Ban Ki-moon 'gravely concerned' over Ukraine
Iran Press TV
Sat Mar 1, 2014 9:33PM GMT
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he is 'gravely concerned about the deterioration of the situation' in Ukraine.
Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said on Saturday that the UN chief has called for the immediate restoration of calm in Ukraine and will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone about the issue.
'He calls for an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialog between all concerned to solve the current crisis,' Nesirky said.
'The secretary general wants to speak to President Putin directly to express his concerns. But also to hear directly from President Putin his assessment of the situation,' the spokesman added.
According to Nesirky, Ban called 'for the full respect for, and preservation of, the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.'
On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council held a second emergency meeting in 24 hours on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.
The UNSC also held a 'private meeting' on Ukraine on Friday at the request of Ukraine's UN Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev, who wrote to Lithuanian Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaite. Lithuania held the council's rotating presidency in February 2014.
Meanwhile, the Russian parliament unanimously approved Putin's request to use armed forces to maintain stability in Ukraine's Crimea region.
'The Duma Council adopted an appeal to the president of Russia, in which parliamentarians are calling on the president to take measures to stabilize the situation in Crimea and use all available means to protect the people of Crimea from tyranny and violence,' Lower House Speaker Sergey Naryshkin said.
The developments came after Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksenov asked Putin to help restore peace and calm to the region.
MSM/NN
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