Donetsk, Oct 9 – DAN. Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE SMM Mark Etherington has arrived to Petrovskoye today, DAN correspondent reports.
The elimination of violations of the disengagement agreement is expected to begin today in the Petrovskoye demilitarized zone and in Zolotoye zone (LPR).
Monitors plan to launch an UAV to estimate the situation on the ground and check earlier recorded violations. After that the sides are to fire white signal flares to confirm they are ready to embark on elimination of violations. Green signal flares are expected to be fired when the process is complete.
Demining activities are to begin on October 13 and to last for a week.
Overall, the process of eliminating violations is to take 30 days.
The Contact Group endorsed a plan to eliminate violations in Petrovskoye (DPR) and Zolotoye (LPR) on October 1, the process is to take 30 days and to begin on October 7.
LPR and DPR representatives initialed a Framework Agreement on pullback of forces in Donbass on September 21-23, 2016, which was also signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE. The document provides for three disengagement areas around Zolotoye, Stanitsa Luganskaya (LPR territory) and Petrovskoe (DPR territory). Security zones of at least zone two km wide and two km long are to be established in each sector.
The Framework Agreement is key to further bilateral withdrawal of forces from the contact line which could significantly contribute to the peaceful settlement in the region. *ot