Klitschko insists on Yanukovych's personal participation in crisis settlement talks
UDAR Party leader Vitali Klitschko has said that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych should personally participate in talks on the settlement of the political crisis and should be responsible for each step of the agreements.
"It's strange to hold talks with [National Security and Defense Council Secretary] Andriy Kliuyev, whom Yanukovych appointed as head of the working group on the settlement of the political crisis, because it is Kliuyev who is responsible for the bloody crackdown on Euromaidan on November 30 and the beating of students, for which nobody was punished. It makes sense to hold talks only with those who make decisions and bear responsibility for their implementation. Therefore President Yanukovych must participate in the talks from the authorities," Klitschko said.
He said that the president had promised to start negotiations on the way out of the political crisis.
"It's very important that these talks have a real result, because this is the only way out of the confrontation without the escalation of the conflict. If the authorities again violate their promise, the escalation of the situation is inevitable," UDAR's press service quoted Klitschko as saying.
As reported, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych instructed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Andriy Kliuyev to set up a working group involving Cabinet of Ministers and Presidential Administration representatives to consider the issues on settling the political crisis in the country.
Klitschko said that Yanukovych would meet with opposition leaders on Monday, January 20.
Party of Regions MP Hanna Herman said that a working group to resolve the situation in Ukraine had already been formed and that it was waiting for the opposition's response to proposals to participate in the talks on Monday.
"The group has already called on the opposition to meet in the afternoon and so that the opposition could decide on its representatives and [the group] could be ready for talks on the situation in the country," she said.
When asked by Interfax-Ukraine whether Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych plans to attend a meeting with opposition representatives, Herman said that this would be the first meeting and that it would be held without the participation of the head of state.
