France urges immediate stop of clashes in Ukraine
Xinhua, June 5, 2015 Adjust font size:
France called on rival camps in Ukraine to immediately end fighting which has escalated in recent days, dashing hopes to implement the Minsk peace deal and preserve the regions stability, the country's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
"We are concerned by the information relating to battles in Maryinka. They have to stop immediately," foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said in an online briefing.
"The full implementation of agreements reached in February in Minsk is the only condition to ensure a peaceful and lasting solution to the situation in eastern Ukraine," he added.
On Wednesday, violence escalated in Maryinka where rival sides used heavy weapons in the first serious fighting since they agreed on a peace accord. Kiev numbered five deaths and 39 people wounded while the militants said Wednesday's clash killed 19 people.
The Minsk ceasefire deal, brokered by Paris and Berlin, envisaged both sides withdrawing heavy weapons 25 to 70 km from the front line to create a buffer zone, to start withdrawing heavy weaponry from the battle area and release prisoners.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was scheduled for Friday to discuss the worsening security situation in Kiev, four months after the peace deal came into force. Endit