"Russia definitely will not give us either peace or stability. It is not their goal. So I am asking the defence minister for full battle readiness," Arseny Yatseniuk, who is emerging as a policy 'hawk' in President Petro Poroshenko's leadership, told a government meeting.
The pro-Western Poroshenko, who will be looking for US support for his strategy in handling the separatist rebellions and Russia when he addresses the US Congress tomorrow, called the ceasefire on Sept. 5 after heavy battlefield losses which Kiev ascribes to Russian military intervention on behalf of the rebels.
Moscow denies its armed forces are involved in the fighting despite what Kiev and Western governments say is undeniable proof.
Russia's objection to Kiev's pro-Europe course since the ousting of the Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich by street protests in February lies at the core of the crisis over Ukraine which has become the worst Russia-West confrontation since the Cold War.
Speaking at a news conference in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the ceasefire in Ukraine was holding and that the frequency of violations was likely to decrease.
"Our evaluation and the evaluation of our colleagues from the European Union is that the ceasefire still remains in place," Lavrov said in comments translated from the news conference. He said that Ukrainian troops were behind violations.
The shaky ceasefire is part of Poroshenko's wider plan to end a conflict which has killed more than 3,000 civilians and which Yatseniuk said was costing the country 80 million hryvnia ($6 million) a day.
Crucially, his plan includes a politically-risky offer of temporary and limited self-rule, within a united Ukraine, to separatist-held areas in the east, a move designed to blunt an independence drive threatening to break up the ex-Soviet country.
Moscow on Wednesday welcomed granting "special status" to the two rebel regions in east Ukraine and warned against any attempts to change that decision.
Poroshenko, hoping to consolidate his rule with a parliamentary election on Oct. 26, could be vulnerable if he is seen by Ukrainians to be accepting peace on Moscow's terms.
Yatseniuk made a pitch for grassroots support for a coalition with Poroshenko in October when he announced a purge of civil service ranks to rid it of corruption and lingering loyalty to the old order, something supporters of the 'Euro-maidan' revolt against Yanukovich have been calling for.
- He said one million civil servants, including government ministers, would be screened for loyalty under new legislation passed yesterday.
The rebels have all but rejected the special status plan, which would allow the self-proclaimed 'people's republics' to hold their own elections, set up their own policing and 'deepen' relations with Russia for a three-year period. They say they see no future as part of Ukraine.
It has also met with criticism from Poroshenko's erstwhile political allies in Kiev's pro-Western establishment, many of whom fear it will lock in place a breakaway region under Russian protection similar to those in the ex-Soviet states of Moldova and Georgia.
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/169992/ukraine-pm-tells-army-to-be-on-full-battle-alert
17/9/14
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Related:
Ukraine's prime minister say Russia's goal is to destroy Ukraine and to recreate USSR
Yatsenyuk: No plans to finance restoration in Ukraine’s east from budget
More Russian troops in Crimea would undermine Ukraine ceasefire (NATO)
Germany considers deploying drones in Ukraine. (capable of providing real-time imagery and target data)
Ukraine submits bill on self-rule for separatist east
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Acknowledging recent progress in implementing Minsk protocol, OSCE CiO says stabilizing cease-fire key for peace process in eastern Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteBern, September 17 2014 – Following the adoption of two important laws in the Ukrainian Parliament, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter commended Ukraine for the progress made in the implementation of the Minsk Protocol signed on 5 September. This protocol aims at the implementation of President Poroshenko’s Peace Plan and of President Putin’s initiatives.
The CiO referred in particular to the passing of a law regarding the special status of certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, also allowing for early local elections there, and to the adoption of the legal basis for the application of amnesty rules regarding activities in connection with events in the region. He also considered it an encouraging signal that numerous detainees from both sides have been released in the last few days. These were major steps that could pave the way towards a lasting solution of the crisis, Burkhalter stressed.
Regarding the commitment reached in the Minsk protocol on ensuring the immediate cessation of the use of weapons, Burkhalter underlined the importance of stabilizing the cease-fire and avoiding any erosion of this commitment. A comprehensive ceasefire regime and a common understanding on the details of a monitoring mechanism need to be established, he said. The OSCE has been assisting in monitoring the cease-fire as well as in verifying information and has doubled the number of monitors in eastern Ukraine since the cease-fire was established. The CiO also stressed that it was indispensable that the OSCE monitors who were present in the affected regions could count on effective security assurances from all sides.
Burkhalter concluded by pointing to the need of restoring effective control over the entire Ukrainian-Russian border as a key prerequisite for a lasting solution. In line with the Minsk protocol, particular attention should now be given to establishing a security zone along the border and effective monitoring of the border.
http://www.osce.org/cio/123704?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=oscelatestnews
17/9/14