EU criticism of Ukraine poll outcome pushing opposition to violence: Russia

MOSCOW, Nov 23 (AFP) - The Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday that European Union criticism of the Ukrainian presidential election was pushing the opposition in the former Soviet republic to violence.
"We are especially concerned that the European Union is, in effect, calling for a review of the election results," Interfax quoted a Russian foreign ministry statement as saying.
Moscow said such a call was "openly pushing the opposition toward illegal, violent actions."
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, whose country holds the EU presidency, told Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Tuesday that the European Union had "doubts" over the result that handed vctory to the pro-Moscow prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich.

11/23/2004 17:30 GMT - AFP