Roman Bessmertnyi (L), representing President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party, Bloc Tymoshenko's leader Yulia Tymoshenko (C) and Socialist Party leader Alexandr Moroz sign an agreement in Kiev, Ukraine, April 13, 2006. Leaders from the three parties dubbed "orange" signed a preliminary deal on Thursday to form a new coalition government. (Xinhua Photo)

    KIEV, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's Our Ukraine party clinched a preliminary deal on Thursday with the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc and the Socialist party to form a new coalition government.

    The agreement was signed by Yulia Tymoshenko, Socialist party leader Oleksander Moroz and Roman Bezsmertny, representing President Viktor Yushchenko in the parliament building.

    After the signing ceremony, Tymoshenko told reporters that the Socialist party had desired the accord for a long time. The document would pave the way for a final deal, the establishment ofthe coalition government and for work to begin on a government program.

    Bezsmertny said the three parties now formed a majority in the parliament and would consult over Ukrainian's policies and the new government's working program.

    Ukraine held parliamentary elections on March 26. Although five parties won seats in the 450-member parliament, none of them held an outright majority, making a coalition government inevitable. Enditem