I/II. http://rt.com/news/185396-ukraine-ceasefire-russia-militia/ Kiev, E. Ukraine militia agree on ceasefire starting 1500 GMT Friday Published time: September 05, 2014 12:50 Edited time: September 05, 2014 18:09
>From left to right:- Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma, representative of self proclaimed "People Republic of Donetsk", Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko, OSCE envoy Heidi Tagliavini, Russian Ambassador to the Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov, rebel leader of "People Republic of Lugansk" Igor Plotnitsky make an official statement on the signing of a ceasefire agreement in Minsk, on September 5, 2014. (AFP Photo) Kiev officials and representatives of the two self-proclaimed republics in southeastern Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire, as the contact group met behind closed doors in Belarus. The two sides accompanied by representatives of Russia and the OSCE were meeting in the Belorussian capital, Minsk, in an attempt to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who is now in Wales for the NATO summit, has confirmed the ceasefire agreement on his Twitter account. He has ordered the pro-government forces to stop military actions starting 6 pm local time (15:00 GMT), as stated in the protocol. *"I give the order to the chief of the General staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to cease fire, starting from 18.00 [local time] on September 5,"* Poroshenko's statement says. He has called on both the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the OSCE to provide international monitoring of compliance with the bilateral ceasefire. *"We must do everything possible and impossible to stop bloodshed and put an end to people's suffering,"* the president said in a statement posted on his official website. He also expressed hope that both sides would follow the protocol. He has ordered the pro-government forces to stop military actions starting 6 pm local time (15:00 GMT), as stated in the protocol. *"I give the order to the chief of the General staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to cease fire, starting from 18.00 [local time] on September 5,"* Poroshenko's statement says. He has called on both the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the OSCE to provide international monitoring of compliance with the bilateral ceasefire. *"We must do everything possible and impossible to stop bloodshed and put an end to people's suffering,"* the president said in a statement posted on his official website. He also expressed hope that both sides would follow the protocol. A woman cleans debris from her house damaged by what locals say, was recent shelling by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk August 23, 2014. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov) With the conflict engulfing the southeastern Ukraine, the region is risking facing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe. Water and electricity supplies have been disrupted, leaving dozens of people without basic essentials. In Lugansk only one hospital appeared to be operational, the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission reported earlier this week. Since the conflict significantly deteriorated in mid-April, 2,593 people have died in fighting in the east of the country, the UN reported last week. More than 6,033 have been wounded in the turmoil. The number of internally displaced Ukrainians has reached 260,000, with another 814,000 finding refuge in Russia, the UN said. Hours before the ceasefire, shelling was reported in Donetsk and there were reports of heavy fighting outside Mariupol, where over two days seven civilians including two children, were killed. OSCE: 'Good news' The OSCE's Heidi Tagliavini has welcomed the agreement saying *"it is good news."* She has revealed that the protocol consists of 12 points, and *"the ceasefire is the chief one."* However, she has not clarified the remaining 11 points. Journalists have managed to obtain more details from their sources, but this information could not be immediately confirmed. President Poroshenko also commented on one of the points of the protocol - "all to all" exchange of prisoners, which he said can take place *"soon, maybe tomorrow."* *READ MORE:* Putin lays out 7-step plan to stop hostilities in E. Ukraine <http://rt.com/news/184791-putin-ukraine-kiev-militia/> Russia has welcomed the ceasefire agreement, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. *"Moscow hopes that all provisions of the document and agreements reached will be carefully executed by the parties, as well as the continuation of the negotiation process for full settlement of the crisis in Ukraine,"* Peskov said in a statement. The participants in the talks will prepare another document - a memorandum on settling the situation in Ukraine, a Donetsk representative said. In their recent phone call on September 3, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, showed a willingness to find an agreement to resolve the months-long conflict in the southeastern Ukraine. Following the conversation with his counterpart, President Putin laid out a seven-point plan <http://rt.com/news/184791-putin-ukraine-kiev-militia/> that could help find a solution. II. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29082368 5 September 2014 Last updated at 13:27 As it happened: Ukraine ceasefire agreed Reporters: Yaroslav Lukov, Nick Eardley, Alison Daye, Adam Blenford, Sean Fanning, Alex Milner and Sherie Ryder 1. 14:29: Welcome to our live coverage as a ceasefire has been agreed between Ukraine and separatist rebels in the east of the country. We're also reporting on a key Nato summit in Wales, which has agreed to set up a rapid reaction force. We're bringing you the latest updates from our correspondents, expert analysis and your reaction from around the world. You can contact us via email, text or twitter. 2. 14:36: The ceasefire deal was announced at talks between representatives of Ukraine, the rebels, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Minsk, Belarus. The truce will start at 16:00 BST. 3. 14:38: In a tweet (in Ukrainian) <https://twitter.com/poroshenko>, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote that a "preliminary protocol" was signed in Minsk, without giving further details. 4. 14:43: Mr Poroshenko said he had already ordered the chief of the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces to cease fire at 16:00 BST. 5. 14:45: Meanwhile, Igor Plotnitsky, one of the rebel leaders of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said the truce "does not mean the end of (our) policy to split (from Ukraine), according to Reuters. 6. 14:51: Details are still sketchy about the 14-point Minsk deal. Reports say it includes "all aspects of control and prisoner exchange", according to Interfax-Ukraine news agency. 7. 14:52: Earlier today, a new "multinational spearhead force" was announced at the Nato summit in Wales. It will be based in Poland and be able to deploy troops in two to five days. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the force would comprise of 4,000 troops and would be ready to be deployed by the end of 2015. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
