The
Ukrainian parliament reopened for the second day of its emergency session on
Wednesday morning.
The first
President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, addressed MPs saying the country was on
the brink of civil war. "We need to ease
the confrontation between the sides and agree a plan to solve the conflict",
- he stated, reports GHN based on information released by Euronews.
Leonid
Kravchuk also called on the opposition to take down barricades and said that
would be the way to start dialogue.
Parliament
then went into recess and is due to reconvene at 1300 CET.
Politicians
are due to vote on an amnesty law which would free any protesters detained
during the last two months of unrest. Two draft bills will be presented:
One from the
opposition demands the immediate release of all demonstrators detained during
the mass protests without any preconditions. It also calls for the prosecution
of those who carried out torture, beatings and killings.
The other
draft, from the ruling Party of Regions, asks for an amnesty for everyone including
riot police.
According to BBC correspondent hundreds of anti-government
protesters - many wearing helmets and carrying baseball bats and other
makeshift weapons - have taken to the streets in Kiev again.
