German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a second international conference in Geneva. He said one way to "put an end" to Ukraine's violence was OSCE mediation at local level across Ukraine. //
Germany called on Sunday for a second Geneva conference to defuse the escalating crisis over Ukraine as Russia and Kyiv continued to accuse each of undermining a previous deal reached in April.
Steinmeier said he had proposed a fresh round of Geneva talks during telephone conversations with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"In the many discussions I've had in the last couple of hours, I've been campaigning ... to hold a second meeting in Geneva to follow up on the first one," he told ARD television, according to a text of an interview aired Sunday (04.05.2014).
Steinmeier said Friday's violence in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa was a "tragedy" that "must be a wake-up call for all participants."
Greater role for OSCE
Germany's top diplomat also proposed a greater mediation role for the OSCE, including the convening of local "round table" talks in Ukraine to defuse conflicts.
Steinmeier said the purpose of a second Geneva conference would be "finally to make clear agreements on how we can we can put an end to this conflict and gradually move towards a political solution".