KIEV, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian authorities consider only delegating powers to the local councils and setting up a special zone in Donbass for three years, as a part of decentralization process, not federalization, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told "1+1" TV channel Sunday.
"I can reassure that neither sovereignty issue, nor the issues of Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence are on the agenda. Ukraine is and will be an integral state. No federalization is considered – Ukraine will remain an inclusive and unitary state. Today we speak about delegating certain powers to the local councils. This is my plan of power decentralization," Poroshenko told "1+1" TV channel.
President also noted that a special zone in Donbass, envisaged by the law on special status for parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of September 16, will be created only for three years.
Poroshenko stated earlier that he would propose to make changes to the Constitution on decentralization issue after parliamentary election scheduled for October 26 takes place.
Kiev authorities and independence supporters of eastern Ukraine aligned positions on a ceasefire and a number of issues, concerning the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on September 5 at a Contact Group meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk, as outlined in the Minsk Protocol.
Following the protocol, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved a law, granting special status to parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on September 16. The protocol also suggests that the law should allow early elections of the heads of the self-proclaimed people's republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.
The meeting of the Contact Group on September 19 resulted in formulating a memorandum outlining nine provisions to regulate the implementation of a bilateral ceasefire between Kiev and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.
