Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma made a "U" turn on Monday by proposing to hold complete new presidential elections.

"If you sincerely want to maintain peace and harmony in Ukraine,if you want to set up a democratic society by rule of law, let's hold a new election," Kuchma was quoted as saying by Ukrinform, Ukraine national news agency.

This is the sole legitimate solution to crack the deadlock under current situation, the president told a meeting in the suburb of Kiev, which was attended by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and senior leaders from pro-Yanukovich eastern Ukrainian Provinces.

Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko had demanded for holding another round of presidential elections on Dec. 12, while his rival Yanukovich had opposed to the idea.

Kuchma has remained silence on the re-election since the election crisis occurred last week.

Visiting Polish congress speaker Jozef Oleksy, who served as a mediator and met Kuchma, Yanukovich and Yushchenko on Monday, toldthe press that Yanukovich also agrees to the idea of organizing complete new presidential elections.

In the meantime, Yushchenko told Oleksy that he agreed to several options: complete re-elections, re-balloting for the second round of presidential elections or re-balloting at the provinces where frauds had occurred.

Eyes is now being casted on the Ukraine Central Elections Commission (CEC) for the Ukrainian laws stipulates that only the CEC has the power to decide on whether to re-organize elections ornot.

Earlier on Dec. 24, however, the CEC announced that Yanukovich won the elections, while the Supreme Court ordered on Dec. 25 to suspend the inauguration.

On Dec. 27, the Ukraine national congress passed a non-binding no-confidence resolution against the commission, a move angered CEC chairman Sergey Kivalov, who demanded evidences for mistakes his commission had committed.

In a relevant development, the Ukraine Supreme Court on Monday started the hearings on the appeal filed by the opposition camp, which claims frauds occurred at the second round of the 4th presidential election of Ukraine.

Representatives from both camps told the press that the hearings would last several weeks for it would take time to collect and testify the evidences for the case.

However, the hearings will turn into a job of no account if Kuchma's proposal is implemented and all obstacles hindering re-election eliminated.

As the election standoff dragged on into the 8th day, thousandsof supporters for the opposition camp still took to the streets indowntown Kiev, blocking the presidential and prime minister's office buildings.

Local television channels reported that thousands of supportersfor Yanukovich also held rallies in eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk.

Yanukovich said on Monday he had sent his family out of Kiev, accusing the opposition camp of taking "illegal" actions which hadmade him impossible to assume his duty normally as a prime minister.

Yushchenko told his supporters at the Independence Square that his camp had prepared a draft resolution demanding the downfall ofYanukovich's government, which will be table for adoption at an emergency session of the national congress, the Supreme Council, to be held on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, congress chairman Vladimir Litvin said there is the possibility to discuss the issue of dismissing Yanukovich's government at Tuesday's congress meeting.

Since issues of autonomy and changing of administrative borderswere raised by some eastern Ukrainian provinces on Sunday, UkraineDefense Minister Olexander Kuzmuk vowed on Monday to "safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine under any circumstances."

Territorial integrity and borders of Ukraine shall not be changed, said Kuzmuk at a meeting attended by generals and senior officers from the defense ministry and the general staff of the Ukraine armed force.

The minister urged the armed force to remain firm in the beliefthat the army is capable of maintaining the unity of the country

He also promised that it is absolutely not allowed to resort toforce against the participants of the protest demonstrations.