KYIV. Oct 9 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed into law bill No. 2167-VIII 'On providing essential preconditions for a peaceful settlement of the situation in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions', the presidential press service reported on Saturday.
As was reported earlier, the document stipulates that special self-government procedures in certain districts of Donbas would take effect only "after all preconditions set out in Article 10 of the law [on special self-government procedures] are ensured, particularly, as concerns the withdrawal of all illegal armed groups, their military hardware, and also militants and mercenaries from Ukrainian territory."
The legislation also stipulates that, in seeking to restore its territorial integrity, Ukraine remains committed to a peaceful settlement of the situation in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions based on principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter, the press service said.
The legislation also stipulates that Ukraine's sovereignty applies to its entire territory, which is integral and inviolable within the internationally recognized borders.
"The law also provides the necessary preconditions for deploying a UN peacekeeping operation in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, particularly taking into account the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada's resolution No. 253-VII of March 17, 2015 'On approving Ukraine's addressees to the Security Council of the United Nations and the Council of the European Union regarding the deployment of an international peacekeeping operation in Ukrainian territory," it said.
It was reported earlier that the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada on October 6 had passed the legislation extending the law on special self-government procedures in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by one year. The law was to expire on October 18, 2017.
The bill 'On providing essential preconditions for a peaceful settlement of the situation in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions' was supported by 229 parliamentarians.
"The responsible voting by a majority will help our army to minimize the number of casualties in holding the defense, and diplomats to increase international pressure on Russia," Poroshenko said in a video address in commenting on the legislation.