KIEV, February 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Eighty people were killed in clashes and shooting in central Kiev in the past few days, Acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko said on Friday in his address to Ukrainian people.

Clashes and deaths on Kiev streets are results of skilful propaganda, he believes.

"When they say 13 people from one side died and 67 from the other side, it is awful for me. We have 80 our citizens dead, don't we? Ukrainians misled by skilful propaganda, without completely understanding the essence of the processes that are happening in the state. People in regions block state organizations and police stations, but whom do they defend? A small circle of extremists who do not need peace in the state? Or their puppeteers, who act according to scenarios of Syria, Egypt and other countries, which in fact are thrown into chaos now," Zakharchenko stated.

The minister said police again had come under fire opened by rioters. Police complied with the truce terms, but on Friday morning they came under fire opened from the seized building of the conservatory, and then from a crowd. Taking into consideration that police had no firearms when they were on duty to ensure public order, the decision was taken to pull out police forces to the government district. To make it possible for the unarmed policemen to come out of fire with fewer losses, armed law enforcers arrived at the site. They used arms within the law on police, he stressed.

As was earlier reported, 16 policemen were killed in mass disorders, and 130 with bullet wounds were taken to hospitals. Since February 18, a total of 565 law enforcers have been injured, and 410 of them have been hospitalized.

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian Health Ministry said that at least 77 people have been killed. The Health Ministry added 577 people were injured and 369 of them were hospitalized.

 

Agreement on settling political crisis

No additional negotiations ahead of the signing of an agreement to settle a political crisis in Ukraine due on Friday have been planned, a source close to the matter has told Itar-Tass.

“As far as we know an agreement has already been reached,” the source said, commenting on the talks to settle the crisis that had taken place in the presidential administration at night with participation of President Viktor Yanukovich, opposition leaders and representatives of Russia and the European Union.

The agreement is expected to be signed at 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) at Ukraine’s presidential administration on Friday.

“Everybody seeks peace, but is now high on emotions,” the source added.

Earlier, German and Polish Foreign Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Radoslaw Sikorski said another meeting with the president was scheduled in the following hours, but declined to elaborate. Head of the EU delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski confirmed that another meeting would take place.

 

A meeting to find a way out

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s adviser and MP Anna German confirmed on Friday that Russian Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin is taking part in the talks in the presidential administration in Kiev. The talks between president Yanukovich and opposition leaders Vitali Klitschko, Arseny Yatsenyuk and Oleg Tyagnibok, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Polish colleague Radoslaw Sikorski have “every chance to lead to a compromise that will settle the situation in Ukraine”, Anna German said.

Negotiators in Ukraine have agreed to initial the agreement to settle the crisis, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s press office reported later.

 

Parliament convenes to return 2004 Constitution

The Ukrainian parliament convened on Friday to discuss a restoration of the Constitution of 2004, which limits presidential power and gives more rights to parliament, as well as the possibility of creating an interim government in the country. The session is attended by 360 deputies from opposition factions, the ruling Party of Region and non-affiliated parliamentarians.

Meanwhile, the Party of Regions is ready to vote for decisions, “which would lessen civil confrontation”, parliamentarian Yaroslav Sukhiy said.

“There is no need to discuss personal matters. We’ll discuss them when we solve the major problem: it is necessary to stop confrontation and return to the 2004 Constitution,” he said.

The opposition has proposed to adopt a law for protesters and ex-prime minister Yulia Timoshenko not to be prosecuted.

"We must vote today not for an amnesty law, but for non-prosecution (of protesters). We insist on release of Yulia Timoshenko," the leader of the Batkivshchyna party's members in the parliament, Arseny Yatsenyuk, said from the parliament rostrum.

The parliament meeting resumed on Friday after a brawl among deputies.