2015-10-07 09:30:00

Eastern Ukraine rebels postpone elections


(Vatican Radio)  Kiev, Moscow, and Washington have welcomed a decision by officials in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to postpone local elections, saying it would boost peace efforts. The rebels are sidestepping a contentious issue that had blocked progress toward a resolution for the war in Ukraine that has killed thousands. 

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Rebel envoys Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego said in a statement that the rebel-run areas of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces would postpone local votes until February 21.

Their statement is significant as the two men are representing rebels at peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or OSCE.

Donetsk had planned an election on October 18, and Luhansk was going to vote on November 1.

President pleased

Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko and Russian lawmakers have already praised the move as a step toward peace.

In exchange for postponing the vote, the separatists say Ukraine must grant a special status to the mostly Russian-speaking region, broadly called Donbass, as envisioned by Minsk peace accord.

Poroshenko said in a statement however that he believes it was a first step towards Ukraine’s return to Donbass by helping to conduct internationally recognized democratic elections without what he called occupation forces.   

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner also expressed support for the rebels' decision.  "The United States welcomes reports that Russia-backed separatists postponed another round of illegal elections in eastern Ukraine, he told reporters in Washington.

Removing weapons

"People living in separatist-controlled areas deserve to pick their local officials in elections that meet international standards, are compliant with Ukrainian law and monitored by the OSCE," Toner said. 

"We also note OSCE reports Ukraine, Russia and the separatists have begun to withdraw additional heavy weaponry," he added. 

Some 8,000 people have been killed and at least 1.5 million people were displaced since April 2014 when the fighting began between Ukrainian government troops and the pro-Russian separatists.

The West has accused Russia of backing the separatists with weapons and troops, charges Moscow denies.








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