KIEV, Oct. 17 - President Viktor Yanukovych, asked by European Union envoys to pardon jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko on humanitarian grounds, on Thursday suggested a new plan that calls for Parliament to approve special legislation.

Yanukovych said Parliament would have to approve a bill allowing her release from prison and subsequent medical treatment in Germany. He promised to quickly sign the bill into law.

"Naturally, if Parliament approves this bill, I will sign it," Yanukovych said, while touring the Donetsk region, his political stronghold.

The EU warned Yanukovych earlier this month that he would have to free Tymoshenko to be sure of sealing agreements on association and free trade next month.

European commissioner Stefan Fuele said Ukraine would have to demonstrate "distinct movement" in solving the Tymoshenko issue and show progress on other reforms to be sure of EU support for the deals.

The EU condemns Tymoshenko's jailing on abuse of power charges as politically motivated and has been pressuring Yanukovych to release her.

The Yanukovych government has committed itself to signing the agreements with the EU, in the face of hostility from Russia, at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on November 28-29.

But Yanukovych has refused to publicly give any firm answer to requests from Western leaders and EU envoys for him to pardon Tymoshenko.

The latest proposal that calls for a Parliamentary vote prove to be more difficult as majority of the ruling Regions Party do not support such move.

Yanukovych’s plan appears to be referring to a bill proposed by a member of his Party of Regions, which stops short of pardoning Tymoshenko.

Under that bill, Tymoshenko could be returned to prison in Ukraine after her treatment in a Berlin clinic is over and would not be able to run in the 2015 presidential election.

Tymoshenko's allies have said any attempt to send her to Germany in handcuffs without a pardon would be unacceptable.

Serhiy Sobolev, a parliament member from Tymoshenko's party, said Yanukovych's statement was an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility. Sobolev insisted that all attempts to resolve this case by passing new laws have already been made and that it was up to Yanukovych to pardon her.

"We have already exhausted all legislative possibilities and basically all that Yanukovych can do today is to sign a law pardoning her or sign an amnesty decree," Sobolev was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency. (tl/ap/ez)