MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The political subgroup of the Contact Group created to settle the conflict in Donbass has reached certain progress at talks held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, a source close to the negotiations told the LuganskInformCentre on Saturday.
"During the last meeting of the political subgroup ‘close negotiating stances’ were found practically on half of the disputable issues," the source said.
"Kiev’s command to its negotiators ‘Don’t reach agreements!’ may be the only thing to hamper the further movement ahead," he said. "Ahead of the Normandy Four new meeting in Paris, this highly erroneous position of Ukraine may once again demonstrate Kiev’s lack of readiness to enter negotiations which will become a beacon for the countries-guarantors."
The political subgroup held its latest meeting in Minsk on September 15-16. The working group is expected to convene a next meeting in the Belarusian capital on September 22, along with other subgroups.
Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, known as the Normandy Four, are due to meet in Paris on October 2.
On February 12 the Normandy Four leaders held marathon talks on the Ukrainian issue in Minsk along with regular talks of the Contact Group on resolving the Ukraine conflict.
The talks ended by adoption of a 13-point package of measures, which contained in particular a ceasefire starting from February 15, withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line disengaging the Kiev troops and militias of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as measures on long-term political settlement in Donbass.
Establishment of working subgroups is part of agreements reached by leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in Minsk.
Among the terms of the deal was a commitment to intensify the work of the Contact Group. Four subgroups, tasked with addressing security, political, economic and humanitarian issues, were set up to advance work by the Contact Group in activating elements of the Minsk deal.