Kuchma offers hope for new poll

KEIV - Ukraine's besieged authorities signalled for the first time yesterday they would hold fresh presidential elections to appease Viktor Yushchenko, the pro-Western leader of the so-called "Orange" Revolution.

There seemed to be an edge of panic in their pronouncements.

Viktor Yanukovich, the Prime Minister and Yushchenko's pro-Russian rival, said he had taken his family out of Kiev because it was too dangerous.

And outgoing President Leonid Kuchma cut a lonely figure as he told officials the country could not be allowed to disintegrate and warned the economy was close to collapse.

Yanukovich said: "Personally I'm staying. I'll be here until the end."

Yushchenko, who insists he was robbed of victory by large-scale vote-rigging that benefited Yanukovich, remained defiant, saying Parliament could pass a vote of no-confidence in Yanukovich as early as today.

There were also signs that his advisers may try to get the supreme court to declare him President outright without fresh elections.

Former British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher warned that "a new iron curtain" was falling across Ukraine and called on the West to stand up to "tyranny".

The Ukrainian Government's concession on a fresh vote was voiced by Kuchma and Yanukovich. The Prime Minister said he would be willing for fresh elections to be held in two key regions in the east where most of the irregularities are alleged to have taken place "if fraud was proven".

And an MP thought to be speaking on his behalf made it clear that Yanukovich would be willing to go even further and have a rerun of the entire election.

Yushchenko had originally said he wanted the second round run again.

Kuchma said: "If we really want to keep peace and harmony and build a democratic society based on the rule of law ... we have to do it by legal means. Let's have new elections."

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