East Ukraine snubs Kiev's law for limited self-rule
Iran Press TV
Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:37PM GMT
An official of Ukraine's eastern pro-Russia regions has snubbed a new law passed by Kiev, which grants three years of limited self-rule to these regions.
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Andrei Purgin said the eastern regions were no longer part of Ukraine.
'Complete self-rule will be introduced in Donbass (the Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts of Ukraine). This territory no longer has anything to do with Ukraine,' Purgin added.
However, Purgin said Donetsk was willing to study the law and even hold talks with Kiev over some of its provisions, adding, 'At present, we think the optimal model is a transitional one that preserves economic ties with Ukraine while moving in the direction of Russia.'
Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) Alexei Karyakin also said the process would be reviewed.
"After this is done, we will analyze it and then answer whether we agree to it or not," Karyakin said.
This comes after 277 out of the total 450 lawmakers in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada parliament voted in favor of the special status of Donbass.
Under the law, Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, where fighters have been battling for independence for five months, will be given a three-year limited self-rule.
Amnesty will be also granted to fighters on all sides of the conflict.
Local elections are also scheduled to be held in certain districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on December 7.
Since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians in mid-April, Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russians and the Ukrainian army. More than 2,700 people have been killed in the conflict.
SZH/HMV/SS
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