Russia called for "stability and order" in neighboring Ukraine on
Wednesday as thousands of protesters kept up their demonstrations
against the government in Kiev. FULL STORY
|
UKRAINE'S FUTURE WITH EU: OPINION
Russia calls for 'stability and order' in Ukraine as protests continue
December 4, 2013 -- Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT)
Ukrainian police block the street in front of presidential offices in Kiev on Tuesday..
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Russia says it is watching events in Ukraine
- It says the protests in Ukraine are an "internal matter" but calls for "stability and order"
- Thousands of protesters are still in the streets of Kiev
- They oppose Ukraine's about-face on EU trade deal and want new elections
Speaking to a visiting
Ukrainian delegation in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Boyko that Moscow was watching the
events that have plunged its neighbor, whom he called an important
strategic partner to Russia, into a political crisis.
"We're watching what's
happening in your country. It's an internal affair of Ukraine, though
it's really important to have stability and order there," he said,
according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Thousands of
demonstrators kept up the pressure on the Ukrainian government
Wednesday, tightening their blockade of key Cabinet offices, angry about
its U-turn away from integration with Europe.
Ukraine's Prime Minister calls for peace
In the biggest protests
since Ukraine's Orange Revolution nine years ago, they have also stayed
put in the main Independence Square as they demand new elections.
Prime Minister Mykola
Azarov, who survived an opposition bid to topple his government in
parliament Tuesday, has called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
"We are open to dialogue,
we are ready to discuss with peaceful demonstrators all terms of our
agreements," he told parliament Tuesday, according to a government
website.
Azarov said he was
extending his hand to the opposition but warned that he was working from
a position of strength: "If we find a fist, I say frankly, we have
enough forces."
Azarov said the
government is supported by most Ukrainians, who want the government to
restore order "and continue the course to democratic transformation, to
European integration."
But opposition leaders
Vitaly Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk have called on President Viktor
Yanukovich, currently on a trip to China, to sack the Prime Minister and
his government by executive order. Klitschko, who gained fame as a
boxer, vowed that the opposition would make sure its demands were met.
Among those demands was for someone to be held responsible for the
violence against the demonstrators, he said.
"It's not enough to tell
just 'sorry,' it happens,' " Klitschko told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"How many times do we have to listen to that?"
Blockades
Since the weekend, tens
of thousands of protesters have been descending on the capital's
Independence Square to voice their anger, and demonstrations show no
signs of abating.
The crowds have blocked
the government's main headquarters, preventing employees from going to
work. Some have also taken their protest to Yanukovich's office
building.
The scenes are
reminiscent of the 2004 Orange Revolution -- a populist movement that
booted Yanukovich, then Prime Minister, from office.
"I hope they (the
demonstrators) will be able to keep this up," Volodymyr Valkov, 26, told
CNN, speaking from the western town of Lviv, where he said protesters
had taken to the streets as well. "The Orange Revolution has provided
for things to happen."
The protests have been
largely peaceful, though violence flared Sunday when demonstrators using
a bulldozer were met with stun guns and tear gas as they tried to push
through barricades at the President's administration building.
That night, police chased and beat protesters with batons. Dozens were hurt on both sides.
NATO has condemned the use of violence against the demonstrators and called on all parties to refrain from violence.
"Obviously we fully
respect Ukrainian decisions on their alliance affiliations and to which
organizations they want to belong or with which organizations they want
to cooperate," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. "But I
would expect such decision-making processes to be truly democratic."
In Brussels, Belgium,
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was "very powerful
evidence" that Ukrainians want to be associated with the European Union.
"We stand with the vast majority of the Ukrainians who want to see this
future for their country," he told reporters.
U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State Victoria Nuland is to visit Ukraine on Wednesday, he said,
adding that he himself was looking forward to visiting the country "when
it too gets back on the path of European integration and economic
responsibility."
Yanukovich told reporters on Monday he supports a peaceful resolution to the "questions brought on by our citizens."
But he also warned his
opponents: "As for the politicians participating in this, I consider any
radicalization of the political process will only have negative
consequences."
As the protests grip the
nation -- split between pro-European regions in the west and a more
Russia-oriented east, Ukraine's central bank said it would seek to
maintain financial stability.
In a video statement,
National Bank of Ukraine chairman Ihor Sorkin urged depositors to have
confidence in the banking system and not withdraw their savings.
The cause of the protests
At the heart of the
protests is Ukraine's about-face after a year of insisting that it would
sign a political and trade agreement with the European Union.
Last month, Kiev
suspended talks with the EU, angering many Ukrainians, who say the
agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for
modernization and inclusion.
Chief among Yanukovich's
reasons for backpedaling was Russia's opposition to it. Russia
threatened its neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if it
forged ahead with an EU deal, but promised deep discounts on natural gas
if it were to join the Moscow-led Customs Union instead.
Yanukovich was also
facing an EU demand that he was unwilling to meet: Free former Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his political opponent. The Orange Revolution
that swept him from office also swept Tymoshenko to power.
Two years ago, she was
found guilty of abuse of office in a Russian gas deal and sentenced to
seven years in prison in a case widely seen as politically motivated.
Her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin dismissed the protests Monday, saying they are unrelated
to Ukraine's turn away from the European Union. He called them
reminiscent of a "pogrom" rather than a revolution and an effort by the
opposition to destabilize the government, RIA Novosti said.
Yanukovich on Monday
asked the European Commission to receive a Ukrainian delegation to
discuss "some aspects" of the agreement Kiev had been expected to sign,
according to a statement from Brussels.
Commission President
Jose Manuel Barroso acceded to the request but noted that the commission
was not prepared "to reopen any kind of negotiations."
CNN's Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report from Moscow, and journalist Victoria Butenko contributed from Kiev.
Top World Stories
- Biden tells Chinese president of 'deep concerns' over air zone
-
Bolshoi acid attack victim speaks out
- Zakaria: Why U.S. kids are falling behind world on education
- Archbishop: Mexican cartel threatened Catholic seminary
- 'It brings me little joy' to kill, suspect in British soldier slaying says
-
Hezbollah commander killed
- Mexico reports theft of truck with radioactive material
- Tensions ease in Thailand as police remove barriers
-
Rodman returning to North Korea
|
Leadership shake-up?
- Syrian civil war creates new defectors -- from rebels to regime
- COPY http://edition.cnn.com
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário