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© RIA Novosti. Andrey Alexandrov
A meeting of the trilateral contact group on settling the situation in Eastern Ukraine will be held on Wednesday in Minsk. This will be the first meeting of the contact group after negotiations leaders “Norman Quartet”, which took place on 19 October in Berlin.
The Ukrainian authorities in April 2014 began a military operation against the breakaway LC and the DNI, which declared independence after a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN victims of the conflict began more than 9.6 thousand people.
The settlement of the situation in the Donbass is discussed, including during meetings in Minsk the contact group, which from September 2014 adopted three documents regulating the steps to de-escalate the conflict. However, after the armistice agreements between the parties to the conflict continue shooting.
Minsk without an alternative
During the meeting in Berlin, the parties recognized no alternative to the Minsk agreements.
“Very important is also confirmed in Berlin that there is no alternative here the text of the Minsk agreement”, — said the press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, noting that it is recognized by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. “Yes, Poroshenko is recognized Poroshenko acknowledged, because we have repeatedly heard different stuffing that we need some new documents, that is such an indirect attempt to replace the Minsk agreement. This substitution will not be all recognized that the starting point is the text of the Minsk agreements”, — said the press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation.
He stressed that at the moment most of the items of the Minsk agreements are not implemented. “Especially the political part, and to sell them was the Ukrainian side”, — said Peskov, noting that during the month must meet the Ministers and assistants to heads of state, which will continue to agree on a “road map”, although the deadlines indicated in the Minsk agreements have already passed.
“There is no other way, except how to smooth these areas of misunderstanding, areas of divergence in understanding of what is written on paper. If I absolutely have to go this way, it is necessary to do so then still go to a phased implementation,” — said the press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation.
Police mission
One of the most discussed topics on the results of the Berlin meeting was the idea of placing in the Donbas police mission of the OSCE.
According to Poroshenko, the leaders of “Norman Quartet” agreed to make the attempt to put such a mission in the region to ensure security.
Peskov said that it is unknown that can accommodate such a mission, and its creation is not conducted. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin responded Yes to the idea of police mission of the OSCE, the armed service weapon.
“And I want to emphasize that it was only about service weapon. Then, let’s say, on a possible the idea of such a mission, President Putin reacted to the potential agreement. But the fact that this is the eventual conversations. While there is no mission, no understanding of the OSCE, as the mission can be formed, where to place it and so on. About it in General conversation was not conducted and could not be carried out because it is a very substantive discussion that depends on many circumstances,” — said Peskov, adding that all participants in the negotiations “channel four” agreed to the creation of the OSCE mission, if necessary.
In turn, the Deputy head of Special monitoring mission (SMM) OSCE Alexander Hg said that the decision on introduction of armed OSCE mission in Eastern Ukraine should be adopted by all the countries of the organization. He stressed that the SMM is an unarmed civilian mission and operates according to the mandate that she was given the 57 member countries of the OSCE.
“If this question will change, these 57 countries will have to adopt a new decision by consensus, and it must be approved by the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna,” said hug.
Road map
Another important question discussed by the “Normandy four” is to develop a “road map” for the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Poroshenko expects that the process of harmonization will be completed before the end of November, otherwise it calls extend EU sanctions against Russia.
The authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s Republic do not expect serious progress in the work of the contact group and its working groups before agreeing on the road map.
“We need to work on the issue of security, we need to ensure that Ukraine has fulfilled the agreement breeding on the plots… the Next step will be to agree a new four plots”, — said the representative of DND at the talks in Minsk Denis Putilin.
Elections for Steinmeier
The subgroup on political issues are expected to focus on discussing issues relating to the election of local authorities on the uncontrolled territories of Kiev Donbass.
The self-proclaimed representative of the Luhansk national Republic in the political subgroup Rodion Miroshnik told RIA Novosti that the main subject of discussion for the sub-group in Minsk on 26 October will be the “formula Steinmeier”.
“Formula Steinmeier” (head of the German foreign Ministry, the OSCE Chairman Frank-Walter Steinmeier) defines the mechanism of introduction in action of the law on special order of local government in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions on a temporary basis on election day and on an ongoing basis — after the publication of the OSCE report on the election results.
According to Miroshnik, LC is ready to discuss the Amnesty law and the prevention, prosecution and punishment of persons-participants of events in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions only after discussion and agreement “formula Steinmeier”.
Poroshenko in regard to the elections in the Donbass said that their conduct is impossible without the implementation of the security conditions in the East. According to him, first you need to fulfill the agreements in the sphere of security, to ensure the cessation of fire, withdrawal, functioning of the OSCE mission to free the prisoners and only then raise the question of the adoption of the electoral legislation.