OSCE decides to send 1,000 more staff to Ukraine

(Baonghean.vn) - On Thursday, March 12, a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced that the organization will double the number of observers in eastern Ukraine.

On Thursday, Mr. Mersiha Podzic - spokesman of the OSCE organization said, "The above decision was unanimously made by the member countries of the organization. Accordingly, depending on each situation, the number of people performing the mission can be up to 1,000 people. The above missions will be extended until March 31, 2016."

In Ukraine, observers from 40 countries are continuing their work. In early March, the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia called for more observers to help “effectively monitor” the latest ceasefire reached by the Ukrainian army and separatists on the border between Ukraine and Russia.

OSCE staff in Ukraine. Photo: AP/Mstyslaw Chernov

Earlier, in Kiev, Mr. Alexander Hug - Deputy Director of the OSCE Special Monitoring Program in Ukraine announced that the ceasefire was being observed on the ground, but he said that the ceasefire was very fragile and could be broken at any time. According to information networks in areas such as Donetsk and Luhansk, Hug said that there were still some gunshots in these areas.

A positive sign of progress in the ceasefire between Kiev and the separatists is the withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides. According to Mr. Hug, OSCE observers are currently trying to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons, although they are still facing obstacles from both sides. Until now, OSCE staff have not been able to fully inventory the weapons and have not been able to access the locations where the weapons are stored.

Chu Thanh - according to LeMonde March 12