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Bertie Ahern in Ukraine for secret peace talks

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has made trips to Ukraine to aid in secret peace talks. Ahern retur...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.11 27 Jul 2014


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Bertie Ahern in Ukraine for se...

Bertie Ahern in Ukraine for secret peace talks

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.11 27 Jul 2014


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Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has made trips to Ukraine to aid in secret peace talks. Ahern returned to Ireland from Ukraine on Tuesday last, and is expected back in Ukraine sometime in the coming week.

He is working as ‘an unpaid talks facilitator with Crisis Management Initiative (CIM), a not-for-profit conflict resolution organisation’, according to the Sunday Times, which carries the story today.

Ahern has made two trips so far this month, attending talks aimed at resolving the crisis in east Ukraine. He has been in talks with leaders of last February’s demonstrations in Maidan Square, the centre of protests in the capital city Kiev. 82 people were killed in the trouble which flared from the protests.

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“I walked freely around Maidan, which is spooky because it’s very quiet and the grottos and shrines [erected in memory of the dead] are still there since February,” Ahern said.

The former Taoiseach says he is not being paid for the work, saying: “They pay for your flights, cars and hotel but if you have a drink in the bar you pay for it yourself.

Ahern is critical of the EU response to the crisis, saying: “The initial EU sanctions were very weak.

“People there are fighting for the EU. The Ukrainians are depending on Europe to give them moral and financial support.”


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