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Senegalese President Macky Sall and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected to lead a delegation to Kiev on Friday and St Petersburg on Saturday, as part of African efforts to mediate an end to the war.
A draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday showed that African leaders may propose a set of “confidence-building measures” during their initial efforts to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The delegation includes leaders from Zambia, Comoros and the Egyptian Prime Minister. The leaders are expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The visit comes after Ukraine embarked last week on the main phase of a counter-offensive it hopes will help liberate territory occupied by Russian forces in the south and east.
The framework document, which has not been made public, states that the mission’s goal is to “promote the importance of peace and encourage the parties to agree to a negotiation process led by diplomacy.”
“The conflict as well as the sanctions imposed on Russia by the main trading partners of the (African) continent have had a negative impact on African economies and livelihoods,” the statement said.
procedures
The document includes – according to Reuters – a number of measures that African leaders can propose in the framework of the first phase of their dialogue with the two warring parties.
Such measures could include the withdrawal of Russian forces, the removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, the suspension of the implementation of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Putin and the easing of sanctions.
“The aforementioned measures should aim at facilitating an environment conducive to a ceasefire, which will allow the parties to build confidence and discuss the formulation of their strategies for restoring peace,” the document stated.
The document stated that an agreement to stop hostilities may follow, but that it is accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West.
Those talks will need to address issues including the deployment of intermediate-range weapons systems, tactical nuclear weapons, and biological weapons systems.
The South African president had previously briefed Chinese President Xi Jinping on an upcoming mission by African leaders to Russia and Ukraine to try to reach peace.
Ramaphosa announced last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to receive a delegation of 6 African leaders this month.
South Africa has refused to condemn Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine, stressing that it takes a neutral position to be able to “play a role in resolving conflicts.”
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