Kyiv, 13 June 2014 – “It has been 18 and 15 days respectively since we last heard from Donetsk and Luhansk monitoring teams,” reported Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine at the briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center. According to Mr. Bociurkiw there is still no direct communication with eight missing colleagues, no individual or group has come forward to claim responsibility for their seizure. “We do appeal to any groups or individuals who are holding our colleagues to make immediate contact with us, we also appeal to the general public: if you do know anything, please let us know as well.”
Such public appeal made earlier has actually yielded positive results. According to Mr. Bociurkiw “From bits and pieces of information we’ve received so far we can confirm that they (the seized OSCE monitors) are fine. Also three missing OSCE vehicles were spotted on the move”.
Mr. Bociurkiw updated on the OSCE contribution to the conflict settlement through a number of top-scale governmental meetings. “Swiss diplomat and Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini arrived here in Kyiv on 7 June, she will represent the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in the trilateral contact group” set to facilitate dialogue between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on implementation of peaceful plan in Eastern Ukraine. In addition to that “the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister and President of the Confederation Didier Burkhalter met Ukraine’s President and the Prime Minister in Kyiv to discuss the OSCE support in establishing the programme for disarmament of illegal armed groups.”
Answering the question on the OSCE participation in the recent governmental initiative to establish a humanitarian corridor in eastern Ukraine, the OSCE SMM spokesman said: “It’s not a part of our mandate as we are not an operational agency. However Ukraine’s government approached us to be briefed on the concept”.
Michael Bociurkiw shared positive developments from the OSCE monitoring team in Odessa. “We’ve received a briefing on many different levels of the dialogue established by our team in Odessa with the civil society. Negotiations to set a platform towards peace and de-escalation are underway”, he said.
