U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland has refuted claims that the United States put a date on when elections in Donbas need to happen, saying that reports made by some MPs are incorrect, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
”Your report of our session with the Rada yesterday is completely inaccurate. We have put no date on when elections need to happen,” she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
According to Nuland, ”we`ve made absolutely clear that Minsk requires that there be sufficient security, and OSCE access, and the ability of candidates to ballot, and the ability of citizens to hear from candidates before you can have an election.”
”That`s what Minsk says, it`s logical as in any country,” she said.
As UaPosition reported earlier the Samopomich Party`s press service said citing the party`s MP Victoria Voytsitska that at the United States insists on introducing amendments to Ukraine`s Constitution, pressing for the so-called special status of the militant-occupied areas in Ukraine`s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, militant amnesty, local elections.
According to p.9 of Minsk II Agremeent Ukraine can restore control of its state border before Constitutional reform in Ukraine (p.11) but after elections (p.4) and militant amnesty (p.6):
9.Restore control of the state border to the Ukrainian government in the whole conflict zone, which has to start on the first day after the local election and end after the full political regulation (local elections in particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts based on the law of Ukraine and Constitutional reform) by the end of 2015, on the condition of fulfillment of Point 11 – in consultations and in agreement with representatives of particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts within the framework of the Trilateral Contact Group.
11.Constitutional reform in Ukraine, with a new constitution to come into effect by the end of 2015, the key element of which is decentralisation (taking into account peculiarities of particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, agreed with representatives of these districts), and also approval of permanent legislation on the special status of particular districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in accordance with the measures spelt out in the attached footnote, by the end of 2015.
4. On the first day after the pullout a dialogue is to start on modalities of conducting local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and the Law of Ukraine “On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” and also about the future of these districts based on the above-mentioned law.
Without delays, but no later than 30 days from the date of signing of this document, a resolution has to be approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, indicating the territory which falls under the special regime in accordance with the law “On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” based in the line set up by the Minsk Memorandum as of 19 September 2014.
6.Provide release and exchange of all hostages and illegally held persons, based on the principle of “all for all”. This process has to end – at the latest – on the fifth day after the pullout (of weapons).
U.S. confirmed support of Minsk II:
“We stand by the Minsk agreements” said Obama in Hannover.
