The News Today
...o its coffers. Ukraine's Central Election Commission declared Yanukovych the winner of the November 21 presidential vote, but Yushchenko charged that the vote was stolen -- and international election observers agreed. The Ukrainian Supreme Court, in the wake of the controversy, put the runoff election results on hold. The court is to meet Monday to examine the complaints. U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, who served as an election monitor in Ukraine, said the battle is "perhaps the greatest story in the world right now, largely because it is about the space of freedom [and] whether it's going to expand or not." "And in this particular election, the government of President Kuchma allowed, or aided and abetted, wholesale fraud and abuse that changed the results of the election," Lugar told "Fox News Sunday." International observers, who were at almost half of the 33,000 polling stations, "detailed point by point all of the absentee fraud," Lugar said. "And so, Yanukovych did not win the election." Yushchenko, Yanukovych and Kuchma held negotiations Friday and Saturday in search of a resolution, but apparently found little common ground. On Sunday, Kuchma called for an end to the protests and said Yushchenko exhibited ill-will by not joining him. "It is clearly understandable that negotiations are extremely difficult," Kuchma said. "It is hard to recognize what compromise can be reached, but I think, and others agree with me, that a compromise is necessary for Ukraine." Saturday, the Ukrainian parliament passed nonbinding measures backing an annulment of the election, dissolution of the 15-member Central Election Commission and calling for new elections. "The most logical political decision, taking into account the mutual claims of massive violations, is to pronounce the elections invalid in the sense of trying to determine the real will of the people," parliament speaker Vladimir Litvin told the assembled lawmakers. If new elections are sought, parliament will have to pass legislation allowing them. In addition, they would need approval by the Supreme Court and Kuchma. 'Chilly reception' On Friday, Javier Solana, European Union foreign policy minister, was one of several negotiators who met with all sides in the crisis. Another election "is a possibility that has been on the table, yes," Solana said. But the results and timetable of the multilateral group's work, he said, cannot be predicted. Both sides, however, have agreed to avoid violence, Solana said. Kuchma held a news conference after meeting with Solana, Yushchenko and Yanukovych. Also attending were Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. Solana said the candidates gave each other a chilly reception. Kuchma said he was hopeful that the country "would find with dignity a peaceful solution of this political crisis." Solana earlier met separately wi...