Ukrainian blames regime for poisoning

KIEV, Ukraine - Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko starkly accused the government Thursday of poisoning him in a "political murder" to knock him out of the presidential race, saying his huge dioxin dose probably came from a dinner three months ago with Ukraine's security chief.

Also Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said that he would not accept a victory by his opponent in the Dec. 26 rerun of Ukraine's contested presidential race and that his supporters were likely to turn out onto the streets en masse to block such an outcome.

Yanukovych told the Washington Post that he might be unable to control supporters, who are already mobilizing to launch a campaign of street protests in the capital against a win by Yushchenko.

"Even if Mr. Yushchenko wins, he will never be a president of Ukraine," Yanukovych said in a 45-minute interview at his campaign headquarters in Kiev. "The people who voted for me, they will never recognize him. They are talking about it even now."

In an interview with the Associated Press, Yushchenko laid the blame for his poisoning unequivocally on the government of Yanukovych and President Leonid Kuchma.

For the first time, he also pinpointed the time and place the poisoning likely took place: a Sept. 5 dinner with the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, Ihor Smeshko, and his deputy, Volodymyr Satsyuk.

"That was the only place where no one from my team was present and no precautions were taken concerning the food," Yushchenko told the AP. "It was a project of political murder, prepared by the authorities."

Yevhen Chervonenko, a lawmaker and the head of Yushchenko's security detail, told the AP on Thursday that he had tasted all Yushchenko's food that day except for what was served at the security service deputy's dacha.

The two top security service leaders were unavailable for reaction to Yushchenko's allegations, and a security service spokesman declined to comment.

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