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OSCE proposes beefing up observer team in Ukraine

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OSCE mission activity in Ukraine will be based on new political realities

VIENNA, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. The mission of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Ukraine must be increased from the current 121 to 200 people, the director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, Adam Kobieracki, said on Thursday.

The first team of experts had been successfully deployed, the OSCE official responsible for the deployment told the OSCE Permanent Council, noting that the Council should give real guarantees of continuous financing of the mission before a new team arrived.

Kobieracki said there were 121 people on the OSCE mission in Ukraine at the moment. The mandate of a special observer mission was coordinated with the Permanent Council late in March. It envisaged the deployment of 100 civil observers in Kiev and nine Ukrainian cities, both in the west and in the east of the country, at the first stage.

Under the mandate, the number of OSCE experts can be increased to 500 people. Any geographical changes in mission’s work must be coordinated separately with the OSCE Permanent Council.

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