adminKiev — Ukraine’s anti-government protesters have gathered at the country’s Ministry of Defence in Kiev, calling on the army not to intervene as the opposition and the ruling party seek a solution through talks with the president, mediated by EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.
The demonstrators, organised by a nationalist opposition party Svoboda, sang Ukraine’s anthem at the Ministry yesterday and urged the military through loudspeakers “to hear the people and not to go against them.”
“They gave an oath to protect the people of Ukraine, but there were talks going on recently, saying that the army should stand by the riot police and the government,” Nikalai Lynich, a demonstrator, said as he marched from the Ministry to the Independence Square, where anti-government protesters have been camped behind the barricades for more than two months.
“If the military uses force against the protesters, the whole public will go against them,” he added.
Another protester Ivan Klyop insisted he was convinced “the army will, at the end, stand with us.”
The second parliament session in a row since President Viktor Yanukovich returned to work from a sick leave ended without any progress yesterday.
Vladimir Ribak, the parliament speaker, postponed a debate on possible constitutional changes that could bring the country out of the crisis until the following day.
One of the main three opposition leaders, Arseny Yatsenuk, urged Ribak to invite the president to participate in the discussions “so that Ukrainians feel that their state has a law and order, that we have a president and not a dictator, that we have a parliament and not some button-pushers.”
He suggested the parliament to work every day until the decisions were made that would bring the country out of the crisis.
Yatsenuk was one of the opposition leaders who met Catherine Ashton on Tuesday in a bid to mediate a political solution to the anti-government unrest.
Ashton was due to hold a similar meeting with Yanukovich yesterday but the interference of foreign partners is not welcomed by all in Ukraine. — Al Jazeera
Online Reporter