KIEV, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Ukraine's two presidential rivals on Wednesday resumed talks to break the standoff triggered by the Nov.21 presidential run-off.

    The pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and his West-leaning rival Viktor Yushchenko sat down for talks at the presidential palace in the presence of European mediators and outgoing President Leonid Kuchma.

    The move came after Ukraine's parliament, the Supreme Council, passed a motion of no confidence in Yanukovich's government, forcing President Kuchma to dismiss Yanukovich and appoint a caretaker government.

    European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski were holding talks on Wednesday with the two camps to help mediate in the election standoff.

    The opposition camp said on Tuesday that it had broken off talks with the government since Nov. 21, when the polls handed victory to Yanukovich and sparked opposition accusations of vote rigging.

    Yanukovich's inauguration as president cannot proceed until theSupreme Court rules on an opposition demand that the election results should be invalidated. Enditem