Political groups behind Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" have said they have reached agreement on a coalition government after nearly three months of talks and pledged to iron out the details quickly.
An agreement, if signed in the next few days, could consolidate the pro-Western policies championed by President Viktor Yushchenko since weeks of mass upheaval against election fraud in 2004 helped propel him to office.
Former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Parties which stood behind Yushchenko, committed to nudging Ukraine towards European Union and NATO membership, have been at odds for nearly a year since he dismissed fiery Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She now stands to get her job back.
"Last night, three political forces completed work on a text for a coalition agreement," Roman Bezsmertny of Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party told parliament - referring to Our Ukraine, Tymoshenko's bloc and the smaller Socialist Party.
Tymoshenko, sacked after a turbulent eight months as premier, said only "technical formalities" had to be resolved.
"I am certain that we will complete these formalities quickly and will soon be able to announce the formation of a democratic coalition," she told the chamber.
"No one can now hinder the creation of a coalition of democratic forces ... The main basis we have set down is moving Ukraine into the European mainstream."
Anatoly Seminoga, a senior member of Tymoshenko's bloc, said agreement had been reached to reinstate Tymoshenko as prime minister - as head of the assembly's largest "orange" group. Our Ukraine, he said, had been assigned the job of parliamentary speaker and would put forward a candidate