International mediators opened talks Wednesday with the two candidates in Ukraine's contested presidential election to try to find a solution to a week of deadlock over allegations of cheating. 

Mediators included European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. Also present was Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. Kuchma's spokeswoman said Russian mediator Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the lower house of parliament, would join the talks later.

Earlier, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich failed to appear at a meeting because he was ill, retiring President Kuchma said yesterday.

Before the meeting, Parliament also voted yesterday to sack the government of Yanukovich to help end a political crisis triggered by his contested election last month as president.

In parliament, 229 deputies, three more than required, voted in favor of sacking Yanukovich, who was denounced by opposition.

(China Daily December 2, 2004)