Turchynov said Thursday he is willing to make his promise official in a presidential proclamation.
There has been no reply so far from the demonstrators.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Wednesday Ukraine will end the occupation of the buildings Friday by negotiations or by force.
The pro-Russian militants have taken over official buildings in the cities of
Luhansk and Donetsk. They are demanding referendums on whether to split with Ukraine and join Russia -- the same vote that was held in Crimea last month.
U.S. diplomat Victoria Nuland told a U.S. Congressional committee that the building takeovers were "very carefully orchestrated, well-planned, well-targeted" moves. She said there is "overwhelming evidence" of Russian involvement, and warned of consequences if the "aggressive actions" go unchecked.
Nuland told the lawmakers that U.S. diplomats do not hold out high expectations for talks next week involving top diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and European Union.
[voanews.com]
10/4/14
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
- Senior US diplomat plays down expectations of four-way talks on Ukraine..
"We don't have high expectations for these talks, but we do believe it is very important to keep that diplomatic door open," Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said at a congressional hearing.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on Monday to hold talks next week in Europe with Ukrainian and European officials over the Ukraine crisis.
On a similar note, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that "it is not as if we are holding our breath waiting for this meeting," stressing that it is "a part of many steps" the United States is taking with the Ukrainian government to de-escalate the current crisis.
Nuland, the top US diplomat for European affairs, reiterated US calls for Russia to demonstrate that it is "prepared to come to these discussions to do what is necessary to de-escalate."
She urged Russia to take concrete steps to disavow separatist actions in Eastern Ukraine and pull back its forces outside the country.
Russia has attempted to intimidate Ukraine by amassing more than 40,000 troops and quick strike aircraft along its border with Ukraine, and with trade blockades and gas price hikes of 80 percent, Nuland told lawmakers.
At a hearing held by Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Kerry accused Russian agents of stirring unrest in eastern Ukraine that could be used as a pretext for military intervention. Russia has rejected such an accusation.
Kerry reiterated US concerns about escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine in a telephone talk with Lavrov on Wednesday morning, Psaki told reporters at the press briefing later in the day.
Psaki said Kerry also spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Wednesday and they discussed the ongoing efforts by the Ukrainian government to continue to address the situation in eastern Ukraine peacefully.
[Globaltimes.cn]
10/4/14
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Four-party meeting on Ukraine being prepared, may be held April 17...
ReplyDeleteA four-party meeting on Ukraine is being prepared and may take place on April 17, a Western diplomatic source told ITAR-TASS on Thursday, April 10.
If all parties confirm their participation, the meeting will be held in Geneva, tentatively on April 17 at the Intercontinental Hotel where many historic meetings on Syria and Iran were held, the source said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on April 9 that the meeting on Ukraine should help foster equal dialogue in Ukraine. He said Russia would attend a four-party meeting on Ukraine with the United States, the European Union and the Ukrainian authorities only if it helped Kiev foster contacts with all political and regional forces inside the country.
The West has suggested holding a meeting on the situation in Ukraine. “April was named as a tentative date,” he recalled and stressed that Russia’s position was simple. “This is an internal Ukrainian crisis, and those who are holding the reins of power in Kiev now must invite all regions, all political forces to start a dialogue on the constitution, on the language and all other aspects.”
Lavrov said Russia had so far received no reply to its inquiries, including those concerning rumours that Kiev is planning to sell ballistic missile technologies. “We asked the Americans what they think about this. They keep silence,” the minister said................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/727342
10/4/14