KIEV, June 15 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Monday that the constitutional amendments she discussed with opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych had been doctored by undisclosed people to add controversial content before being leaked to the media.

Tymoshenko responded to criticism that the amendments, leaked to the media 10 days ago, had contained controversial clauses restricting elections, liberties and the freedom of speech.

She has been trying to contain political damage after Yanukovych had unexpectedly quit the talks 8 days ago, exposing her secret talks with the opposition leader apparently seeking to split the power for 20 years.

“This [draft] constitution was leaked to various websites with that clause that journalists didn’t like added and with clauses added that the president must be elected in Parliament and parliamentary authority to be extended,” Tymoshenko said in an interview with ICTV. “Dirty techniques are working round the clock.”

“This was done to make sure that this constitution had never been born,” Tymoshenko said. “I am very sorry that this colossal labor that had been made was left outside of attention.”

Tymoshenko has been trying to separate herself from the politically damaging amendments ahead of the next presidential election as she had declared her intention to run.

But her attempts to deny the amendments had ever contained the controversial clauses look awkward after at least two other members of the talks had confirmed the issues had been discussed and approved.

The development raises the issue of credibility to the main political figures ahead of the upcoming election.

In an apparent attempt to position herself before the election, Tymoshenko has linked two of her main political rivals - former Parliamentary Speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk and President Viktor Yushchenko – with Yanukovych.

Yatseniuk, currently the No. 3 most popular politician, is seen as capable of increasing political rating ahead of the election to be able to enter a runoff with Yanukovych.

But Tymoshenko sought to portray herself as the only alternative to Yanukovych, and suggested that other candidates, Yushchenko and Yatseniuk, will seek to make sure that she loses.

“Yushchenko is a candidate that will assist Yatseniuk. His task is to kill me from morning till night. In style, publicly at an invitation of the media,” Tymoshenko said. “Yatseniuk is a candidate that will assist Yanukovych. His job is to get from me whatever [support] I have in central and western Ukraine.”

“Yanukovych is the one who will be really challenging me,” Tymoshenko said. (tl/ez)