The Russian Mission to the United Nations
announced that the UN Security Council could not agree on a press statement
following an attack on the city of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine.
UNITED NATIONS, January 25 (Sputnik) – The UN Security
Council could not agree on a press statement following an attack
on the city of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine, which killed
at least 30 civilians, the Russian Mission to the United Nations has
announced.
"Throughout the day of January 24 we were
discussing a possible UN Security Council reaction to the events
in Mariupol, which caused civilian casualties. The consensus has not been
reached though because the delegation of the United Kingdom insisted
on condemnation of some of the self-defense forces'
statements," the Russian Mission said in a statement Saturday.
In contrast, since the very start of the
Ukrainian conflict, Western members of the UN Security Council have
consistently refused to condemn "any statements and actions (often
very aggressive) made by the Kiev authorities", the Russian Mission
to the United Nations stressed.
Earlier on Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon condemned the attack on residential areas in Mariupol, saying
that it was likely a violation of international humanitarian law.
Mariupol, located just outside the main conflict
zone in the Donetsk region, was shelled on Saturday. According
to the Special Monitory Mission (SMM) of the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), deployed in Ukraine, the Grad and Uragan rockets which hit
about 8.5 km (5.3 miles) north-east of the city center were fired
from the north-east direction.
The head of the self-proclaimed People's Republic
of Donetsk (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko said that Kiev has gathered its
forces near Mariupol over the past few days, with militia's
positions being constantly attacked with Grad missiles and artillery.
Kiev forces have recently intensified shelling
in the south-eastern region of Donetsk, having officially
acknowledged that a major security operation was being carried out at the
Donetsk airport.
Kiev started military action in south-eastern
Ukraine in mid-April, 2014, in response to local residents'
refusal to recognize the new government, which came to power
as a result of a coup in February.
In September, the conflicting sides reached a ceasefire
agreement at a meeting in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The meeting
was also attended by representatives from Russia and the OSCE.
Fighting has continued in south-eastern Ukraine
despite the Minsk truce.
Source: Sputnik News
25-01-2015
