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              Ashton: Ukraine 'Intends to Sign' Agreement with EU

   European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says Ukraine`s
   President Viktor Yanukovic "intends to sign" a trade and cooperation
   agreement with the EU that he rejected last month, setting off massive
   anti-government protests.
   Ashton spoke to reporters in Brussels Thursday, after holding talks
   with Mr. Yanukovich in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. She said it is
   clear that the short-term economic and financial issues Ukraine faces
   can be alleviated by signing the association agreement, bringing in
   fresh investment from EU nations.
   "Look, Yanukovych made it clear to me that he intends to sign the
   association agreement. What he talked about were the short-term
   economic issues that the country faces. And it is my view that those
   challenges, which are real, can be addressed by the support that not
   only comes from the European Union institutions, but actually by
   showing that he has a serious economic plan in signing the association
   agreement also will help to bring in the kind of investment that he
   needs."
   Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue, with demonstrators
   calling for closer ties with the European Union.
   After riot police converged on thousands of protesters in Kyiv`s
   Independence Square Wednesday, the United States denounced the police
   actions and said it is considering its response, including possible
   sanctions.
   Opposition leaders in Kyiv have rejected a call by President Yanukovych
   for talks aimed at ending the protests against his recent move to step
   back from the EU trade deal, in favor of boosting ties with Russia.
   Mr. Yanukovych issued an invitation late Wednesday for a national
   dialogue with religious, civic and opposition leaders, while urging
   protesters encamped in central Kyiv to avoid "confrontation and
   ultimatums."
   In rejecting the president`s call, opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk
   repeated demands that the president first release all prisoners
   detained since the protests began and that he and his government then
   resign.
   Yatsenyuk spoke hours after police retreated from a huge protest
   encampment in Kyiv`s Independence Square, after trying to dismantle a
   makeshift tent city erected by swarms of demonstrators
   In Kyiv Wednesday, Ukraine`s Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine
   is requesting $27.5 billion in financial assistance from the European
   Union before it will sign an association agreement with the 28-nation
   bloc.
   For its part, Russia is seeking to form a trade bloc of former Soviet
   republics and satellite countries to rival the European Union, and has
   in recent months exerted strong economic pressure on its impoverished
   neighbor to scuttle the EU deal.
   In Washington, The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
   spoke by telephone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Defense Minister
   Pavlo Lebedyev. He said Hagel called for calm and warned the Ukrainian
   minister against using the country`s armed forces against its civilian
   population.
   A Pentagon statement said Lebedyev told Hagel that the Kyiv government
   does not intend to deploy troops to quell the protests.
   SOUND BITE:
   Catherine Ashton: "Look, Yanukovych made it clear to me that he intends
   to sign the association agreement. What he talked about were the
   short-term economic issues that the country faces. And it is my view
   that those challenges, which are real, can be addressed by the support
   that not only comes from the European Union institutions, but actually
   by showing that he has a serious economic plan in signing the
   association agreement also will help to bring in the kind of investment
   that he needs." .
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/ashton-ukraine-intends-to-sign-agreem
   ent-with-eu/1808673.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/ashton-ukraine-intends-to-sign-agreement-with-eu/1808673.html