UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO CONFRONTED HIS ESTRANGED ALLY, EX-PRIME MINISTER YULIA TYMOSHENKO, ON TUESDAY ON STALLED TALKS TO FORM A COALITION GOVERNMENT, SAYING HE WOULD ACCEPT NEITHER BLACKMAIL NOR ULTIMATUMS, REUTERS REPORTED. TYMOSHENKO, BOLSTERED BY HER BLOC'S STRONG SHOWING IN LAST MONTH'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION, HAD EARLIER DEMANDED DIRECT TALKS WITH YUSHCHENKO. SHE ACCUSED HIS ALLIES OF STALLING. YUSHCHENKO AND TYMOSHENKO, COMRADES DURING 2004 "ORANGE REVOLUTION" PROTESTS, HAVE BEEN AT ODDS SINCE TYMOSHENKO WAS FIRED AS PRIME MINISTER LESS THAN EIGHT MONTHS INTO HER MANDATE. SHE HAS BEEN PRESSING FOR HER JOB BACK AT THE HEAD OF A RESTORED "ORANGE" COALITION. ANALYSTS SAY TALKS ARE BLOCKED LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE PRESIDENT'S ANTAGONISM TOWARDS HER. YUSHCHENKO, FRUSTRATED AT THE MEAGRE RESULTS OF THREE WEEKS OF TALKS, SAID A "ROUND TABLE" SHOULD SETTLE THE ISSUE. "THE PRESIDENT IS CONCERNED THAT POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE COALITION ARE DELAYING WORK ON ITS PROGRAMME AND INSTEAD WASTE TIME AND ENERGY ON MUTUAL ACCUSATIONS AND SETTLING SCORES IN THE MEDIA," HIS PRESS SERVICE SAID IN A STATEMENT. --MORE 2352 Local Time 2052 GMT
