Ukrainian President proposing 100 km-wide buffer zone along border with Russia

World June 20, 2014, 20:33

“All the component parts of this plan are to be fulfilled simultaneously, not one after another,” a deputy chief of the presidential administration staff says

KIEV, June 20. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko proposes to create a 100 kilometers-wide buffer zone along the Ukrainian-Russian border, Valery Chaly, a deputy chief of the presidential administration staff told a news briefing Friday.

“We’re saying today that a buffer zone of about a hundred kilometers wide should be created along the border,” Chaly said as he spoke about the details of Poroshenko’s peace plan.

He also indicated that the draft plan demands a release of about 100 hostages, as well as envisions early local and parliamentary elections, the establishing of control over the Russian-Ukrainian border, and decentralization of state power.

“All the component parts of this plan are to be fulfilled simultaneously, not one after another,” Chaly said adding that Poroshenko hoped to make it public before the end of the day.

Somewhat earlier, Valery Chaly, the newly appointed foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, and security service chief Valentin Nalivaichenko informed members of the foreign diplomatic corps of the details of the “peace plan”.

“Petro Poroshenko is holding intensive talks with leaders of many countries and international organizations on support to implementation of the peace plan,” the presidential press service quoted Chaly as saying.

“Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin pointed out the precise time framework of the plan,” the press release said. “He underlined the importance of monitoring on the part of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and praised the role of the OSCE mission in Europe.”

Poroshenko said earlier his “peace plan” contained fourteen items, a full list of which would be published later.

Rumors that leaked the media suggest that the plan does not contain a provision as crucial in the current situation as ceasefire.

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