Ukraine presidents to discuss crisis - PHOTO

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is expected to hold talks with three former presidents over the political crisis which began when Ukraine decided not to sign an EU free-trade deal, BBC reported.The talks come as protesters remain encamped in a central square in the capital Kiev. On Monday, security forces cleared some activists from government buildings.The stand-off follows weeks of unrest.EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will also be in Kiev.Baroness Ashton will hold talks with government officials, opposition activists and civil society groups "to support a way out of the political crisis", her office said in a statement.The European Commission says the EU's offer of an association agreement with Ukraine remains on the table, provided Ukraine meets the conditions - and they cannot be renegotiated.Parallels with 2004The president's press service said on Monday that Mr Yanukovych would support an initiative described as a "nationwide roundtable" to try to defuse the crisis.He will meet his three predecessors Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko.Mr Yushchenko was Mr Yanukovych's pro-Western opponent in the 2004 presidential election, and eventually came to power on the back of the Orange Revolution.The current crisis has invited parallels with 2004, with the biggest street protests seen since that time.Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Sunday, but on Monday police began clearing some protesters from outside government buildings.Police were seen forcing protesters out of two streets where, according to the Interior Ministry, they were blocking access to administrative buildings.Some barricades and tents were also removed at at least two sites.Meanwhile, the opposition Fatherland party's headquarters was raided by security forces and computer servers were removed.Fatherland is the party led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was jailed in 2011 over a controversial gas contract with Russia. Protesters are demanding her release.Opposition leaders have been urging supporters to defend Independence Square, the main protest site. Activists were seen building up barricades late into the night.The protesters have given Mr Yanukovych until Tuesday to dismiss the government and are demanding new elections for the presidency and government.They have condemned Mr Yanukovych for refusing to sign an association agreement with the EU last month. He said he shelved it because it would put trade with Russia at risk.But unrest has grown since police used violence against protesters at some of the earlier demonstrations.Many of the protesters suspect Russia's President Vladimir Putin of trying to model a new Russian-led customs union on the Soviet Union. So far, only Belarus and Kazakhstan have joined it.ANN.Az