Brussels, 22/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - As the tension continues in Ukraine, the European Union called on Tuesday 22 April for fast implementation of the Geneva agreement that is intended to enable a de-escalation in Ukraine.
On 22 April, Michael Mann, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, called on all the parties “to respect the terms and conditions” of the 17 April Geneva agreement, stating that “everything that is written into the agreement must be applied. It is important for all the parties to act in good faith”, he added. He also condemned all the acts of violence and called for restraint.
Mann stated that the EU's deadline for implementing the agreement was the same as that of US Secretary of State John Kerry. On Monday 21 April, Kerry spoke of a deadline of “a few days” away. At the end of the meeting in Geneva, Kerry said that he had “clearly told” his counterpart in Russia, Sergei Lavrov, that “if we are not able to see progress on the immediate efforts to be able to implement the principles of this agreement this weekend [Ed. Easter weekend] then we will have no other choice than to impose further costs on Russia”. US Vice-president Joe Biden called on Russia on Tuesday to withdraw its troops at Ukraine's border and to cease its support for the pro-Russian separatism in the east of the country. “It is time to stop speaking and to begin acting (…) We must see measures taken immediately. Time is pressing”, he said during a visit to Kiev.
“The week has just begun. We will see what happens on the ground”, Mann stated. “We have seen some initial signs of application and that's good”, he said, speaking about the amnesty of the people who have disarmed.
Mann stated that the taking of further sanctions, including the extension of the list of sanctioned people, will be “according to what happens in Ukraine”. “Everything depends, to a large extent, on what happens on the ground”, he repeated. On 14 April, the EU foreign affairs ministers decided to lengthen the list of the 33 people currently targeted by sanctions, and put to one side the immediate taking of economic sanctions against Russia. The EU's diplomatic service is working on this new list of people targeted by a visa ban and assets freeze. The European Commission last week sent the member states an assessment of the impact that each of these economic sanctions would have against Moscow.
On Tuesday 22 April, the acting Ukrainian president, Oleksandr Turchynov, stressed that “Russia and its terrorist units in Ukraine clearly refuse to implement the Geneva agreement”, and the pro-Russians, by storming the police building and capturing the head of police at Kramatorsk instead of disarming and evacuating the occupied buildings, “put a cross” on this agreement. Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the east of Ukraine and Crimea.
On Monday 21 April, Sweden's Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Bildt stated that “no one had yet seen the pro-Russian forces in the east of Ukraine leaving the buildings and disarming”. “And there is no sign from Moscow urging them [to do so] either”, he added.
During a telephone conversation with Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, Lavrov stressed “the need for the strict implementation by the current authorities in Kiev of the arrangements in the Geneva statement, including the halt to violent actions and the launch of an extended national dialogue as part of the constitutional reform process”.
On 20 April, a gunfight left four people dead - three pro-Russian protesters and one attacker - in a village in East Ukraine which is totally controlled by pro-Russians. The pro-Russians also extended their control to new public buildings.
Geneva statement. As stated in EUROPE 11063, the EU, US, Ukraine and Russia adopted a statement in Geneva on 17 April, which contains the initial steps to defuse the tension and re-establish security for all citizens. According to this statement, all parties must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocation. The countries condemn all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism. “All the illegal armed groups must be disarmed; all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated”, stipulates the Geneva statement. It also provides for an amnesty to be granted to protesters and to those who have left buildings and other public places and surrendered weapons - with the exception of those found guilty of capital crimes. The US, the EU and Russia commit to supporting the OSCE special monitoring mission, including by providing observers. The announced constitutional process will be “inclusive, transparent and accountable” according to the Geneva statement. This constitutional process will include the immediate establishment of a wide national dialogue, open to all the regions of Ukraine and political groups, and will allow for the consideration of public comments and proposed amendments. The parties underline the importance of “economic and financial stability in Ukraine” and say they are ready to discuss additional support as the above steps are implemented. (CG with LC)