Kiev Wants to Abandon Minsk Peace Agreements: DPR Envoy
18:05 10.12.2014(updated 19:30 10.12.2014)
According to the envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in peace talks, Kiev has already violated the main provisions of the Minsk peace plan by abolishing the law on special status of Donbas, by refusing to pass a law on amnesty and by continuing to shell peaceful cities in eastern Ukraine.
DONETSK, December 10 (Sputnik) – Recent statements by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma confirm Kiev's desire to abandon the Minsk agreements, Denis Pushilin, the envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in Minsk peace talks said on Wednesday.
Kuchma said earlier on Wednesday that he saw no benefit in holding an urgent meeting of the Contact Group on the Ukrainian crisis until full ceasefire is in force.
'The statement by Kuchma about inexpediency of the Minsk talks once again demonstrates Kiev's intent to withdraw from the Minsk agreements,' Pushilin told reporters.
According to the DPR official, Kiev has already violated the main provisions of the Minsk peace plan by abolishing the law which granted Donbas special status by refusing to pass a law on an amnesty, and by continuing to shell peaceful cities in eastern Ukraine.
A law on self-administration in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions was passed by the Ukrainian parliament after the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Kiev and eastern Ukraine's independence supporters in September.
However, after the two regions held general and parliamentary elections, condemned by Kiev as illegal, a bill abolishing their "special status" was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament.
'The Kiev authorities seem to consider the September 5 protocol as a burden, and [President Petro] Poroshenko wants to get rid of it in order to return to forceful reintegration of Donbas through economic and military pressure,' Pushilin said.
'Kiev wants to use cold, hunger and blood to force us to surrender…but they will fail,' the DPR official said, highlighting that the self-proclaimed republic wants a peaceful resolution of the conflict and an immediate resumption of the Minsk process.
Residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine established people's republics after a February coup in Kiev. The Ukrainian conflict escalated in April when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters.
On September 5, the sides agreed on a ceasefire during a meeting of the trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk. A memorandum specifying the implementation of the ceasefire was signed at another meeting of the group held on September 19. Both sides have subsequently accused each other of violating the truce.
© Sputnik
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
