"Special status" bill in danger of being scrapped

"Special status" bill in danger of being scrapped

LUGANSK -- Officials of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Lugansk are not concerned about Petro Poroshenko's intention to scrap a law on their special status.

The law would have given that status to the region of Donetsk and Lugansk.

"There is no problem. This law would not suit us anyway," Alexei Karyakin, head of the republic's People's Council, told TASS, dismissing it as inadequate.

The Ukrainian president on Monday announced he would today propose the withdrawal of the bill, agreed as part of the truce, which would give Donetsk and Lugansk regions a certain level of autonomy within the next three years.

According to the law, Donetsk and Lugansk would be allowed to "run their own affairs" and hold local elections on December 7.

Poroshenko also said that a second law could be passed if the self-proclaimed republics do not scrap election results of November 2.

Kiev and western countries do not recognize these elections, but Russia does.

The Russian Foreign Ministry last week announced that the voting was in full compliance with the agreement reached in Minsk.

The ministry also stated that the local elections date, December 7, was determined unilaterally, without the consent of Donetsk and Lugansk.