Law on Donbas re-integration in line with Minsk deals: Ukrainian president

KIEV, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The law on the re-integration of the insurgent-controlled Donbas region in eastern Ukraine under Kiev's sovereignty is in line with the Minsk peace deals, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Monday.

"I would like to emphasize that neither the spirit nor the letter of this law contradicts the Minsk accords," Poroshenko was quoted as saying by his press service.

"Ukraine has been strictly adhering and will continue to adhere to its obligations," he added.

Poroshenko said he will sign the legislation as soon as it is submitted by the parliament.

Last week, the Ukrainian parliament passed the law on the Donbas re-integration, which defines areas controlled by pro-independence rebels as "temporarily occupied territories."

The law is designed to safeguard the rights of people living in the Donbas, the Ukrainian parliament said in a statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it saw the law as "preparations for a new war" and accused Kiev of violating the Minsk deals designed to peacefully end the conflict in the Donbas.

The final text of the legislation has not been published by the Ukrainian parliament yet.

The conflict in Ukraine's eastern Lugansk and Donetsk regions, together known as Donbas, started in April 2014 after government forces launched offensives to regain control of the cities and towns seized by armed groups which declared independence from Kiev.

Ukraine has long accused Russia of aiding the insurgents and sending troops to combat areas in Donbas. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Kiev's claims, saying that Ukraine has offered no evidence of Russia's alleged involvement in the conflict.

The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015, envisage a ceasefire, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the contact line, a prisoner exchange and local elections, among other measures. Enditem