France condemns violence in Kiev, urges restraint, dialogue

French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius on Tuesday condemned the fresh wave of violence in Ukraine, urging all parties to exercise restraint and resume dialogue. "I condemn the resumption of violence in Kiev and the indiscriminate use of force which resulted in several deaths. I call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to immediately resume dialogue," Fabius said in a statement. "It (the dialogue) is the only way to reach a political solution that can meet the aspirations of the Ukrainian people," he said. Earlier Tuesday, anti-government protesters attacked police with Molotov cocktails outside the parliament building. Two vehicles blocking the way to the parliament were torched by the demonstrators. The activists also set on fire the headquarters of the ruling Party of Regions in downtown Kiev. Police responded with stun grenades and tear gas to push the crowd back. As of 3.30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT), a total of 47 police officers were confirmed injured in clashes. Meanwhile, local media reported about over 100 people injured in the protesters' camp. Pro-opposition doctor Olga Bogomolets told local media that three demonstrators died from gunshot wounds during the fresh unrest. However, the deaths of the protesters have not been confirmed by the authorities yet. Ukrainian Acting Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara on Tuesday asked the international community to make an objective evaluation of the recent violence in central Kiev. Kozhara voiced his hope that the international community would "strongly condemn" the illegal actions of radical activists, who initiated a new wave of "violence and lawlessness" in Ukraine. Tuesday's unrest marked the latest wave of clashes between demonstrators and riot police in the almost three-month-old political standoff, which began last November when a government decision to backtrack on the country's European integration angered Ukrainians. The rallies turned violent on Jan. 19, when radical activists attacked riot police with fireworks and petrol bombs.