KIEV, March 19 – President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had a surprise meeting in Brussels on Thursday as European politicians worked hard to make the quarreling Ukrainian leaders reconcile.

Both, Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, were invited to Brussels for the summit of the European People’s Party, a powerful political group uniting 72 member parties from 39 countries, including 12 EU and 6 non-EU heads of government.

Within the summit, Yushchenko, Tymoshenko and Wilfried Martens, the president of the EPP and a former Belgian prime minister, had a joint meeting to discuss the deepening political crisis in Ukraine.

The attempt to reconcile the Ukrainian leaders in Brussels is remarkable and shows that earlier attempts made by visiting European leaders in Kiev have failed.

The latest effort comes 10 months ahead of the next presidential election in Ukraine that will most likely define the country’s future foreign policy fir the next five years.

The split between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko is in focus as Ukraine struggles through its worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Some analysts said that should Ukraine default on debts this may trigger a chain reaction in Europe.

Yushchenko, speaking after the meeting with Tymoshenko and Martens, said the reconciliation was possible on backing the anti-crisis program developed jointly with the International Monetary Fund.

“The best consolidation is forming a single anti-crisis plan that would help to resume cooperation with the IMF,” Yushchenko said.

The IMF last month postponed $1.8 billion installment to Ukraine within $16.4 billion rescue lending package after Tymoshenko’s government had refused to implement the IMF’s recommendation, including cutting rampant budget deficit.

As an immediate result of the meeting in Brussels, Yushchenko and Tymoshenko agreed to resume weekly meetings in Kiev, along with the speaker of Parliament and the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, aimed at launching the anti-crisis program.

“I hope that upon arrival back home we will get together in this format,” Yushchenko said. Such meeting is expected to take place next week, perhaps on Thursday.

Separately, Tymoshenko also said she was ready to cooperate with the president.

“I am completely ready for the cooperation with the president, I was and I will be, in order to protect Ukraine from the crisis,” Tymoshenko said.

“The forst and absolutely concrete step, which is expected by all leaders that I and the president met today, is two bills that are part of the IMF program,” Tymoshenko said.

“These are the pension and excise tax laws that we have to approve within days,” Tymoshenko said. “If the president’s group votes for them, let’s think that the first step towards the cooperation is made and that will allow to return the IMF team to Ukraine.”

Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, allies at the Orange Revolution in late 2004, split markedly in 2005 on many issues, ranging from economic reforms, fiscal policy and privatization, to foreign policy issues, such as the accession to NATO.

Tymoshenko, as the prime minister in 2005, called for re-privatization of 3,000 companies in Ukraine, a move that had stunned foreign investors and sent domestic businessmen, such as Rinat Akhmetov, the wealthiest Ukrainian, fleeing the country.

Yushchenko strongly criticized the plan and later persuading Tymoshenko to sign declaration that denounces the idea of re-privatization.

Last year Tymoshenko has been refusing to liberalize natural gas prices in Ukraine, an extremely important reform, apparently amid fears of losing public support ahead of the presidential election.

Last year Tymoshenko also changed her position towards NATO and postponing the accession indefinitely. Instead, Tymoshenko has been increasing cooperation with Russia.

Last week, Tymoshenko’s lawmakers joined forces with pro-Russian opposition group, Regions Party, to dismiss Volodymyr Ohryzko, a pro-Western diplomat and an advocate for NATO accession, from the post of the foreign minister. (tl/ez)