UN chief demands release of observers in Ukraine

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is strongly condemning the capture of military observers in Ukraine and is demanding their immediate release "unconditionally and unharmed."

The U.N. chief said that those who "continue unlawful acts will be held accountable for their actions." He appealed to all those with influence to assist in ending their detention, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

The German-led observer team from the Organlization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was traveling across eastern Ukraine when pro-Russian separatists captured them on Friday.

The secretary-general called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine and a return to the spirit of compromise exhibited during the Geneva talks on April 17, Dujarric said.