UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists vote to enact a constitution to govern the self-proclaimed Union of People's Republics in eastern Ukraine.
Record ID:
450906
UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists vote to enact a constitution to govern the self-proclaimed Union of People's Republics in eastern Ukraine.
- Title: UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists vote to enact a constitution to govern the self-proclaimed Union of People's Republics in eastern Ukraine.
- Date: 26th June 2014
- Summary: RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT. DONETSK, UKRAINE (JUNE 26, 2014) (REUTERS) START OF CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES OF SELF-PROCLAIMED UNION OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLICS SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTY READING FROM TABLET WITH EMBLEM OF SELF-PROCLAIMED DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC PANEL SITTING IN FRONT OF SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES PANEL, INCLUDING CHIEF OF SUPREME COUNCIL OF SELF-PROCLAIMED LUHANSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, ALEXEI KARYAKIN (WEARING BLUE SHIRT) PRO-RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN DEPUTY AND FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OLEG TSAREV COMING DOWN TO PANEL AND SHAKING HANDS WITH KARYAKIN SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES AT MEETING PATCH READING IN RUSSIAN "NOVOROSSIYA" WITH ST. GEORGE'S RIBBON PANEL INCLUDING KARYAKIN AND TSAREV (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES READING AGENDA VARIOUS OF MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR DEAD PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS TSAREV SPEAKING TEXT OF CONSTITUTIONAL ACT ON CREATION OF UNION OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLICS VARIOUS OF SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES RAISING HANDS, VOTING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL ACT (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRO-RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN DEPUTY AND FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, OLEG TSAREV, SAYING: "I would like say a few words about this constitution. It's a constitution of confederation. A government will be created according to the principle of equality. Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic will participate in this process. As far as there are two republics, the government will be created with the proportion 50% to 50%." SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES APPLAUDING SECRETARY SPEAKING AT PODIUM SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTIES RAISING HANDS, VOTING FOR APPOINTMENT TSAREV AS SPEAKER OF JOINT PARLIAMENT SELF-PROCLAIMED DEPUTY LISTENING TSAREV RAISING AND SHAKING HANDS WITH KARYAKIN/AUDIBLE APPLAUDING SELF-PROCLAIMED PRIME MINISTER OF DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC ALEKSANDER BORODAI SHAKING HANDS WITH TSAREV AND KARYAKIN
- Embargoed: 11th July 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA5QNQGZ7YO3Z79RXBC7KLKKWXS
- Story Text: Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine voted on Thursday (June 26) to enact a self-proclaimed constitution to govern their newly formed confederation.
Rebels from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic gathered to take the vote in an administration building occupied by rebels in the city of Donetsk, the day after they agreed to join forces.
Ukrainian parliament deputy and former presidential candidate, Oleg Tsarev, said the constitution would create a fair government for the self-proclaimed Union of People's Republics.
"I would like say a few words about this constitution. It's a constitution of confederation. A government will be created according to the principle of equality. Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic will participate in this process. As far as there are two republics, the government will be created with the proportion 50% to 50%," Tsarev said.
Ukraine's government does not recognise the self-proclaimed republics formed by the Russian-speaking rebel groups in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities and Western powers accuse Russia of fuelling the conflict and arming separatists.
The West warned Russia on Wednesday (June 25) that they could impose new sanctions if it did not do more to defuse the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where the ceasefire between Russian-speaking rebels and government forces appeared to be crumbling.
The upper house of Russia's parliament fulfilled a request by President Vladimir Putin to rescind the right to invade Ukraine in defence of its Russian speakers that it had granted him in March.
Western governments indicated they would judge Russia by the progress that was made in ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
On Tuesday (June 24), less than 24 hours after a bilateral ceasefire was agreed, rebels shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter, killing all nine on board. This prompted Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to tell his troops to return fire if attacked, declaring that he might call off the ceasefire altogether.
Just as the ceasefire expires on Friday (June 27), Poroshenko is set to sign a free trade agreement with the EU - the very pact that Yanukovich rejected in January under heavy pressure from Russia, which had wanted Ukraine's 45 million people to join its own Eurasian Economic Union.
Russia has already said it will respond by applying import duties to Ukrainian goods. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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