Germany has condemned the detention of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers in eastern Ukraine and called for an immediate and unconditional release of them, a German government spokesperson said Monday.
Steffen Seibert said the detained observers, among them four Germans, were captured without any reason.
"The German government condemns the detention of the OSCE observers in the strongest term," Xinhua quoted Seibert as saying, while urging the captors to release the detainees immediately and unconditionally and keep them unharmed.
Pro-Russia fighters captured a group of international military observers in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk Friday, claiming that a Ukrainian spy was travelling with the group.
The eight observers were part of a 12-member military verification team deployed last month by the Vienna-based OSCE in eastern Ukraine to monitor political and security situation in the country following pro-Russia protests in its eastern region.
Over the freeing of one inspector Sunday, the spokesperson said it was a positive first step, adding that Germany supports the intensive efforts being made by the OSCE to achieve the entire team's release.
The OSCE has sent a negotiating team to Sloviansk trying to secure the team's release.
