Ukrainian Parliament to give wide powers to eastern regions
It shows four terrified men in military uniform, kneeling, looking fatigued. (Photo: Video grab)
Minsk, Belarus: Guns will fall silent, heavy weapons will pull back from the front and Ukraine will trade a broad autonomy for the east to get back control of its Russian border by the end of 2015 under a peace deal hammered out on Thursday in all-night negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
The deal was full of potential pitfalls that could derail its implementation. In announcing the plan, Russia and Ukraine differed over what exactly they had agreed to in marathon 16-hour talks, including the status of a key town now under rebel siege.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the agreement envisages a cease-fire beginning on Sunday as well as a special status for Ukraine’s separatist regions and provisions to address border concerns and hu-manitarian issues.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said there was no agreement on any autonomy or federalization for eastern Ukr-aine, a longtime demand of Russia, which wants that to maintain leverage over Ukraine and prevent it from ever joining NATO.
The deal, however, requires the Ukrainian parliament to give wide powers to the eastern regions as a condition for restoring Ukraine’s full control over its border with Russia, a provision certain to trigger heated political debate in Kiev.
( Source : AFP )
Next Story
