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UN chief urges commitment to Ukraine peace deal

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IANS United Nations

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday urged all parties to the Ukraine conflict to fulfill the commitments made at the peace talks in Minsk and ensure a genuine and lasting ceasefire.

In a statement released through his spokesperson, Ban commended the efforts made by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany to bring the conflict to an end, according to a Xinhua report.

"In that regard, the secretary general expects that the commitments which have been made in Minsk will be respected by the parties. He urges the parties concerned to ensure that a genuine and lasting ceasefire commences Feb 15 as agreed, paving the way for a broader political settlement of the conflict, based on the Minsk accords," said the statement.

 

Ban also said that the UN stands ready to assist "in any way deemed helpful", and promised that the UN would continue to monitor the human rights situation in Ukraine and deliver humanitarian support to those in need.

Earlier Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced a peace deal following 14-hour marathon talks in Minsk.

The deal envisages a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and independence-seeking insurgents starting Sunday, followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

The peace talks that began Wednesday has been seen as the high point of intensive mulitilateral efforts aimed at finding a way out of the crisis in Ukriane, where more than 5,300 people have been killed since April last year.

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First Published: Feb 13 2015 | 4:48 AM IST

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