LOC18:33
15:33 GMT
PARIS, March 29 (KUNA)-- The Normandy Group of countries, France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, who are working for a settlement to the conflict in East Ukraine, on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a cease-fire extension in the zone to coincide with the Easter period.
The French Presidency issued a statement that was adopted by all four countries' leaders "welcoming the renewal of the cease-fire accord for Easter," the Elysee Palace said.
The extension of the truce will take effect on March 30 and all parties recalled "the importance of rigourously respecting the cease-fire" which is to be monitored by the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in East Ukraine.
The Normandy Group also called for an intensification of prisoner exchanges, noting that 300 detainees have been swapped since December 2017.
The war in Eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed ethnic separatists and Ukrainian government forces has killed well over 10,000 and forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee the war zone.
Ukraine accuses Russia of deploying forces to support the separatists, a claim Moscow denies. Russia, in turn, accuses Ukraine of repressing and discriminating against ethnic Russians on its territory. (end)
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