There is a new plan for peaceful settlement of conflict in Donbass with UN participation - OSCE representative

There is a new plan for the peaceful settlement of conflict in the Donbass with the UN participation, which should replace the Minsk agreements. It should be approved by the Normandy Four, - Special Representative of the OSCE in the Tripartite Contact Group on the settlement of situation in the east of Ukraine Martin Sajdik stated in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, - UNN reports.

"For many years we have seen what was not entirely clear in the Minsk agreements. A mandatory part is that to implement the central element, to hold local elections, external assistance is required. We concluded that this could only be the UN", - Sajdik noted.

According to him, the task of the OSCE is to monitor the elections, so it cannot take part in their organization. In addition, according to Sajdik, it is necessary to engage the UN, since there are too little human resources in the OSCE.

The representative of the organization also noted that, theoretically, the UN and OSCE should have a common leadership headed by a so-called special representative. It is also proposed to establish the EU reconstruction agency in Donbass that would cooperate with the general leadership of the UN mission and OSCE, not being under its control.

The new peace plan offers a new approach, according to which representatives of the Normandy format, heads of states and governments of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany should sign a new document, the diplomat confirmed.

"This is a central element. We need an agreement that will truly have political and legal weight. The Minsk agreements have not been ratified by either the Russian or Ukrainian parliaments. This, of course, is an issue. Our idea is to have this political weight, which everyone will then adhere to in order to implement the document, which has also been approved by parliaments", - Sajdik said.

He noted that the OSCE presented its new plan in Milan during the last meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in December, where representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France were present and could ask questions and give comments.