UN expert: The process of introducing peacekeepers into Donbass will last for many years
The peacekeeping contingent in Donbass cannot exceed 20 thousand people; its introduction must be preceded by convincing the population of the need for the mission; reaching the border with Russia will take several years.
Such theses were voiced at a press conference in Kyiv by international expert on UN peacekeeping missions, General Jaakko Oksanen, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
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“First of all, I’ll answer by the number of peacekeepers. My point of view is that if someone asks for more than 20 thousand, then it is impossible, I must say. Because this is a huge number of people involved in one operation.
We also heard about the gradualness of the procedure. That's exactly how I see it. It seems to me that it is better to have such a gradual procedure, when we are talking about, firstly, ensuring security in the east of Ukraine, and gradually moving towards an independent border. The UN will be there as long as the host country requires to stabilize the situation,” he said.
At the same time, Oksanen said that the introduction of peacekeepers should be preceded by an information campaign among the local population.
“At least two years before the start of the operation, information support should begin. In order to convince the local population how it works, how it helps people. Reach as many people as possible to support this operation. This is an important point; perhaps it (the operation) will not be accepted by people. People's thinking needs to change,” he said.
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