leave on Saturday or Sunday," Brahimi said. Opposition delegate Anas al-Abdah said the process would begin with a brief meeting at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Saturday at which only Brahimi would speak, to be followed by another longer session in the afternoon. Even that may not come off. One diplomatic source, noting the fierce verbal attacks that marked the opening of the conference in the Swiss city of Montreux on Wednesday, said on Friday he had become cautious. "Compared to 10 days ago, we've had Montreux with both delegations, this start in Geneva with an extra day's delay, tomorrow 30 minutes with the two delegations and then maybe a subject they can agree on. Small steps, but small steps are better than no steps." "It's clear there will be hysterical episodes each day." SAME ROOM Humanitarian access for Homs, where rebels are surrounded in central districts by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, could be agreed fast. "The practical aspects have been worked on. Things are ready and if the government doesn't put a block on it then it could happen quickly," a diplomatic source said. But deep mutual mistrust and the absence from Geneva of powerful Islamist opposition groups and Assad's ally Iran make any substantial progress very difficult. The opposition said early on Friday it would not meet the government side unless it first agreed to publicly endorse a 2012 statement by world powers calling for a transitional government in Syria. The government rejected the demand and said its negotiators would leave Geneva unless serious talks began within a day. After talking to both sides, Brahimi indicated on Friday afternoon their argument, which centres on whether Assad would have to step down, had been put to one side. "Tomorrow we have agreed that we shall meet in the same room," Brahimi said. The negotiations would be based on the 2012 statement, known as Geneva 1, which he acknowledged was subject to differing interpretations. "We wanted these delegations nominated months ago to prepare things better," he said. Diplomats are playing down any hopes of progress. "Expectations are so low we'll see how things develop day by day," a Western diplomat said. PRACTICAL STEPS Brahimi had already indicated that his aim was to start by seeking practical steps, such as local ceasefires, prisoner releases and access for international aid deliveries, before embarking on the tougher political negotiations. "I think an immediate political solution is unrealistic, unfortunately," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France 24 television. Syria's civil war has already killed at least 130,000 people, driven more than a third of the country's 22 million people from their homes and made half dependent on aid, including hundreds of thousands cut off by fighting. Among the hurdles to progress, the Islamist militants who control most rebel-held territory are boycotting the talks and say anyone attending negotiations that fail to bring down Assad would be traitors. Assad's main regional backer, Iran, is also not represented at the Geneva talks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited Tehran at the last minute, but then withdrew the invitation 24 hours later when it refused to endorse the Geneva 1 protocol. (Additional reporting by John Irish, Samia Nakhoul, Dominic Evans, Tom Miles, Stephanie Nebehay, Alexandria Sage, Kinda Makiyeh, Vincent Fribault and Gabriela Baczynska; Writing by Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) |
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