Ukraine President rules out repealing decree to dissolve Parliament

Moscow, Apr 12 (UNI) Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko today ruled out repealing his April 2 decree to dissolve Parliament and hold snap elections on May 27, but said a compromise changing the date of elections was possible.

''The country needs early elections. This is my categorical position,'' Mr Yushchenko, a pro-West liberal, said at a press conference in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.

''My decree must be fulfilled. It is fully valid. This is a political reality. Another political reality is that the President will not repeal his decree,'' Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

''The dissolution of this Parliament is not a goal in itself.

This is the only way to bring the Ukrainian political life back to the legal framework,'' he said, referring to the ongoing political crisis in the former Soviet Republic.

His political rival and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych today said the country may hold early Parliament elections if the Constitutional Court upheld the Presidential decree dissolving the Parliament, or if all political forces reached consent.

''If the Constitutional Court upholds the decree, all political forces will abide by the judgement,'' Mr Yanukovych told reporters.

''If the Constitutional Court makes a different judgement, it will still be possible to have early elections if all the political forces consent to them,'' he added.

Mr Yanukovych said he was waiting for Mr Yushchenko's answer to proposals of the government for settlement of the political crisis that was triggered by his decrees.

''On Wednesday, we asked the President to halt the decree until the passing of a verdict by the Constitutional Court,'' he said at his meeting with Chinese State Council Vice Premier Hui Liangyu.

''We believe that this is the sole way at this stage, and we shall be waiting for an answer today. The victory of the law and the Constitution will be the victory of the President too,'' Mr Yanukovych said.

UNI