Ukraine Should Lead Disarmament of Irregular Military Groups – OSCE Secretary General.

[dipsydoodle]

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) – The disarmament of irregular militant groups in Ukraine is a task for the authorities in Kiev, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier told RIA Novosti Friday, outlining a roadmap devised at talks in Geneva on Thursday.

“It should be done by the Ukrainians. It’s a law and order issue, and the relevant Ukrainian institutions should do it,” he said, explaining that the objective is complicated and “has to be part of a broader process where the central part is dialogue.”

Zannier's assessment of Thursday's meeting on the crisis in Ukraine was "really positive."

"One of the issues we saw in the OSCE in recent weeks was a deep division in the international community over Ukraine, with various aspects at the center of this difficult debate. Now we have the opportunity to develop a roadmap for the engagement of the OSCE, and also for the future of Ukraine that is shared by key players,” he said commenting on the meeting.

He added that responsibility lies with Kiev to follow through on the plan, but “there is full support in the implementation of these steps.”

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140418/189258180/Ukraine-Should-Lead-Disarmament-of-Irregular-Military-Groups-.html

[Catherina]

1. Well this is going to be interesting. Kiev announced yesterday that they don't need to

Last edited Sat Apr 19, 2014, 11:25 AM - Edit history (2)

because those groups are legally there occupying with the tacit permission of the Putsch government in Kiev. Of course this was before the OSCE maid it clear that oh yes they do.

As soon as the agreement was released, Deshchytsa and Turchynov said they would continue their military operation in the south east and the headline at the pro-West Kyiv Post was "SBU ramping up security operations in Kharkiv Oblast, plans to cordon off separatists in Donetsk".

And last night the Guardian posted a video of "nice young boys who have mums and families and who just wanna go to the east to "protect"....err....well they're blurry on what they will be "protecting", but dammit we can trust them" (Maidan militants) heading to Donestk to help a "fearful local (pro Kiev) defence force", you know, with the usual protest gear. Military fatigues, bullet proof vests and guns. The Guardian tried to paint it as a "boys against the machine" thing but none of the readership is buying it, there's no machine, just local people defending their own interests. All of the video filmed like a true "Hollywood documentary" including the tearful girlfriend scene. But as this miner protester put it

At the barricade Vladimir Pakhomovich, a former miner, said: "We are not Moscow or Kiev. They do not command us. We are just here to defend our people. Until we get a referendum, we do not intend to leave."

Pakhomovich said he was aware of the agreement made in Geneva but said he did not feel beholden to Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, or the president, Vladimir Putin. "We are prepared to ignore Lavrov. Why should we listen to him?" he said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/18/ukraine-separatists-occupation-geneva-agreement

I think it was a bad move not to have any Eastern Ukraine representatives present at Geneva talks yesterday but the Kiev government was so, instead of these signs of escalation, I'm still waiting for signs from them that they intend to do any of the things they agreed to at the meeting yesterday. Like closing down the militias it started after the coup? Expelling the Right Sector and Svoboda people from paramilitary units? Withdrawing the threat and use of force against eastern Ukraine? I think the anti-EUSA protesters are being cautious and since they never agreed to anything. Maybe too they learned not to unilaterally disarm first after Maidan stormed the Kiev Parliament right after the last EU agreement.

The OSCE Secretary General is right, Kiev has to lead the disarmament of the militants they've been arming. I wish him good luck with that.