KIEV, November 25 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Ukraine's Supreme Court on Thursday, November 25, stopped the publication of the official presidential election results until it has examined an appeal lodged by the opposition against them.

"Until we have finished examining the appeal, the results of the election cannot be published. Until we have reached a decision, the election result cannot be valid," spokeswoman Liana Shlyaposhnikova told Agence France Presse (AFP).

She said the supreme court would start to examine the appeal at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on Monday.

West-leaning opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has filed a lawsuit with the supreme court over the results of presidential elections that handed a disputed victory to the country's pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.

"Today we filed a complaint to the Supreme Court over the actions of the Central Electoral Commission," an official at Yushchenko's headquarters said.

Protests have flared up in Ukraine after Yushchenko declared himself president during an emergency parliament session on Tuesday, November 23.

The opposition leader accused the election commission of rigging Sunday's presidential vote in favor of his pro-Moscow rival.

Attempting to curb massive protests in the country, Yanukovich said he was ready to launch political dialogue with the opposition.

The Ukrainian opposition called for a general strike over the elections results.

"We have a strike committee and it is drawing up activities. We have said that activities must be carried out only on direct instructions. No orders have been issued yet," Yevhen Chervonenko, aide to Yushchenko, told Reuters Thursday.

The nationwide strike aims to shut factories, shops and schools and paralyze major transportation arteries in the country as several main roads have already been blocked with fallen trees and barricades, the Russian Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Teachers in the western opposition bastion city of Lviv went on strike as thousands of students boycotted classes to protest the election, according to AFP.

Former Polish president and Noble Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa has already flown into Ukraine to meet Yanukovich and mediate a growing political crisis.

But it is yet unclear how the two sides could resolve their dispute, which is taking on increasingly strong geopolitical overtones.

Former Polish president holds mediation talks with Ukrainian opposition leader

The Ukrainian elections crisis overshadowed Russia-EU summit in The Hague, putting the two sides at odds and brining back echoes of the Cold War standoff.

"I congratulated Viktor Yanukovich," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, describing the results as "absolutely clear."

Earlier before the summit started, Putin sent a congratulatory message to Yanukovich.

"The Ukrainian people have made their choice -- a choice in favor of stability, the strengthening of the state, further development of democratic and economic transformation."

The Russian president, however, said the Ukrainian elections crisis could be resolved by the courts.

"From my perspective, all issues should be addressed within the framework of the constitution and legislation. All claims should go to the courts. All of this should be addressed through dialogue."

However, the European Union refused to recognize the results of Sunday's run-off poll.

"The election did not meet the international standards. Therefore the EU is not able to accept the result," said Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, whose country holds the EU presidency.

OSCE observers in Ukraine have said that Sunday's presidential election fell short of European democratic standards and were demonstrated with mass irregularities.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday that Ukraine was at a "critical moment" and had to decide whether it was on the side of democracy, warning the Ukrainian government of "consequences" for the US-Ukraine relations.