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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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21Feb14
Russia's ombudsman explains why he didn't sign agreement in Kiev
Russia's ombudsman for human rights, Vladimir Lukin, whom President Vladimir Putin sent on a mission to Kiev to take part in the negotiations between President Viktor Yanukovich and leaders of the irreconcilable opposition on defusing the political tensions in the country, told Itar-Tass he plans to continue mediation at the conference table.
"The very process of negotiations will be continued," he said upon arrival in Kiev. "We've gotten to know the position of our counterparts and we understand it better now."
"However, the continuation of these talks doesn't depend on us," Lukin said. "The biggest problem is that the situation is changing all the time and the personages are changing, as new people are emerging on the stage."
"There's no clarity on who will fulfill these agreements and how they will be fulfilled, and that's why I didn't put my signature (under the agreement on settling the crisis in Ukraine)," the ombudsman said.
"As soon as there's clarity in the sphere, we'll be able to return to Kiev and to continue negotiations," he added.
The agreement on settling the crisis in Ukraine that was signed by Viktor Yanukovich and Ukraine's chief oppositionists - Arseny Yatsenyuk, Vitali Klitschko and Oleg Tyagnybok envisions an urgent reverting to the Constitution of 2004, which presupposed the changeover to a parliamentary republic.
The parties to the negotiations, which also involved the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland, also formalized their intention to set up a coalition and a national unity government within ten days.
As a result, a constitutional reform called upon to cut down the powers of the President and to boost the powers of parliament at the same time, will be launched immediately and will round up in September 2014.
The presidential election will be held right after the adoption of a new Constitution but not later than in December 2014. A new electoral legislation will be put into effect and a new Central Electoral Commission will be formed on the principle of proportional representation under the rules spelt out by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Venice Commission.
Along with it, the document contains a pledge to refrain from introducing the state of emergency. Also, the Verkhovna Rada is supposed to pass on more law on exemption from criminal responsibility that will cover the same criminal offenses as the law of February 17, 2014.
The weaponry that was seized by the militants during attacks on police stations in various parts of Ukrainian in the past few weeks should be turned in to police stations within 24 hours as of the moment a special law is endorsed. After that, all the cases of illegal possession of small arms will fall under the provisions of effective legislation.
Investigation of all the acts of violence will be held under a common monitoring of the authorities, the opposition and the Council of Europe.
[Source: Itar Tass, Moscow, 21Feb14]
 | This document has been published on 24Feb14 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |