KIEV, Ukraine
Ukrainian opposition leaders met the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Wednesday to discuss the country's domestic situation.
Arseny Yatsenyuk, Vitali Klitschko and Oleh Tyahnybok, the leaders of the Ukrainian opposition parliamentary factions Batkivshchyna, UDAR and Svoboda, reportedly informed Catherine Ashton on the situation in Ukraine, particularly negotiations on settling the socio-political crisis.
In a statement, Tyahnybok said that despite concessions by the government, demonstators are still being harrassed.
"For concrete concessions by the government the EU observers and experts as a third party should mediate the negotiations," he added.
In his own statment, Klitschko called for the 2004 constitution to be reinstated, "which would help de-monopolize power".
He called for a third party mediator to conduct negotiations with President Viktor Yanukovych.
"Mrs. Ashton assured [me] that Europe was prepared to delegate senior mediators to the negotiations between the opposition and the authorities," he added.
Protests have been taking place in Kiev since November after Yanukovych decided not to sign a trade agreement with the European Union (EU) in favor of closer ties with Russia.
Yanukovych pushed parliament to pass a measure providing amnesty to many arrested protesters, but he has made no moves to work with the opposition since last week.
Ashton is due to meet with Yanukovych on Wednesday.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
