Ashton: Police action hinders political dialogue in Ukraine

The European Union’s top diplomat Catherine Ashton said that despite the Ukrainian government’s declared readiness to negotiate with the opposition, police action makes the start of political dialogue more difficult, Ria Novosti reported on Wednesday. Ashton’s visit to the protest-hit country began hours after police moved in on protesters in Kiev on Tuesday, breaking up the last of the demonstrators’ street barricades and driving them into the city’s central square in an ongoing push to clear major protest sites. Although police have denied the use of force against protesters, Ashton said she condemned “the use of force and violence, which cannot be the answer to peaceful demonstrations.” “Last night's police action makes the launch of a political dialogue more difficult than before,” Ashton said. “In the next hours I will try to explore all possible ways to assure that a genuine peaceful solution is still in reach.” Ashton is in Ukraine to try to mediate a deal between the government and pro-EU protesters who have been rallying since late November. Ashton has already met with government and opposition leaders, as well as members of civil society, during her visit. Her meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday lasted nearly four hours. “In the long discussion I have had with the president, he reassured me that he was prepared to engage in dialogue, and I urge him to do so,” she said in a statement. The protests were sparked by the government’s snap rejection of political and free-trade agreements with the European Union.