DONETSK. March 27 (Interfax) - A new "Easter truce" in Donbas may be reached only after security measures are tightened, Special Envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) to the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Natalya Nikonorova said.
"The proposal to introduce a new truce has again been made at the security subgroup meeting. The republics have taken the principled stance that reaffirming their commitments by the negotiating parties to observe the indefinite ceasefire will be effective only if additional measures of strengthening and monitoring it are undertaken," Nikonorova told reporters.
The self-proclaimed republics have worked out a generalized draft of extra measures based on the measures that have been previously suggested by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), without which, as the practice showed, the introduction of truces does not bring necessary results, she said.
"We have elaborated the common rules of approving additional security guarantees for measures, which are being carried out along the contact line. These rules would make it possible to regulate the most important practical mechanism, which is needed to ensure security of carrying out repairing and restoration works. And this would be an additional measure in the context of regular violations of its commitments by the Ukrainian side," Nikonorova said.
The TCG ordered that the specific group step up the work on relevant drafts in order to approve additional measures by the time the negotiating parties reaffirm their commitments before the Easter holiday, she added.
As reported, the opposing sides agreed on March 7 to introduce the so-called "spring truce" in Donbas. It has taken effect at midnight, March 8.
The opposing sides have reached already over 25 truces since the start of the crisis in 2014. However, all previous ceasefire agreements have not been fully observed.