Donbas elections possible if OSCE police mission is deployed - Poroshenko
WASHINGTON. March 31 (Interfax) - The local elections may be held in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions only if the security situation there improves, if a police mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is deployed in these districts and control over the state border sector is transferred back to the Ukrainian side, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
"We are interested in unblocking the political process and holding the local elections in Donbas. However, these elections will be possible only if certain conditions are met," the president told 'Ukraine's Ongoing Battle for Freedom' forum at the U.S. Congress building.
Russia ought to fulfill the security points of the Minsk agreements instead of manipulating the phrase 'holding the local elections in compliance with Ukraine's legislation and international standards', Poroshenko said.
Another important condition is deploying an OSCE police mission to maintain security before, during and after the elections, he said. Another condition is launching a process to restore Ukraine's control over the sector of the border with Russia, Poroshenko said.