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Kiev, East Ukrainian Forces Need to Be Transparent in Arms Withdrawal

© REUTERS / Valentyn OgirenkoUkrainian servicemen ride atop an armoured personnel carrier (APC), as they return from the frontline in eastern Ukraine, in Kiev March 11, 2015
Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an armoured personnel carrier (APC), as they return from the frontline in eastern Ukraine, in Kiev March 11, 2015 - Sputnik International
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NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Philip Breedlove said that the success of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine lies in the transparency of all members involved in conflict.

Ukrainian servicemen walk past armoured personnel carriers, military vehicles and cannons at their new position as they pull back from the Horlivka region, near Druzhkivka, eastern Ukraine - Sputnik International
Kiev's Contradictory Statements on Weapon Withdrawal May Disrupt Minsk Deal
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Both Kiev and eastern Ukrainian forces need to give clear information on the movements and locations of all heavy artillery being withdrawn from the frontlines so that the current ceasefire is completely successful, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Philip Breedlove said Wednesday.

"The success of the ceasefire is the transparency by all members involved," Breedlove told journalists at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

He added that it is necessary that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)'s monitoring mission receives information on where exactly the heavy artillery that has been withdrawn is currently located as well as their numbers.

Stoltenberg affirmed the possibility exists that heavy equipment in eastern Ukraine is being repositioned for possible new attacks instead of being withdrawn completely.

A DRP military commander said that Kiev violated the ceasefire agreed during the Minsk peace talks more than 400 times since February 12. - Sputnik International
Kiev Violated Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine Over 400 Times Since February 12
"In short, yes," Stoltenberg said in regard to the posed question.

The arms pullout is the cornerstone of a 13-point ceasefire deal for Ukraine, agreed upon last month in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. It envisages the creation of a buffer zone between the conflicting sides by pulling back heavy weapons to locations equidistant from the contact line.

Militia forces in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions said they had pulled out all heavy arms by March 1, meeting the two-week deadline outlined in the Minsk deal. The Ukrainian army said Tuesday that it had also completed its part of the deal.

But the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), which was tasked with observing the pullback, said earlier in the day it could not confirm the reports and requested more details from the warring parties.

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