Ukraine PM offers resignation
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has offered his resignation to try to end the protests gripping cities across the country.
In a statement, he said the move was designed to create "social and political compromise", reports BBC News Jan 28.
Parliament is meanwhile holding an emergency debate on the crisis.
It plans to vote on repealing controversial anti-protest legislation, which President Viktor Yanukovych has already agreed to scrap.
In his resignation statement, PM Azarov said: "To create additional opportunities for social and political compromise and for a peaceful solution to the conflict, I made a personal decision to ask the president of Ukraine to accept my resignation as prime minister of Ukraine".
The government had "done everything to ensure the peaceful resolution of the conflict" and would do "everything possible to prevent bloodshed, an escalation of violence, and violation of citizen's rights", he said.
If the president signs the decree for the PM's resignation, then the whole cabinet resigns, says the BBC's David Stern in Kiev. But they can remain in their posts for 60 days until a new government is formed.
Opposition to the law has helped fuel deadly clashes between anti-government protesters and police.
The assembly is due to tackle other opposition demands, such as an amnesty for arrested activists.