KIEV, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's president ruled out the use of force to resolve a political crisis in the country that has heated up since his dismissal of the prosecutor general earlier Thursday.
After Viktor Yushchenko's sacking of his long-time opponent Prosecutor General Svyatoslav Piskun, who remains loyal to Yushchenko's arch rival, the prime minister, protests broke out outside the prosecutor's building, and the pro-premier interior minister sent armed police to surround the building, where Piskun remained in his office.
The prime minister's party, of which Piskun is a member, said a group of unidentified armed individuals was attempting to seize the prosecutor's building.
Yushchenko told journalists: "The way out of the current situation is political agreements. People with weapons cannot solve this conflict."
The Party of Regions, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, said in a statement that a state coup is underway in the country.
Piskun was fired by Yushchenko in 2005, but was reinstated a month ago after contesting his dismissal in court. The latest battle between the president and the prosecutor sprang up following a dispute over the Constitutional Court, which Yushchenko branded "illegitimate" when it failed to accept his decrees dissolving parliament and calling new elections. He demanded that Piskun take appropriate measures against the court.
Yushchenko's Web site announced Thursday that the president was meeting with the defense and interior ministers and the head of Ukraine's security service, the SBU, to discuss the growing crisis.
The Party of Regions said in a statement: "An extraordinary summoning by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko of security agencies officers, including Defense Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko, suggests that a military scenario of power seizure is now being implemented in Ukraine. Or simply put, a state coup has been launched."
The party said the president's actions clearly indicate his intention "to create an effective mechanism aimed at usurping power in Ukraine by forcible methods."
Ukraine's parliament, the Supreme Rada, passed a resolution warning of a possible usurpation of power in the country by Yushchenko.
