Poroshenko Makes False Claim about Agreement on OSCE Police Mission in Donbass

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ

3rd June, 2016

RIA

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko insists that at the "Normandy Format" summit, it was agreed to enter the OSCE armed mission into Donbass.

"Today, we have a major diplomatic success, because not only the "Normandy Format" at the highest level, we agreed on something on which we insist is a general agreement about entering this mission, but in Vienna, the OSCE, under the German presidency, our German partners have started a discussion regarding the administration of the armed mission," said Poroshenko at a press conference in Kiev.

According to him, "this is the basis for the assertion that this process will be completed in 2016".

In turn, the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on Friday told journalists that discussions on the issue of the mission are still only, "so to speak, in the corridors".

"It's still just ideas, there are no formal offers, I have not seen specific proposals on the table at Hofburg (residence of the OSCE). President Poroshenko spoke about it (the introduction of the mission), but he has not yet provided the specific proposals," said Zannier.

Russia's permanent representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich, speaking at a OSCE permanent council meeting, advised caution in his statements on an armed police mission.

"All issues concerning the elections in Donbass, including their security, should be resolved within the framework of the Contact group with representatives of Donbass," he added.

The day before, Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov spoke about the lack of agreement on an OSCE police mission in Donbass.

"The assertion that the records of the talks of the "Normandy Four" contains some indication that the Russian side gave consent to the placing of the OSCE police mission are untrue," he said.

Kiev says that the OSCE armed police mission is necessary to ensure the safety of elections in Donbass. The DPR and LPR authorities are against its placement.

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