By Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on Thursday called for an emergency session of parliament to end a political crisis that has sparked violent protests, in a sign he might be ready to soften his hard-line stance and strike a compromise with the opposition. Yanukovich was due to hold talks with opposition leaders, including heavyweight boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, and anti-government demonstrators in the capital agreed to a truce with police until 8 p.m., pending the outcome. Underlining the level of mistrust between the government and opposition, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov accused protesters of trying to stage a coup d’etat, and dismissed the possibility of an early presidential election to resolve the standoff. “All those who support this coup should say clearly, ‘Yes, we are for the overthrow of the legitimate authorities in Ukraine’, and not hide behind peaceful protesters,” Azarov said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-anti-government-protesters-call-brief-truce-talks-121653456.html

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