Peace In Rebel-Held Ukraine Not Guaranteed With New Elections - MP

What You Need To Know:

✅ Elections in rebel-held East Ukraine won't end the conflict;
✅ If conflict erupts again after elections, then media will label it a civil war;
✅ The ceasefire, withdrawal of weapons and release of political prisoners must be ensured;
✅ Constant concessions to Russia will diminish Ukrainian government's authority.

Svitlana Zalishchuk, a Parliament deputy in the Petro Poroshenko Bloc believes the West should not see election in the Donbas as an end to the conflict in the East.
“Imagine if the elections take place and we have amnestied, sometime criminal, sometimes corrupt people in the power with the new government which has special status and power granted to them by the Ukrainian Parliament. And they appoint their own ministers, judges etc. The peace is not guaranteed with these elections in the occupied area. And if the conflict continues it will then be perceived as an internal conflict.”
Zalishchuk believes a policy of engagement and a conflict resolution strategy is still far from realistic implementation, “ The real issues that are being discussed is the cease fire, withdrawal of weapons, and the release of political prisoners… even those three things haven’t been insured and are still on the agenda.”
Zalishchuk is also worried that concessions by the Ukrainian government can challenge the legitimacy of its power, “We observe a persistent unfulfillment of the Minsk agreement from the Russian side. And it’s being implemented at the price of the Ukrainian government’s concessions.”
Svitlana Zalishchuk spoke with the Sunday Show's Ian Bateson and Nataliya Gumenyuk on October 4, 2015.

Peace In Rebel-Held Ukraine Not Guaranteed With New Elections - MP by Hromadske International on Mixcloud