KIEV, March 14 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych met on Wednesday to try to reconcile differences on foreign policy and to stop escalating political crisis in Ukraine.

The pro-government coalition led by Yanukovych may support Volodymyr Ohryzko, a pro-Western diplomat, as the country??™s next foreign minister, Yushchenko said after the meeting.

???The issue of the foreign minister has been settled,??? Yushchenko said after the meeting.

Yanukovych said that he will be meeting coalition members to garner support for Yushchenko??™s nomination to the foreign minister.

???We agreed that we will consider the presidential nomination and will seek support from groups,??? Yanukovych said. ???We will work with deputies to get the votes.???

The meeting between Yanukovych and Yushchenko comes as tensions have been escalating fast in Ukraine over the country??™s foreign policy and other issues.

Yanukovych, a pro-Russian figure, has been so far working hard to stop Ukraine??™s accession to NATO apparently in a bid to please Russia, the only supplier of natural gas to the country.

The meeting between Yushchenko and Yanukovych came amid mounting pressure on the government after two opposition groups, Our Ukraine and the bloc led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, walked out of the parliamentary sessions earlier this week.

The move has increased speculations that the president, which backs the alliance between Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko, has been considering an option of dismissing Parliament and calling new election.

The tensions between Yanukovych and Yushchenko have been rising fast over the past three months amid the government??™s drive to marginalize the post of the president following controversial amendments to the constitution enacted last year.

The amendments shifted many presidential powers, such as appointment and dismissal of ministers, to the prime minister-led coalition, allowing the president only to nominate the foreign and defense ministers. But the coalition has been so far refusing to back Yushchenko??™s nomination of Ohryzko, a pro-Western diplomat.

At the meeting, which was also joined by Parliamentary Speaker Oleksandr Moroz, the parties apparently agreed to join forces in creating a team that would draft amendments to the constitution that would stop the standoff.

???It was a useful meeting,??? Yushchenko said in an interview with state television late Wednesday. ???The president, the government and parliament declare one goal to achieve political stability in Ukraine.??? (nr/ez)