(28 Jan 2014) Thousands of pro-government supporters gathered outside Ukraine's Parliament on Tuesday as lawmakers attended an emergency session called by the country's embattled president, Viktor Yanukovych.
At that session, deputies voted in favour of revoking the harsh anti-protest laws that were imposed this month.
Outside Parliament, the president's supporters expressed cautious optimism about the way forward.
"We are all gathered here for our peaceful demonstration to support our president as we believe he makes wise decisions, he makes concessions, and we can still resolve this conflict peacefully," said one Yanukovych supporter from eastern Ukraine.
Another said they wanted "to avoid the split of the country, a civil war, because during a civil war there are no winners".
"We just need to sit down and talk," he added. "The opposition should make concessions, we should make concessions, maybe we will lose something but the country will win in the end."
While he and fellow demonstrators rallied in support of the president, inside Parliament lawmakers repealed the anti-protest laws that had set off violent clashes between protesters and police.
Along with the resignation of the prime minister, the move was a significant concession to the protesters who have occupied the capital's main square for two months and fought sporadically with police for the last 10 days.
Yet key issues remain unresolved in Ukraine's political crisis, including the opposition's repeated demands for Yanukovych to resign and a new election to be held.
The opposition also wants amnesty for scores of people arrested in the protests.
But Yanukovych said on Monday that such an amnesty is possible only if demonstrators agree to clear the streets and vacate the buildings they now occupy.
That condition could be unacceptable to a large segment of the demonstrators.
The parliament is to vote later on Tuesday on the amnesty measure for protesters.
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