Ukraine opposition rejects amnesty bill

Ukrainian anti-government protesters on Thursday shunned an amnesty bill that would free activists, the latest in a string of concessions offered by President Viktor Yanukovich that have all fallen flat.

The offer, which hinged on the precondition that protestors leave government buildings they have been occupying, was quickly greeted with contempt by the opposition and protesters said the moves were insufficient.

"We will seize new buildings if the authorities don't really change the situation in the country," said 30-year-old Artem Sharai, demonstrating on Kiev's central Independence Square.

Protesters are demanding Yanukovich's resignation, early elections and the firing of authorities responsible for violent police dispersals of demonstrators.

"Instead of lowering the temperature in society this is going to raise it" said Vitali Klitschko, leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party (UDAR).

Freedom party leader Oleg Tyagnybok also criticized the decision, saying parliament had essentially adopted a law about "hostages" as dozens arrested during the crisis would be held until buildings are vacated.

"The authorities have now admitted they take hostages like terrorists do, so that they can then barter over them," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Tyagnybok as saying.

In a move likely to further complicate Ukraine's situation, Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would wait until a new Ukrainian government is formed before it considers releasing a crucial $15 billion bailout package to Kiev in full.

Analysts said the Kremlin may recoil on the deal if Ukrainians elect an anti-Russian government and warned that the European Union might have to bailout Ukraine.

“Neither Russia or Europe should influence what is happening in Ukraine, because it is the business of Ukrainian people how to live on,” anti-government activist Nikolai told Al Jazeera's Tamila Varshalomidze in Kiev, refusing to give his surname.

But he added that because of historical ties with Russia, it "should help Ukraine come out of this situation with head held high.”

Amid floundering efforts to appease opposition protestors, Ukraine's government announced on Thursday that Yanukovich has gone on sick leave due to an acute respiratory illness and high fever.

"Today is the first day of the illness. He has a high temperature. We are not doctors, but it is clear that a high temperature does not go down in a single day," a presidential spokesman said by telephone. "The doctors will do all they can so that he can recover quickly."

Some opposition figures said they suspected Yanukovich might be simply giving himself breathing space after being forced into concessions to try to calm the unrest on the streets.

"This smacks of a 'diplomatic illness'," Rostislav Pavlenko, a member of the Udar (Punch) party, told Reuters. "It allows Yanukovich not to sign laws, not to meet the opposition, absent himself from decisions to solve the political crisis."

Dozens of activists have been arrested since clashes broke out on Jan. 19 and protesters stormed regional administration buildings in Kiev and the provinces.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his entire government resigned on Tuesday, following weeks of demonstrations that began when Yanukovich pulled out of an EU trade deal in favor of fostering closer ties with Moscow in November 2013.

Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's first post-independence president, on Wednesday warned that the country was "on the brink of civil war."

The president is "firmly intent" on holding onto power, and will likely use force or illegal steps to counter popular protests, U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper said.

Three activists were shot dead last week when clashes broke out between police and protesters in Kiev, but tensions have calmed somewhat since negotiations began between the government and opposition.

Al Jazeera and wire services