KIEV, April 11 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko on Tuesday met leaders of five political groups that had won seats in Parliament in what is likely to become an important tool of Ukraine??™s future policy making.

The meeting shows Yushchenko has been seeking to incorporate all parties, including opposition parties, in future discussions over key policy initiatives and challenges that Ukraine is to face.

Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz and Communist Party deputy leader Adam Martyniuk joined the meeting with Yushchenko.

???The president believes the meeting has become a prototype of the Political Council that will work actively and dynamically in the future,??? Yushchenko??™s spokeswoman said after the meeting.

The plans to establish the Political Council, the body that will include all five groups, demonstrates Yushchenko??™s attempts to unify the country that has been split by elections over the past two years.

It also suggests that Yushchenko has been willing to listen and perhaps to cut tactical deals with opposition parties to ensure that they don??™t oppose Ukraine??™s strategic pro-Western course.

???The president stressed that today, after the election is over, it is extremely important first of all to unite around national interests of Ukraine no matter whether a party is in the ruling coalition or in opposition,??? the spokeswoman said. ???He emphasized the opposition will unconditionally be respected in Ukraine.???

Yushchenko first introduced the Council in October 2005 as a tool to reach out to the Regions Party, an opposition group, for support after his major political split with Tymoshenko one month earlier.

It was the first time the president had created a body in order to regularly meet all political leaders, including opposition leaders, as a way of ensure support for his policy.

Yushchenko??™s predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, who ruled the country between 1994 through 2004, has been usually putting pressure on lawmakers and using other methods to try to secure their support for his initiatives.

The likely policy initiatives to be discussed at the Council may include such issues as Ukraine??™s accessing the World Trade Organization, joining NATO, integrating with the European Union and cutting dependence on Russia in energy supplies.

The meeting came day after the Central Election Committee announced official general election results, suggesting that five groups will end up in the next Parliament.

Yanukovych??™s Regions Party collected 32.14%, followed by Tymoshenko group??™s 22.29%, Yushchenko??™s Our Ukraine 13.95%, the Socialist Party??™s 5.69% and the Communist Party??™s 3.66%.

The Regions Party will control 186 seats in 450-seat Parliament, followed by Tymoshenko??™s 129 seats, Our Ukraine??™s 81 seats, Socialists??™ 33 seats and Communists??™ 21 seats, the committee said.

Our Ukraine, the Tymoshenko bloc and the Socialist Party that will control a total of 243 seats in Parliament have been making progress over creating the ruling coalition, people familiar with the situation said. (tl/ez)