KIEV, June 3 – President Viktor Yushchenko spoke with Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday to dissuade him from an alliance with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko aimed at approving controversial amendments to the constitution.

Yanukovych, currently the most popular politician in Ukraine, has been apparently hesitating whether to accept the amendments, which call for election of the next president in Parliament, scrapping the popular vote.

Yushchenko expected that Tymoshenko and Yanukovych would announce the alliance on Tuesday, but the announcement had been postponed, underscoring the hesitation.

“I had a conversation with the leader of the Regions Party on Tuesday, and I understand his aspirations,” Yushchenko said in Luhansk on Wednesday. “But he will find understanding among the people only when he achieves his goal through constitutional means.”

The comment shows that Yushchenko believes that it is Tymoshenko, not Yanukovych, who has been the driving force behind the amendments that may reshape Ukraine’s political landscape for decades.

Yushchenko on Tuesday promised to “deploy all options” to stop the amendments, which had been already facing a growing criticism in Ukraine and in Europe.

Other amendments seeks to extend duties of current lawmakers by two years – through 2015 – scrapping general elections in the meantime, and introduce a two-party system by allowing only two most popular parties enter legislature, cutting off smaller groups. There are five parties in Parliament now.

Tymoshenko and Yanukovych have been holding secret talks over the amendments for more then a week, people familiar with the situation said.

Tymoshenko, who avoided public appearance for several days, on Wednesday said that she was seeking “political comfort” through consolidation of political groups in Parliament.

“Today we have first sprouts of hope for economic stabilization and that’s why I wanted you to continue to work as we had done in these hard conditions,” Tymoshenko told ministers at a government meeting. “But I would really want this work to take place in political comfort with political consolidation of all political groups in Parliament.”

These are the first comments from Tymoshenko on the issue since details of the secret talks had been leaked to the media five days ago.

Tymoshenko and Yanukovych kept silence on the talks, but some of their closest allies on Monday had launched an aggressive campaign in the media defending the amendments.

The talks, which may end up with an agreement allowing Tymoshenko and Yanukovych to split control over Ukraine for decades to come, sent shockwaves through the country.

A discontent has been growing even within the ranks of Tymoshenko’s own party whose lawmakers have been seeking – unsuccessfully - an urgent meeting with Tymoshenko on Tuesday demanding more information on the talks.

Yuriy Kostenko, the leader of the Ukrainian People’s Party, a member of the Tymoshenko-led coalition, on Wednesday said his party would quit the coalition if the amendments are submitted for approval.

“The amendments are an attempt to usurp power and are aimed at restricting the people’s sovereignty,” Kostenko said.

Arseniy Yatseniuk, a popular former speaker of Parliament who is expected to run for the presidency, warned he would lead the people’s protest if Tymoshenko and Yanukovych go ahead with the amendments.

“Nobody can take away the right of Ukrainians to elect the president and nobody can unilaterally postpone elections to local councils and Parliament,” Yatseniuk said. “This is junta, and junta will not come through.” (tl/ez)