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Yushchenko suspects Ukraine poison plot

KIEV, Ukraine, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko is convinced government authorities were behind the poisoning attempt on his life, CNN reported Monday.

"If (the) General Prosecution of Ukraine will act according to the law, as I hope, Ukraine and the whole world will know who was in charge of it," he told the network from Kiev airport.

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The weakened 50-year-old leader returned to Kiev early Monday from Austria, where he underwent tests to confirm the nature of the poisoning.

Dr. Michael Zimpfer, who oversaw Yushchenko's treatment in Vienna said the diagnosis of dioxin poisoning indicated the concentration of dioxin in Yushchenko's body was "1,000 times above the normal levels" and he suspected "third-party involvement."

Yushchenko was taken to the Vienna hospital in September, when he first fell ill.

Yushchenko has previously accused Ukrainian authorities of trying to poison him in the run-up to the Nov. 21 presidential election.

Ukraine's Supreme Court voided the outcome after Yushchenko lost to Moscow-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, and a rerun of the contest is slated for Dec. 26.

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