KIEV, April 11 ??“ Ukraine??™s leading political figures on Wednesday discussed plans with compromises that could ease sharp political confrontation indicating the parties have been searching for the way out crisis.

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said Wednesday he had submitted to President Viktor Yushchenko a plan to settle the crisis. The development comes after Yushchenko has submitted his own 15-step plan to Yanukovych a day earlier.

Although positions of both leaders were apparently still very different, the fact that the plans have been exchanged shows the president and the prime minister have been trying to avoid a major deterioration.

Yanukovych apparently suggested that Yushchenko would have to suspend his April 2 decree that had dismissed Parliament until the Constitutional Court??™s ruling, which is expected on April 17. This is a change in the prime minister??™s position that has been so far demanding the decree to be canceled, not suspended.

At the same time, Yushchenko indicated that he may suspend the decree to allow political parties more time to prepare for the early election, which had been originally scheduled on May 27. This is a change in the president??™s position after he had earlier said the decree was ???irreversible.???

Vitaliy Hayduk, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the top security body that advises the president, said Yushchenko may suspend the decree if political groups strike a deal on the early election.

???Things could be different as a result of political agreements among all groups that they agree to take part in the election,??? Hayduk said. ???Then the president doesn??™t rule out suspending the decree. Not canceling, but suspending.???

Yanukovych??™s Regions Party and its allies, the Socialist Party and Communist Party, refused to participate at the election, while Yushchenko??™s Our Ukraine and the group led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have been preparing to run.

Yushchenko said on Tuesday that he was ready to consider a new date for the early election amid signs that the government??™s sabotage has been making the election on May 27 increasingly unlikely.

Defying Yushchenko??™s order, the government has refused to start disbursing a total of 340 million hryvnias in financing that is required for the new election.

Also, four members of the Central Election Commission have suddenly fallen ill, making it impossible to hold the session at the committee due to the lack of quorum.

Meanwhile, the government has apparently started to massively spend the money from the special reserve account, the account that had been supposed to be used to finance the election.

???Today, the government approved seven decisions to spend the money from the reserve account creating conditions that there would be not enough money on the account,??? Hayduk said. (tl/ez)