Page 9 - ATD 03OCT,2015
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WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 3 October 2015
Europeans host Russian, Ukrainian leaders for peace talks
N. VASILYEVA take 41 days, his press of- liberated,” his office said. is not going to compromise Oct. 25 and other elections
S. CORBET fice reported. The conflict in Ukraine’s in- on Crimea, which Russia the rebels are proposing
Associated Press Asked whether the pull- dustrial heartland between occupied after a hastily Oct. 18 and Nov. 1.
PARIS (AP) — A summit re- back agreement, which Russia-backed separatists called referendum. Hollande said after the
viving a European push summit that the local elec-
to bring peace to eastern Sitting round a table for talks are from left, clockwise: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, tions should be organized
Ukraine ended Friday with under the Ukrainian elec-
a call for the delay of con- Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and French President tion law, “which means the
tentious rebel plans to hold elections of Oct. 18 cannot
local elections this month Francois Hollande, during an informal meeting in Paris, France, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, in a revived be held.” He said the elec-
and for both sides to begin tions could be held 90 days
a promised withdrawal of European push to bring peace to eastern Ukraine. The long-awaited summit in Paris on Friday is after Ukraine passes a law
smaller-caliber weapons. enabling the vote.
Russian President Vladimir being overshadowed by international concerns about Russia’s military intervention in Syria this The Ukrainian parliament
Putin met Ukrainian Presi- earlier this year passed a
dent Petro Poroshenko, week. (Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) law, calling local elections
French President Francois across the country, exclud-
Hollande and German should effectively alleviate and government troops, The fighting in eastern ing the east since Ukrainian
Chancellor Angela Merkel a threat of artillery attacks which has killed more than Ukraine has dwindled sig- officials have no access to
at a long-awaited sum- on civilians, means an end 8,000 and displaced 2 mil- nificantly in recent weeks, these areas.
mit in Paris that was over- to the war, Poroshenko lion, broke out in April 2014, but tensions remain over Conducting the vote in
shadowed by international said: “It means there’s a a month after Russia an- the final status of the rebel rebel-held areas without
concerns about Russia’s truce. The war will be over nexed Ukraine’s Crimea. regions. A particular con- cooperation with Kiev
military intervention in Syria when the last piece of the Poroshenko’s comments cern is over a dispute about could among other things
this week. Ukrainian land has been on Friday showed that Kiev regional elections planned pave the way to electoral
The meeting was the first fraud: when rebels elected
since the leaders worked their leaders last October
out a peace deal in Minsk they had no access to of-
in February. That accord ficial Ukrainian electoral
has been troubled, but rolls, meaning that multiple
there have been signs of voting was impossible to
progress in recent weeks, prevent.
including a breakthrough Indicating that the rebels
agreement this week on could change their minds
withdrawing tanks and soon and agree to a delay,
many weapons. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry
After the meeting, Porosh- Peskov told reporters that
enko said the government Putin promised to have an
side would begin the pull- envoy discuss the election
back on Saturday that will issues with rebel leaders.q
Hungary’s Orban attacks Croatian counterpart over migrants
PABLO GORONDI than 100 police and soldiers migration, think the wave voy of the Socialist Inter- Hungary’s foreign minister,
Associated Press to help Hungary defend its of migrants reaching Eu- national who is supposed Peter Szijjarto, last month
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) European Union borders, rope is a “good thing” and to attack Hungary,” Orban called Milanovic’s han-
— Hungary’s prime minis- which could include the their leaders “are following continued, adding that he dling of the migrant crisis
ter lambasted his Croatian border with Croatia. That the orders not so much of had refrained from criti- “pathetic,” while Milanovic
counterpart Friday, accus- could create the awkward their people as of the So- cizing Milanovic until now said Hungary’s border
ing him of being the envoy situation of EU members cialist International.” in the interest of the long- fences were a disgrace.
of a global left-wing orga- guarding the borders of Orban said on state radio term relationship between Thousands of migrants a
nization with the job of at- a fellow member country that “we don’t consider their countries. day are streaming into
tacking Hungary — some with troops. what the Croatian prime Politicians from the two Hungary from Croatia,
the strongest statements Hungarian Prime Minister minister says to be the countries have been trad- through which they were
yet in neighborhood dis- Viktor Orban said that the opinion of the Croatian ing barbs since Hungary’s forced to detour because
putes caused by the mi- parties in the Socialist In- people.” decision on Sept. 15 to of the fence. They are
grant crisis. ternational, which includes “When they hear the Cro- close its border with Serbia searching for clear paths
Meanwhile, officials in the Croatian Prime Minister atian prime minister, I ask with a high fence protect- toward Germany and oth-
Czech Republic said they Zoran Milanovic’s Social Hungarians not to hear a ed by razor wire, police er destinations in the Euro-
were willing to send more Democratic Party, support Croatian man but an en- and soldiers. pean Union.q
