KIEV, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - The speaker of the Ukrainian parliament said Sunday that the newly re-elected president of Belarus and the opposition should hold a roundtable to ease tensions after the disputed presidential elections in the republic.

Volodymyr Lytvyn, who cast his ballot in today's parliamentary elections in Ukraine, said President Lukashenko and the opposition leaders should hold a roundtable to show each other what they deem should be done to overcome the complex situation in the republic.

"Ukraine wants the situation in Belarus, its closest neighbor, to be calm. Now time has come to think about a second step," Lytvyn said.

According to the Ukrainian parliament speaker, Belarus should be drawn into a dialog as soon as possible and the prestige of the Belarusian authorities will only increase if they show their willingness for such a dialog.

At the same time, Lytvyn said it was necessary to respect the choice of the Belarusian people.

Yesterday, crowds clashed with riot police on October Square in Minsk to protest the re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.