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Ukraine's self-proclaimed republics submit their stance on local elections

MOSCOW, May 22 /TASS/. A working subgroup for political issues set up by the Contact Group for the Ukraine settlement has ended its meeting at President Hotel in Minsk, a source close to negotiations told the LuganskInform Tsentr news agency.

"The meeting is over," he said.

Pierre Maurel from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); Maxim Polyakov from Russia and Vladimir Gorbulin from Ukraine as well as two representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics are taking part in the meeting, which started at about 15:30 Moscow time on Friday.

Representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics submitted their stance on local elections and amendments which should be made to Ukraine’s election law to ensure the vote to the subgroup for political issues of the Contact Group for Ukraine settlement that has ended its meeting in Minsk, a source close to negotiations told the LuganskInform Tsentr news agency. "The republics voiced their proposals and negotiating stances on the election draft and on amendments to Ukraine’s laws, which make the local elections impossible," the source clarified.

The Contact Group for the Ukraine settlement gathered for a meeting shortly after the subgroup’s meeting to discuss the first progress made by thematic working subgroups on the way to the Ukraine crisis settlement.

The Contact Group set up four thematic working groups on May 6 to intensify the peace process and implement some aspects of the Minsk agreements.

Negotiations in subgroups for security and for economic and humanitarian issues took place on May 14 and 19, respectively.