France
and Germany are pressing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to ensure partial
self-rule for the country’s independence-minded east before the upcoming local
election there, Ukrainian media reported on Saturday.
Poroshenko
refuses to comply, citing legal, political and organizational hurdles
preventing the implementation of the law, which would grant broader
autonomy to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics,
the Kiev-based Weekly Mirror newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources
in the government.
In keeping with the provisions of the Minsk
accords, reached in February 2015, President Poroshenko agreed
to grant a special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk
People’s Republics.
Article 4 of the 13-point Minsk Protocol outlined
the modalities of conducting local elections in particular districts
of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and their future status.
Article 11 described decentralization of particular
districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions and their special status
as the key elements of the proposed constitutional reform
in Ukraine.
On August 24, President Poroshenko met in Berlin
with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois
Hollande.
Briefing the media after the talks, Angela Merkel
said that the three leaders had gathered in Berlin to endorse
the Misk-2 accords, which she described as pivotal to a peaceful
settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
Addressing members of his Solidarity bloc shortly
before the August 24 trip to Berlin, Petro Poroshenko said that the
proposed constitutional reforms ruled out any federalization or other
special statuses for any part of Ukraine.
Source: Sputnik News 30-08-2015
