EU's Ashton Condemns Force against 'Peaceful' Ukraine Protests
EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton on Wednesday condemned the use of force against pro-EU demonstrators in Kiev after police tried and failed to disperse them overnight.
"I am deeply concerned about last night's action taken by riot police," Ashton said on a visit to the Ukrainian capital.
"I have been very much impressed with the peaceful and courageous nature of the ongoing protests in support of European aspirations," she said in a statement.
"I condemn the use of force and violence -- which cannot be the answer to peaceful demonstrations -- and I call for utmost restraint."
Ashton's statement followed a similar condemnation by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland after she met President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev.
The crackdown on pro-EU protesters was "absolutely inadmissible," Nuland said, adding that she had had a "tough conversation but a realistic one" with Yanukovych.
"I made it absolutely clear to him that what happened last night was absolutely inadmissible in a democratic state. We believe there is still a way out for Ukraine to save Ukraine's European future."
Ukrainian security forces earlier Wednesday pulled out of Kiev's Independence Square, the center of mass protests demanding that the president still sign an EU association deal after he ditched it last month under Russian pressure.
The latest government move came as both Ashton, who was due meet Yanukovych again, and Nuland were in Kiev trying to find a way out of the crisis as opposition leaders called for even larger protests.
"I have come here to help ... 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," Ashton said.
"He also reiterated his wish to sign the Association Agreement. I discussed with him the urgent need to release those arrested, to ensure a prompt and fair investigation, and to bring those responsible for violence to justice," she said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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