OSCE says release of detainees, delivery of humanitarian aid discussed in Minsk

Wednesday, September 3, 2014 - 09:50 (EEST) Section: Latest news

The participants of the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, at a meeting held in Minsk on September 1, discussed the further release of persons detained during the conflict and the delivery of humanitarian aid with a possible participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, reads a statement posted on the OSCE website.
“The participants discussed the present general situation in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, with particular attention to ideas and proposals, submitted respectively by the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of the self-proclaimed entities,” reads the statement.
Negotiations and proposals concerned, inter alia, the commencement of an inclusive political dialogue, the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire combined with an effective control of the Ukrainian-Russian border as well as an economic rehabilitation of the areas affected by the armed conflict.
In addition, the OSCE said, the participants discussed the further release of persons detained in the course of the conflict as well as the issue of additional humanitarian assistance for the civilian population in areas affected by the conflict.
“In this context, the participants positively assessed the release of 50 detained persons, which took place in August 2014 as well as the ongoing efforts aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected areas, in accordance with the relevant international standards and a possible involvement of the International Confederation of the Red Cross (ICRC),” reads the statement.
The Contact Group agreed with representatives of the self-proclaimed entities that they will continue consultations and co-operation on the above and other issues and will hold another meeting at the end of this week.
At the same time, a representative of the Ukrainian authorities, second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told the ICTV channel that an agreement on the exchange of hostages was to be signed in the next few days.