UN SG Spokesman Dujarric to EuroFora: for Security Council to decide on Ukraine Peace Keeping Force

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Experienced, twice UN Secretary General's Spokesman, and Director of UNO's Press service, Stephane Dujarric, speaking to "EuroFora" by phone at a crucial moment for the Ukraine conflict, (while War Warnings were spreading if a Draft Plan proposed by a Franco-German joint Initiative discussed by President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel with Russian and Ukranian Presidents Putin and Poroschenko the last two Days, didn't evolve within reach of Agreement Tomorrow, Sunday, eve of German Chancellor's visit to US President Obama at Wash. D.C. and to Canada before a crucial EU Summit of Thursday, February 12, next week in Brussels), did not exclude that the No 1 among 3 reported Stumbling Blocks in the on-going Discussions might, eventually, find adequate support and/or practical help by the International Organization headquartered at New York :

- "EuroFora", in particular, asked Dujarric if the UN could, or not, contribute, in one way or another, to meet the Need of an efficient and adequate "Interposition or Peace-keeping Force", with a composition which might be percieved by both sides as Neutral and/or Balanced, due mainly to help ensure the Implementation of a sustainable Cease-Fire and Buffer Zone's respect, in application of an eventual Peace Plan based on an UpDate of September 5, 2014, Minsk Agreement, etc., given the Fact that OSCE had been found useful but Insufficient yet for that purpose, while a participation of ODKB, composed by CIS (former USSR) Countries was reportedly rejected by Kiev.

 A Mainstream German Euro-Politician, long-time President of the Franco-German Friendship Group inside Berlin's Bundestag, and Foreign Affairs' spokesman of the Governing, ChristianDemocrat/CDU-CSU Majority, in whose Group he was also vice-President, as well as, until recently, in charge of relations with Russia, Andreas Schockenhof, had reportedly proposed, indeed, to use a UNO's Blue Helmets' Force in Ukraine, in order to Stop the Deadly and Destructive Clashes, as early as since Late July 2014, but he suddenly Died himself, from ill-elucidated causes, on early December 2014. Another, similar Call had reportedly been launched also by an Ukranian Politician in Kiev's Rada, more recently, but without any obvious result.

Meanwhile, earlier Today in Paris, experienced former French President, and recently Elected new Head of mainstream Opposition Party "UMP" (Center-Right), Nicolas Sarkozy, underlined a "Need to Find the means for an Interposition Force in order to Protect Ukraine's Russian-speaking Populationj" from more Attacks, as he reportedly said, while various other observers were focusing on Minsk Cease-Fire respect.

Before leaving from New York, Dujarric had just anounced that UNO's SG Ban Ki Moon met with OSCE's rotating President in officfe, Serbian deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, to "Discuss  the Conflict in Ukraine in Depth", both agreeing on the Urgent need for a Cease-fire, the Protection of Civilians as a foremost concern, and a durable Political Solution", noting that both himself and the (UN's) Deputy Secretary-General – who is currently in Munich for the Security Conference – are continuing to engage with key Stakeholders" present there, (such as Merkel, Poroshenko, Biden, Lavrov, etc). Since what happened Last Year (2014), after hitting more than a Million of Refugees/Displaced People, now (2015) "we have a Humanitarian Catastrophe unfolding before our eyes, and this underscores the Urgent need for a Political Agreement", Dujarric told the Press at N.Y..

- But, Now, "the issue is that any UN Peace-keeping force will have to be agreed to by the (UN) Security Council", as a matter of general Principle, UN SG's Spokesman stressed Today (Saturday), in Reply  to the above-mentioned "EuroFora"s Question.
I.e. the interesting thing is that UNO's experienced Top Spokesman didn't exclude at all that UN "Blue Helmetss" might be deployed in Ukraine.

    => -  in consequence, "For that, a Discussion will have to be There (i.e. inside the UN SC) First" of all, Stephane Dujarric pointed out.

    - Pending what, "it's not for the (UN) Secretary General to decide such kind of things", since all "the Peace keeping forces are decided by the (UN) SC", as he reiterated, pointing three times towards UNO's Supreme Inter-Governemental Political body, (the same Week that even COE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, has also made Critical References to the UN SC on the occasion both of Ukraine and of the Global Fight against Extremist Islamist Terrorism : Comp. : ......).

    + However, UNO's Top Spokesman was interested to specify "to what Draft" Peace Plan for Ukraine "EuroFora" had referred to (may be because, at any case, an initial Putin's proposal would have been already send to all 4 directly involved Parties, reportedly as early as from 25 January 2015, i.e. shortly before Hollande - Merkel's Franco-German Summit in Strasbourg : Comp. : ...., and certainly of their Visits to Kiev and Moscow last Thursday and Friday, February 5 and 6), and promissed to "try to call (us) back, as soon as (he) might have something" more concrete on the above-mentioned issue.

    - Dujarric had "just arrived", together with UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, "in Saudi Arabia", this Saturday evening, before heading towards the UAE, and returning back to New York's UNO HQ, from Tuesday, 10 February 2015, when the Next meeting of the UN SC would take place, (See Infra).

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    Currently, UN SC's rotating Presidency for February 2015 is held by China, which will be followed by France on March.

    UNO's Under-Secretary General for  Peace-Keeping operations is, since 2011, Hervé Ladsous, an experienced Diplomat who served also as former Quai d'Orsay Press Spokesman in Paris, before becoming Ambassador to China.

    By a Topical Coincidence, French Prime Minister Valls has just visited China, a few Days ago, where he had also an official meeting with President Xi Jinping.

    Xi had expressed a quite Balanced position on the Ukraine issue, in reply to Press Questions during his visit to Germany, as part of his 1st European tour between mainly Paris, Berlin and Brussels, back on March 2014 : Asked about Principles, he reportedly observed that, in tha case of Ukraine it was both the States' Territorial Integrity and the Non Interference in Internal Affairs, which had been affected in this complex case, (one of the two points apparently concerning Crimea, and another the provocation of riots and violent clashes up to an immediate change of regime, at Maidan Square in Kiev).

    France, inter alia, has already succeeded to Stop War in Europe, back on August 2008, when former President Sarkozy, chairing then the EU, after Phone a.o. contacts with Merkel, a.o., moved swiftly to Russia and Georgia, who signed a Peace Agreement, and played an important role on July 2014 on efforts towards Peace in Ukraine, also by creating (anew in cooperation with Merkel) the so-called "Normandy format" of Direct Top Contacts between Heads of State/Government (and/or their Foreign Ministers) from 4 European Countries : the Franco-German couple, Ukraine and Russia, as well as facilitated the 1st ever meeting between Poroshenko and Putin, in addition to the present attempts at the beginning of 2015.

    As for Germany, currently EU's most Populated and Richest Country, with a recently growing Political influence in European affairs,  while Chancelor Merkel had already declared her Intentio to Search a Peaceful Compromise Agreement with Russia on Ukraine as early as, already, since the December 2013 EU Summit in Brussels, (See relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport from Brussels, then : ......),  even if it currently Chairs the G7 during 2015 and will take over the OSCE Presidency on 2016, nevertheless, it is still deprived not only from Nuclear Force, but also from any Permanent participation inside UNO's Security Council, making even more important in practice Berlin's "Complempentarity" with Paris for "Joint" Peace initiatives.

    Meanwhile, the "Provisional Programme" of UNO's Security Council's "Work" for February 2015, (as updated on Friday, 6.2.2015 by its current, Chinese Przesidency, i.e. apparently after Hollande - Merkel's meetings with Poroshenko and Putin : Comp. Supra), has curiously scheduled Two Exceptionaly ... Empty (i.e. without any Fiixed, pre-programmed official Activity) Days in the forthcoming Week : On Monday, 9.2.2015, (i.e. the same Day that EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by German MEP Elmar Brok, has organized an Exceptional Hearing of Russian Duma's International affairs Committee's President, Alexey Pushkov, in Strasbourg), and on Thursday, 12.2.2015, i.e. just after the forthcoming EU Summit, which is due to deal also with developments on Ukraine, (given also the Difference of Time between Brussels and New York). Timely Facts indicating that UNO closely follows the main developments on Ukaine in Europe, being Ready to act accordingly, if/when/as it might become necessary...

UN has Today 16 Peace-Keeping Forces accross the World, among whom, 2 have been already send in Europe, and particularly in Cyprus and former Yugoslavia areas.

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    + Among the Other Sticking Points at the current Draft Plan for Cease-Fire and Peace in Ukraine, reportedly are also the Extend of the DeCentralisation of Power promissed by Poroshenko since July 2014, but not yet legaly decided, (a Key issue for a Peaceful Solution), and the Definition of the exact Map of the Buffer Zone distinguishing between the Kiev-controled areas and those held by the Donetsk/Luhansk regions' Autonomists, (etc).

    The First among those remaining points, probably the most Important for Future Peace, (a  Future Status between Federation members or Regions with large Autonomies inside Ukraine, for Donetsk/Luhansk, in order to Avoid Independence and Separatism), it is monitored mainly by the PanEuropean CoE, here in Strasbourg, whose Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, has send, earlier this Week at Kiev, a Team of Top Oficials from the competent "Venice Commission"'s Constitutional Law Experts to deal with that, (Comp. also Jagland's relevant statements and Reply to an "EuroFora"s Question at : ......).

    As for the Last-mentioned point, that of the "Buffer Line"'s Map Today, Kiev's reported claim for "Restitution" of all Land in Donetsk/Luhansk Regions, recently recuperated by the Autonomists, during various local Clashes, apparently seems excessive or unfounded, if not even Dangerous for the Future : Because, otherwise, whenever any side might take the initiative to declare broken a Compromise Deal including Cease-Fire, it would do so in Impunity, since it could always "recuperate" afterwards any Land that it might, eventualy, Loose during the subsequent Deadly Clashes, without taking any Risk for its move to Backfire. I.e. as Kiev's authorities almost did, since November 2014, when they Cancelled the only Part of Reforms that they had made earlier, accusing Donetsk/Luhansk's Autonomists to have completely "breached" and nullified the September 2014 "Minsk" Agreement, on the sole Pretext that they had simply Elected, by a Direct Popular Vote, their 2 overall Political Leaders mandated to represent them. (A move which, obviously, had Nothing t do with the totaly Unrelated "Local Elections" of many Mayors in the various Cities and Villages located inside Lugansk/Luhansk Regions controlled by the Autonomists, as it was foreseeen by the Minsk Agreements of 9/2014 for December 2014).

+ Moreover most of these contested Lands,  recuperated by the Autonomists after that November 2014 controversial move by Kiev's Authorities, are not only unquestionably part of their own Regions of Donetsk/Luhansk (whose Population had participated at the May 2014 Referendum and at the subsequent Movement for Autonomy, but were Conquered by Kiev's Army after it launched Deadly Military Attacks with Heavy Weapons from late April 2014), but also so Close to Inhabited areas, mainly around the Biggest Capital of the Autonomist Regions : Donetsk City, that the long presence of an Attacking Kiev's Army near Family Homes, Schools, Bus-stops, Administrative buildings, Hospitals, etc, contributed into provoking a great Number of Civiiian Victims, including Women, Children, Elderly People, etc., (as, f.ex. inside the City's Airport, etc), and would obviously make extremely Difficult, also in the Future, a real Safe, Autonomous life for the until recently Surrounded Mega-City's population, (while, on the contrary, they don't seem to have any real importance for the huge Kiev -controlled areas of Ukraine's vast country-side, which incllude, still Today, even a Large Part of the Donetsk - Luhansk Regions, that Kiev's Army has Conquered by Force after many Months of Military Attacks with Heavy Weapons, such as Tanks, Rockets Shelling, Bomber Airplanes, etc., resulting in more than 5.400 Victims and almost 1,5 Million of Refugees/Displaced Persons since Last April 2014 )...

 

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