PUTIN RECOGNIZES CRIMEA'S
INDEPENDENCE AS WEST THREATENS SANCTION.
English.news.cn 2014-03-18
MOSCOW, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday a decree recognizing
Crimea as a sovereign and independent state, ignoring Western sanctions on
several Russian officials.
"Considering the will of the peoples of
Crimea expressed at the all-Crimea referendum on March 16, 2014, I hereby
decree that the Republic of Crimea, where the city of Sevastopol has a special
status, be recognized as a sovereign and independent state," Putin said in the decree.
The decree entered into force upon
signature, the Kremlin press service said, adding Putin is expected to address
the Federal Assembly over Crimea and Sevastopol's requests to join Russia on
Tuesday.
In the Sunday referendum, some 96.6
percent of the voters supported Crimea, a Ukrainian autonomous republic, to
join Russia. The Crimean parliament adopted on Monday a resolution on the
independence of the territory and asked Russia to admit it as its new
constituent member.
Putin's decree came hours after
Western countries announced sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian
politicians.
The European Union (EU) decided on Monday to impose
sanctions, including visa bans and freezing assets, against 21 Russian and
Crimean officials, identifying them as "associated with the decisions that
Russia has made about Crimea."
British Foreign Secretary William
Hague said it is "possible" that EU would impose sanctions on more
figures in the future.
The United States also put such high-profile
officials as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Federal Council,
upper house of the parliament, chairperson Valentina Matvienko on the sanction
list. Matvienko slammed the measure as "political blackmail."
The sanctions include assets freeze
and travel bans on the 11 people, who the United States said are responsible
for threatening Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Although Putin was not on the name
list, Washington warned that it would not "rule out individuals or rule
out actions," threatening additional measures against Russia.
Shortly after official results of
the referendum came out, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties concerned
"to work for a resolution guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter."
Japan announced Tuesday a set of measures to
punish Russia over the Ukraine crisis, including suspending talks on easing
visa restrictions for Russian citizens.
China on Monday reiterated its
position on the ongoing crisis, urging relevant parties to seek a political
solution through dialogue as soon as possible.
"China
is closely following the situation in Crimea and we call on all sides to
exercise restraint," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.
A recent survey jointly carried out
across Russia by two Russian pollsters -- the Public Opinion Foundation and the
All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center -- found that 91 percent of the
respondents favor Crimea's entry in the Russian Federation.
The survey also found that 94
percent of the respondents believe that their country should protect the rights
of ethnic Russians and other nationalities dwelling in the peninsula of Crimea.
--------------
RELATED:
MOSCOW, March 18 (Xinhua) -- President Vladimir Putin has
supported the approval of a draft agreement between Russia and Crimea to make
the latter part of Russia. Full story
WASHINGTON, March 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack
Obama on Monday announced sanctions against seven Russian and four Ukrainian
officials after a referendum in Crimea, the White House said. Full story
MOSCOW, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir
Putin told his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in an early Monday call that the
Crimea referendum was totally legal, while the White House rejected the
results. Full story
TOKYO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Tuesday imposed
sanctions on Russia over crisis related to Crimea, according to Japan's Foreign
Ministry. Full story
RELATED NEWS
=========
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario