Maidan Community Sector, Lviv: Dear friends,

it has been three months since the confrontation of the President Viktor Yanukovych with the people of Ukraine began. Yesterday the conflict took on a threatening form. Current situation may result in a civil war. Thus we take it upon ourselves to inform you about the events in Ukraine. We will provide you with yet another viewpoint regarding this conflict. We will do our best to remain fair and objective.

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv

February 21 – The three Opposition leaders and President Yanukovych signed a deal to resolve the political crisis.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Eric Fournier, Director at the Continental Europe Department of the French Foreign Ministry witnessed the signing.

1. 48 hours after the deal was signed a special law returning to the 2004 Ukrainian Constitution was passed, signed, and published. A new parliamentary coalition is to be formed, and within 10 days a national unity government.

2. The process of constitutional reform will begin immediately. Equal power will be shared by the president, government, and parliament. I September 2014 a new Constitution is to be adopted.

3. Presidential elections will be held immediately after the new Ukrainian Constitution is adopted, but no later than December 2014. A new elections law will be passed and a new Central Election Commission appointed.

4. The recent acts of violence will be investigated by a joint monitoring force composed of the government, opposition, and Council of Europe.

5. The government will not declare a state of emergency. The government and opposition shall refrain from use of force

February 21-22 – Opposition forces have taken complete control of Kyiv. The Maidan Self Defence Group is guarding main government institutions. Special forces are leaving Kyiv and returning to their permanent posts.

February 21 – at the evening meeting on the Maidan the people rejected the proposal to leave Viktor Yanukovych in power, which was a condition of the deal to resolve the political crisis signed by the three opposition leaders..

February 21 – Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka fled Ukraine.

February 22 – Parliamentery Speaker Volodymyr Rybak resigned.

February 21 – President Viktor Yanukovych, Parliamentary Speaker Rybak, and Head of the Presidential Administration Andrij Kluyev left Kyiv on a flight to Kharkiv. A congress of people’s deputies from the South and East of Ukraine is supposed to meet on February 22nd. There are worries that a plan to divide the country will be voted for at this meeting.

February 22nd – The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine is at work and beginning to take on full government authority in the country.

Oleksander Turchinov was elected the new speaker of Parliament.

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv

P.S. Please spread this appeal as much as possible.