OSCE Welcomes Ukraine Artillery Withdrawal
Local Editor
Ukrainian troops towed artillery away from the front line in the east, a move that amounted to recognizing that a ceasefire meant to take effect on Feb. 15 was holding at last.
A larger convoy of 30-40 vehicles was towing guns away from the front at the village of Paraskoviyvka north of the government stronghold of Artemivsk.
The move was Kiev's most direct step to acknowledge that the ceasefire was finally holding a week after suffering one of the worst defeats of the war at the hands of fighters who initially ignored the ceasefire to launch a major advance.
The pro-Russian rebels, who committed to the truce after their successful offensive, had been pulling back heavy weapons for two days, but Kiev had until now held back from implementing the withdrawal, arguing that fighting had not yet ceased.
However, the army reported no combat fatalities at the front for a second straight, the first time no troops had been killed since long before the French- and German-brokered truce was meant to take effect.
The withdrawal of artillery is "point two" of the peace agreement reached in the Belarus capital Minsk, so beginning it amounts to an acknowledgement that "point one" - the ceasefire itself - is being observed.
"Today Ukraine has begun the withdrawal of 100 millimeter guns from the line of confrontation," the military said in a statement, saying the step would be monitored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
It said it reserved the right to alter the schedule of withdrawal "in the event of any attempted offensive".
Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE] welcomed the withdrawal of heavy artillery from the demarcation line in eastern Ukraine by both sides of the conflict.
The deputy chief monitor of the OSCE mission, Alexander Hug, declared that the organization needed to know where the weapons were heading.
He stated, "The OSCE requires...not only the starting point where the hardware is located; it also requires the routes and most importantly the storage places the hardware will go to in the end,"
Hug added, "We are getting closer to receiving this sensitive information...we will not make it public. But, we will be able to say whether or not weapons have been withdrawn."
While commenting on the additional demands posed by the OSCE, Hug said, "We are not putting up demands, the demands are clear. What we are tasked by the Minsk arrangement and by our mandate is to go out and monitor what the parties do."
The withdrawal of heavy weaponry is a mandatory step set out by the Minsk ceasefire agreements signed earlier this month.
Under the deal, both sides must pull their heavy weapons back from the demarcation line to form a buffer zone of 50 to 140km, depending on the type of weapon.
However, the withdrawal of heavy artillery was not enough for the OSCE. Hug reminded that the organization wanted to see all the points of the Minsk agreements fulfilled.
"Once [both sides] comply with all 11 points that the Minsk arrangements lay out, we will be able to attest to that fact" Hug confirmed.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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