Ukraine talks end with no agreement on dismissing government

Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma said Tuesday he had agreed with the opposition to reshuffle the central election commission and support election law reform, but no agreement was reached on dismissing the government.

"(We) agreed on the need to introduce amendments to the law on electing Ukraine's president that would envisage introducing a mechanism for conducting transparent and fair elections, making abuse and fraud impossible," Kuchma told reporters.

His remarks came after round-table talks with opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, and international mediators.

Both pro-Moscow Yanukovich and pro-Western Yushchenko claimed victory in the Nov. 21 presidential run-off.

Kuchma said the talks fell short of an agreement on constitutional amendments to transfer some of the president's powers to the parliament due to rejection from the opposition.

The opposition, however, agreed to lift a blockade of government buildings after the approval of electoral changes, the president said.

The talks, brokered by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, began Monday and lasted six hours.

The talks were aimed at resolving the political crisis that has plagued Ukraine since Nov. 21.

On Friday, Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled that the results of the country's presidential runoff was invalid and ordered that a new vote be held on Dec. 26.

The court's decision has drawn different reaction from the United States and Russia, with Washington hailing it "an important step" to resolve the political crisis.

Both the United States and the European Union, backing Ukraine's opposition, have refused to accept the runoff result as legitimate, and called for an investigation of the "numerous and credible" reports of fraud and abuse in the election.

However, Russia, which supported President Kuchma and Prime Minister Yanukovich, was frustrated by the ruling.

On Friday, Russia's lower house of parliament unanimously approved a resolution condemning what it described as "destructive interference" by some European organizations in the political crisis in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned against foreign interference in Ukraine and its political crisis, saying "one can play the role of a mediator but one must not meddle and apply pressure."

After the court's Friday ruling, both camps have started campaigning for the new elections.

Countries such as Canada and Sweden have decided to send observers to Kiev for the Dec. 26 vote.