OSCE keeps silent about Kiev’s blocking Minsk talks - Miroshnik
The OSCE keeps silent about Kiev representatives’ blocking the Minsk talks, Lugansk People’s Republic representative in the Contact Group political subgroup Rodion Miroshnik said.
“The OSCE made a “very cautious” statement following the Contact Group’s Donbass talks on Wednesday. The main idea is that the parties “met and had a talk,” Miroshnik said. “The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau never mentions that Ukraine has been blocking the negotiations using procedural issues as a tool.”
This is Ambassador Heidi Grau’s take on the situation: “Procedural issues again dominated the discussions of the Political Working Group, preventing the development of an action plan as tasked by the TСG. Overcoming disagreements require constructive engagement, interaction and readiness to compromise.”
"What readiness to compromise is she talking about if Kiev is not ready for dialogue in principle and the political subgroup has been unable to start an official meeting at four consecuitive sessions?” he said.
Ukrainian representative say that they "won’t talk if the delegation includes (Donetsk journalist, blogger and activist Maya) Pirogova, and coordinator for the OSCE Pierre) Morel closes the session. If we don’t like the participation of (head of the Ukrainian delegation Leonid) Kravchuk who himself said that he had no proper authority, will Grau close the session as well?” Miroshnik said.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. Conflict settlement relies on the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, signed on February 12, 2015 in the Belarussian capital by the Contact Group members and coordinated by the Normandy Four heads of states (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine). The UN Security Council approved the document by Resolution No 2202 of February 17, 2015 and called upon the parties to ensure its implementation.
The document provides for comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the contact line, starting a dialog on reconstruction of social and economic ties between Kiev and Donbass. It also envisages carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine providing for decentralization and adopting permanent legislation on a special status of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
To facilitate the work of the Contact Group, four working groups were set up under its aegis to deal with issues of security, politics, return of internally displaced people and refuges, as well as with social, humanitarian, economic and rehabilitation issues. *i*s
