Poroshenko may issue statement on demarcation line between conflicting parties — source
An agreement on a demarcation line may be reached within the framework of the international working group monitoring the ceasefire regime, a well-informed source told TASS
KIEV, October 10. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who is currently inspecting Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, may come out with a statement about the situation over establishing a demarcation line between the conflicting parties in southeastern regions, a well-informed source told TASS on Friday.
“An agreement on a demarcation line may be reached within the framework of the international working group monitoring the ceasefire regime,” the source said.
Michael Bochurkiw of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) told TASS he would rather refrain from any comments on that matter.
Earlier on Friday, First Deputy Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Ravil Khalikov told TASS that the parties had already reached a demarcation line agreement.
“I can add that the Ukrainian side eventually agreed to the demarcation line drawn on our maps. According to their variant, we were to yield a number of inhabited localities to them. But in the long run, our variant was adopted,” Khalikov said.
He said the agreement was reached two days ago but only announced now.
The parties to the Ukrainian conflict agreed on cessation of fire and exchange of prisoners during OSCE-mediated talks on September 5 in Belarusian capital Minsk. The ceasefire took effect the same day but reports said it has occasionally been violated.
On September 20 in Minsk, the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE adopted a memorandum outlining the parameters for the implementation of commitments on the ceasefire in Ukraine laid down in the Minsk Protocol of September 5. The document contains nine points, including in particular a ban on the use of all armaments and withdrawal of weapons with the calibers of over 100 millimeters to a distance of 15 kilometers from the contact line from each side. The OSCE was tasked with controlling the implementation of memorandum provisions.