MOSCOW - It is premature to raise the issue of dispatching an electoral police mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Donbas before an elections law is adopted and before a date for holding these elections is determined, a Russian Foreign Ministry source told Interfax.
“In principle, we are not opposed to sending such a mission if it is done in reasonable forms,” he said.
“But, in any case, one should not start with that. Rather, it is necessary to start with adopting a law that will regulate these elections and determining their date. Afterwards, the mission can be formed,” the diplomat said.
The issue of setting up an electoral police mission, which would come as a follow-up to the current OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, is being considered, he said.
“Different options are on the table – whether it should be an armed mission or not, especially as a large number of countries are opposed to equipping this mission with weapons,” the source said.
The OSCE’s history has not so far seen any instances of armed missions’ deployment, he said.
“Furthermore, there is also the issue of monitors’ security. If monitors are unarmed, the side where they are working is responsible for their security. But if they receive weapons, in this case they should protect themselves on their own. This creates a more dangerous situation from the point of view of possible provocations and their presence in general,” the diplomat said.
A large number of countries, including Finland and Switzerland, have legal and legislative obstacles to arming monitors, the source said.
“Consequently, it is not a simple matter. But, I would like to repeat, it is premature to directly speak about sending this mission as long as there is no clarity over the elections themselves,” he said.
