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NATO urges full OSCE access to east Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:37PM

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has called for the provision of full access to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in order to verify the arms withdrawal process in eastern Ukraine.

"We have seen some withdrawal but it is unclear what their destination is. It is important that this withdrawal of heavy weapons is verifiable,' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a briefing alongside NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe General Philip Breedlove on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg further demanded increased support for the OSCE to ensure its freedom of movement aimed at monitoring the implementation of a truce agreement in Ukraine's eastern areas.

Meanwhile, Breedlove stressed that the Western military alliance could not confirm any change in the number of troops and the amount of weaponry due to the difficulties of monitoring movements.

The remarks came one day after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said government troops and pro-Russia forces withdrew most of their heavy weapons from the frontline in accordance with the ceasefire deal.

Ukraine's warring sides reached a deal, dubbed Minsk II, at a summit attended by the leaders of Russia, France, and Germany in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on February 11 and 12. The agreement introduced measures such as a ceasefire, which commenced on February 15, the pullout of heavy weapons, and constitutional reform in Ukraine by the end of the year.

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been hit by deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia protests there.

In May 2014, the situation in the two flashpoint regions started to worsen as residents overwhelmingly voted for independence from Ukraine in referendums.

More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict, the UN says. Around 1.5 million people have been also forced from their homes over the past months of the turmoil.

SSM/HMV/SS