Ukraine crisis: Yanukovych agrees to opposition demands

    
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to hold a presidential election before the end of the year, as part of a deal to end the crisis.

He said he had also agreed to a national unity government, and to make constitutional changes reducing the power of the president.

The compromise came after hours of talks with the opposition leaders.

The opposition has not spoken about the deal and it remains unclear whether protesters will back it.

Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV said it had seen a copy of the deal, and it had been signed by all parties.

According to the report, the deal contains three main pledges:

1. The 2004 constitution will be restored within 48 hours, and a national unity government will be formed within 10 days.

2. Constitutional reform balancing the powers of president, government and parliament will be started immediately and completed by September.

3. A presidential election will be held after the new constitution is adopted but no later than December 2014.

Protesters and police are still locked in a stand-off in Kiev, a day after dozens were killed in violent clashes.

Yanukovych announced that a deal had been made early on Friday, but more violence was reported hours later in central Kiev.

The police said they had traded gunfire with protesters, and Ukrainian media said riot police were patrolling inside parliament during a session.

Lawmakers once again began their session with scuffles, as the speaker tried to adjourn a debate concerning constitutional changes.

The protests first erupted in late November when President Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.

Thursday was the bloodiest day since the unrest began.

Police opened fire after protesters tried to push them away from the makeshift camps they have been occupying in central Kiev.

The health ministry said 77 people had been killed since Tuesday, and another 577 were injured.

But activists suggested the death toll was likely to be much higher.