KIEV, April 6 - Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz Thursday jointly stepped up pressure on President Viktor Yushchenko seeking his acceptance of Tymoshenko as the next head of the government.

Tymoshenko and Moroz also attacked Our Ukraine, Yushchenko??™s party, for alleged delays with creation of a trilateral coalition and threatened to quit the talks and to go in opposition.

The development may deal a blow to the talks between the Tymoshenko group, the Socialist Party and Our Ukraine aimed at forming the next the government following the March 26 election.

???We hope to hear an answer as soon as possible,??? Tymoshenko said at a press conference. ???If we lose time and configuration that has been given by God to the people, including to the president, the situation may change through unforeseeable consequences and events.???

Tymoshenko, who showed up at the press conference jointly with Moroz, urged Our Ukraine to sign a memorandum that opens way for Tymoshenko to get the post of the prime minister in the future government.

Instead, Our Ukraine has been suggesting drafting a roadmap of key policy decisions that the future coalition will have to agree to before entering into talks on who exactly will lead the government.

Tymoshenko??™s party Wednesday has already given Our Ukraine one week to decide on the coalition, but the fact that the Socialist Party has joined the pressure shows Our Ukraine has been losing ground.

Our Ukraine, at a meeting late Wednesday, approved a decision to create the coalition with the Tymoshenko group and the Socialist Party, but has so far refused to sign the memorandum, which opens way for Tymoshenko to be nominated as the prime minister.

Yushchenko, in his first public appearance after the March 26 election, welcomed Our Ukraine??™s decision to create the coalition with the Tymoshenko group and the Socialists, but warned such coalition may be unstable.

???This is the beginning of the talks. It is not a big mystery that we have been trying to create the Orange coalition,??? Yushchenko said Thursday. ???But on the other hand, we have to be honest and admit that eight months ago there was such a coalition. It broke up and lessons had been learned.???

Yushchenko was forced to fire Tymoshenko from the post of the prime minister in September 2005 amid mutual corruption allegations between Tymoshenko and some of Yushchenko??™s allies.

Meanwhile, Yushchenko has been apparently seeking to form a broader coalition that would also include the Regions Party, which collected most of votes at the election.

???I wouldn??™t like the country to face a choice of de-facto split. This would be short-sighted policy that Ukraine doesn??™t need,??? Yushchenko said.

???A new democratic coalition must be formed,??? Yushchenko said. ???Today we have to direct our efforts so that the country gets Parliament and majority within a period defined by the legislation. This is the goal number one.???

But Tymoshenko flatly rejected the idea of a broader coalition that would include the Regions Party as she automatically loses the job as the prime minister.

???There must be no blood mix here,??? Tymoshenko said. ???If the Socialist Party??™s position is the same, I would be very happy together with Moroz and with the Socialist Party to work in the opposition.??? (tl/ez)