UKRAINE: Anti-government protesters welcome international support at Munich conference

Record ID: 214161

  • Title: UKRAINE: Anti-government protesters welcome international support at Munich conference
  • Date: 2nd February 2014
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) KIEV RESIDENT, VICTORIA, SAYING: "We were told that we are supported by the whole international community. They were told in Munich that the whole international community shares out hopes and supports us. That's why today's rally was a success."
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA32F4N7ZHB3NLOD9Q505CHPVEQ
  • Story Text: Ukrainian anti-government protesters attending a large rally in central Kiev on Sunday (February 2) said they welcomed the support of the international community after opposition leaders took to the stage to share with them the results of their meetings with Western politicians and diplomats at the annual Munich Security Conference.
    Boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, an ally of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as lawmaker Petro Poroshenko and pop star Ruslana Lyzhychko had just returned from Munich where they lobbied for support for the opposition.
    Western governments pressed Ukraine's president to compromise with protesters camped on the streets, prompting a war of words with Russia on Saturday (February 2) and offering treatment to an opposition activist who says he was tortured.
    The protesters in Kiev said the trusted the opposition leaders to represent their interests and said they took inspiration from the expressions of support for their cause by the international community.
    "They represent our interests in Strasbourg because we can't go there and they are transmitting our right idea. We trust them. The victory will be ours," said a protester from Lviv, Vasil.
    "People who were present at the rally today got a fresh impulse because we were hoping for international moral support and organisational support including judicial support and today after our leaders spoke we understood we have judicial support. The investigation of the crimes will be done together internationally and we have moral support. The international community understood we are fighters for our rights and the regime is the violator of rights," said protester Vladimir Timofeyev.
    "We were told that we are supported by the whole international community. They were told in Munich that the whole international community shares out hopes and supports us. That's why today's rally was a success," added Kiev resident Victoria, who attended the rally.
    The resignation in the past week of the prime minister and withdrawal of new laws curbing rights to protest have failed to appease demonstrators occupying public buildings and streets in Kiev and other cities who want Yanukovich out after he spurned a trade deal with the EU in November and sought Russian aid.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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