Page 9 - ATD 07 October,2015

WORLD NEWS 9
Wednesday 7 October 2015

Ukraine rebels to delay local election, sidestep tense topic

A column of Pro-Russian rebel tanks prepare to move from the front line near Oleksandrivka, zation for Security and Co- Petro Poroshenko said.
operation in Europe. U.S. State Department
Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine. Officials in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine announced Donetsk had planned an spokesman Mark Toner
election on Oct. 18 and also welcomed the rebels’
Luhansk was going to vote decision.
on Nov. 1. “People living in separatist-
In exchange for postpon- controlled areas deserve
ing the vote, the separatists to pick their local officials
say Ukraine must grant a in elections that meet in-
special status to the mostly ternational standards, are
Russian-speaking region, compliant with Ukrainian
broadly called Donbass, law and monitored by the
as envisioned by Minsk OSCE,” he told reporters in
peace accord. “This paves Washington.
the way for Ukraine’s re- Leonid Slutsky, a top mem-
turn to Donbass by helping ber of the foreign affairs
to conduct the election in committee in Russia’s par-
accordance with Ukrainian liament, said he welcomed
law, on the basis of OSCE the move “but I have
standards and certainly doubts about how much
without the occupation capacity Poroshenko has
forces,” Ukrainian President to fulfill his obligations.”q

Tuesday they will postpone local elections. (AP Photo)

MOSCOW (AP) — Officials Ukraine’s president and A statement Tuesday from
in rebel-controlled eastern Russian lawmakers hailed Denis Pushilin and Vladislav
Ukraine announced Tues- the move as a step toward Deinego said the rebel-
day they will postpone lo- peace. More than 8,000 run areas of Donetsk and
cal elections that were people have been killed Luhansk provinces would
going to be held shortly, since April 2014 during put off their local votes
sidestepping a contentious fighting between Ukrainian until Feb. 21. The two men
issue that had blocked government troops and are the rebel envoys to the
progress toward a resolu- the Russia-backed sepa- Minsk Group peace talks
tion for the war in Ukraine. ratists. mediated by the Organi-

After weeks of unrest,

Palestinian leader Abbas appeals for calm

JOSEF FEDERMAN jamin Netanyahu vowed yahu are dealing with
Associated Press to take even tougher precarious domestic situ-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Pales- measures to quell the vio- ations as they try to find a
tinian President Mahmoud lence. way out of the crisis.
Abbas called Tuesday for The clashes erupted three Netanyahu is under heavy
calm after several weeks weeks ago at the start of pressure, particularly from
of heightened unrest with the Jewish new year and hard-liners in his governing
Israel, saying his people have turned more violent coalition, to respond with
had no interest in any fur- in recent days. Four Israe- a tough crackdown. Ab-
ther “escalation” and urg- lis were killed last week in bas, fed up with years of
ing renewed dialogue. shooting and stabbing diplomatic paralysis and
The comments marked attacks in Jerusalem and unpopular with his public,
the Palestinian leader’s the West Bank, while Israe- does not want to appear
strongest attempt yet to li forces have killed four to be caving in to Israeli
restore calm after the Palestinians, including a pressure. Yet neither man
worst outbreak of fighting 13-year-old boy, amid vio- has an interest in seeing
in months, and came as lent protests. the violence spin out of
Israeli Prime Minister Ben- Both Abbas and Netan- control.q