Ukraine's president Leonid Kuchma(L) and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich attends a meeting in a town close to Kiev, Nov. 24, 2004. President Leonid Kuchma, accusing the opposition and their supporters of plotting a coup, on Wednesday called on all political parties to sit down and talk. (Xinhua/Reuters photo)

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, accusing the opposition and their supporters of plotting a coup, on Wednesday called on all political parties to sit down and talk.
In an address at the nationwide coordination meeting, Kuchma said the opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, was planning to " resort to force -- to stage a state coup" even before the end of the presidential election.
The illegal swearing-in of Yushchenko as Ukrainian president is part of the coup, said Kuchma, who expressed fear of a reoccurrence of "the civil war that happened in last century."
However, Kuchma said, the situation is still totally under control, and Ukraine will not bow down before any pressure, either from outside or inside, neither will the country allow the occurrence of violence.
Kuchma urged all sides to "immediately sit down at the negotiating table" and other nations "to abstain from meddling in Ukrainian affairs."
On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich the winner of the presidential election, saying Yanukovich has won 49.46 percent of the vote and Yushchenko gained 46.61 percent.
But Yushchenko refused to recognize the final result and called for a nationwide general strike.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands opposition supporters have been gathering in Kiev and western Ukrainian cities that are the bastion of Western-leaning Yushchenko since Sunday, pressing for installing the liberal challenger as president.
Yushchenko and western observers have said the poll was rigged.
The United States and the European Union (EU) said allegations of fraud had to be investigated and warned Ukraine not to use force against demonstrators. The US State Department also summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington over Moscow's early congratulations to Yanukovich.
The two candidates were very close in the first round on Oct. 31.