Kiev, Ukraine ? This bitterly divided nation increasingly appeared headed toward a rerun of a disputed presidential election after President Leonid D. Kuchma met Friday with European and Russian envoys and rival presidential contenders to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

All sides “stand against any use of force that may lead to escalation of the conflict and bloodshed,” Kuchma said after 2 1/2 hours of talks at the Mariinsky presidential palace. Kuchma did not detail a possible peaceful way out. But an extended legal battle in the courts or a repeat election appeared to be the major options, and one of the contenders, pro-Western opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, swiftly proposed a Dec. 12 revote.

Ukrainian people dance in front of riot police who guard the Ukrainian presidential administration building in Kiev. Ukrainian opposition supporters encircled government buildings on Friday, and standing five deep, they linked arms and blockaded the Cabinet building where government presidential candidate Yanukovych works and refused to let staff enter.

Kuchma, who did not seek re-election after 10 years in power, spoke in a joint appearance with the foreign mediators and the two presidential candidates, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych — the winner, according to the disputed official count — and Yushchenko. Parties to the talks had set up a working group that would search for a formula on how to settle the bitter standoff, the president said.

“I would like to express my hope that we will find with dignity a peaceful solution of this political crisis, because it may lead to unexpected consequences and wrongdoings that will not benefit the whole country and the people of Ukraine,” Kuchma said, flanked by Yushchenko and Yanukovych, who has Moscow’s strong backing.

Kuchma took no questions. None of the other participants — who included European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski — spoke during the joint appearance.

The day’s developments added to Yushchenko’s momentum in seeking to block Yanukovych from taking office based on Sunday’s election, which not only the challenger’s camp but also the United States and Western European governments have rejected as too flawed to be considered legitimate.

Yushchenko smiled broadly as he greeted supporters outside the palace after the mediation session, while Yanukovych looked disgruntled.

Yushchenko, left, and Yanukovych

Later Friday evening, Yushchenko appeared before tens of thousands of festive supporters massed in and around central Kiev’s Independence Square. He announced that his demand in the negotiations was to hold a repeat election Dec. 12 under conditions designed to ensure fairness.

Yushchenko demanded that any repeat election be organized by a new Central Election Commission composed of equal numbers of members from the two sides, and that balloting be conducted “under the firm and full control” of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also demanded that absentee balloting not be allowed, that employers and schools not pressure workers and students, and that the candidates have equal access to media.