Talks of
Normandy Four foreign ministers in Paris reached no consensus on holding
elections in Donbass in June due to position of Ukraine.
PARIS, March 4. /TASS/. Foreign ministers of Normandy
Four countries (Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France) paid great attention to
security issues in Donbass at talks in Paris, Russia’s top diplomat Sergey
Lavrov told reporters.
"We spent much time today to consider the situation
in the security sphere," Lavrov said. The sides discussed the
implementation of decisions taken in addition to the Minsk agreements on
withdrawing heavy weapons and weapons with caliber under 100mm.
The top diplomats also considered reports of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) special monitoring
mission that registers violations of both parties, Lavrov said.
Lavrov noted that the number of violations of Ukraine’s
forces in regard to withdrawing weaponry is "significantly higher"
than those of self-defense militias in Donbass.
The ministers welcomed the work on the ground and
particularly efforts in the framework of cooperation as part of the joint
ceasefire control center in Donbass, Lavrov said.
"Together with the OSCE mission an agreement was
reached between the sides - Ukraine’s armed forces and Donbass - on mine
clearance and on switching to certain steps that will allow beginning mine
clearance in 12 priority areas," he said.
Another document was on banning all drills and any
actions related to firing near the contact line. "This will reduce the
risk of provocations, the risk of unexpected or unintentional incidents. These
are good agreements that need to be implemented," Lavrov stressed.
The sides also called for implementing other points of
the Minsk agreements on ensuring security near the contact line.
No
consensus on Donbass elections due to Ukraine’s stance
Talks of Normandy Four foreign ministers in Paris
reached no consensus on holding elections in Donbass in June due to position of
Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov went on to say.
Paris and Berlin suggested holding elections in Donbass
this June, and Moscow is ready to accept the proposal, he said.
"The proposal to call on the sides at today’s
meeting to agree based on the Minsk documents on holding local elections in
Donbass in the first half of the year by June or July came from our German and
French colleagues," Lavrov said.
"We were ready to support it," he said.
"But the Ukrainian side asked not to insist on this and finally, there was
no consensus."
First
step needed
Lavrov said the issues on holding elections in Donbass
were discussed in detail at the meeting. "We spoke a lot on political
aspects of the Minsk agreements, first of all in the context of the need to
take the first step in an interrelated chain of actions that includes a law on
Donbass special status, constitutional reform and holding local
elections," he said.
Amnesty is also needed "so that people vote and are
elected not under threat of criminal persecution but as free citizens."
"For this it is important that constitutional reform is guaranteed,"
Lavrov said.
"All this was agreed by our leaders on October 2,
2015 in Paris, but unfortunately, no progress has been made on the most
important issue for the settlement - preparing for the elections."
Dialogue
between Kiev, Donbass needed
Lavrov also said that at talks in Paris, Russia drew
attention to the fact that direct dialogue between Kiev and Donbass is the
basis of the Minsk process but no such talks have yet taken place.
"Unfortunately, now we see no such a direct
dialogue, first of all due to Kiev’s unwillingness to engage in it,"
Lavrov said.
Kiev again sought not to recognize that the Minsk
agreements were signed by Donbass representatives and said that issues linked
to special status will be solved when somebody else comes to power the region.
Lavrov said there is nothing new about these statements.
"Officials, members of government and the Verkhovna Rada constantly say
that when there are new authorities accepted by Kiev then we say about special
status and constitutional reform. Some say that constitutional reform is not
needed and it will never take place."
"Unfortunately, all this affects our work as part
of the Normand Four," he said.
Moscow,
Berlin, Paris call for sequence of actions
Berlin and Paris share Moscow’s stance that the sequence
of actions included in the Minsk deal and confirmed at talks of the Normandy
Four leaders in October 2015 is inviolable, Russia’s top diplomat said.
This sequence of actions means that elections need to be
held, a law on Donbass special status has to come into force on a permanent
basis and this special status should be confirmed by the constitution. Amnesty
needs to be also declared based on the law that was passed by the parliament
but was not signed by President Pyotr Poroshenko, he added.
About
telephone conversation
Sergey Lavrov added that a telephone conversation
between the leaders of the Normandy format countries may take place soon.
"A telephone contact between our leaders in the
Normandy format will be planned," Lavrov told reporters after the talks of
foreign ministers in Paris.
Leaders of the Normandy Four countries control the
implementation of the Minsk deal as was agreed on October 2 in Paris, he added.
"The ministers were tasked with dealing with this.".
Source: ITAR-TASS 04-03-2016
