No Sign Of Reconciliation For Ukraine's Pro-Western Parties

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's pro-western groups said they still hadn't resolved their differences Sunday as a deadline over the governing coalition's breakup expired at the weekend.

The former orange coalition, Yushchenko (L) and Tymoshenko in a file photo.
"To my knowledge, none of the parties have even formed groups of negotiators. So you can conclude they are not interested in renewing the coalition," parliamentarian Oles Doniy told AFP.

Members of parliament from President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party pulled out of the ruling pro-Western coalition it shared with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's party at the beginning of September.

After the party's 10-day deadline to return to the coalition ended Saturday, its official breakup looks set to be announced in parliament Tuesday.

"If the formal negotiations (to protect the coalition) take place, they will happen Monday. If not, on Tuesday the parliamentary leader will announce its breakup," said Sergei Sobolev from the Tymoshenko bloc.

In the event of the coalition's split, it is expected that either Tymoshenko's bloc will form an alliance with the pro-Russian Regions Party or new elections will be held, following legislative elections last September.

The presidential party pulled out of the coalition when the Tymoshenko bloc and the pro-Moscow opposition passed new laws to reduce Yushchenko's powers and make it easier to impeach him.

In a challenge to the prime minister, who was his partner in the 2004 "Orange Revolution," Yushchenko also threatened to dissolve the parliament and call early elections if a new coalition wasn't formed within 30 days.

Experts believe that fresh elections may be held Dec. 21.

Source: AFP