Ukraine ruling party demands cabinet reshuffle

KIEV: Ukraine´s ruling party on Monday demanded a sweeping cabinet reshuffle, as political leaders seek to defuse the country´s biggest political crisis in a decade.

"We have put forward a demand before Azarov to reformat the government by 90 percent," Anna German, a lawmaker with President Viktor Yanukovych´s Regions Party, told reporters after talks with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

"Azarov said that he will today let the position of the faction be known to the president and conclusions will certainly be made," she told reporters after the closed-door meeting attended by the entire cabinet.

German, a former Yanunovych aide, said the resignation of Azarov was not discussed.

Yanukovych´s decision to scrap key political and free trade agreements with the EU last month and the subsequent use of police force against protesters plunged the country into its deepest political crisis in a decade.

The announcement comes after the first direct talks between Yanukovych and the opposition collapsed on Friday.

Yanukovych offered a number of concessions including an amnesty for arrested protesters and dismissal of key officials over police violence. But the opposition said the measures were not enough and demanded the resignation of Azarov and early parliamentary and presidential elections.

The protest movement, now in its fourth week, is planning a major rally on Tuesday, the same day that Yanukovych is set to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on a strategic partnership treaty.