Merkel asks Putin's help in freeing European hostages in Ukraine

[jakeXT]

2. Only a handful of media outlets call them military inspectors

The observers -- who include four Germans and citizens of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland and Sweden -- were sent under the Vienna Document on military transparency and included no OSCE monitors, according to the Vienna-based organization. They were accompanied by Ukrainian military officers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-25/g-7-may-act-quickly-against-russia-as-accord-falters.html

What is the German army doing in Slavyansk?

Eight military inspectors have been detained by pro-Russian activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk since April 25. The group of inspectors consists of three German army (Bundeswehr) officers, a German interpreter, plus one Czech, one Polish, one Danish and one Swedish military inspector. The Swede has since been released for health reasons.

The German media has consistently described the detainees as OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) observers. This is incorrect. The only connection between the OSCE and the detainees is that the presence of the latter in Ukraine is justified by the so-called Vienna Document agreed on by the 57 member states of the OSCE in 1992, and which has since been renewed on a number of occasions.

But the activities of the group in Ukraine have not been approved by the OSCE, nor are they under OSCE control. Instead, the military inspectors were instructed to intervene in Ukraine by the regime in Kiev and are under the direct control of their respective national defence ministries.

This has been confirmed by the deputy director of the OSCE crisis prevention centre, Claus Neukirch. He has stated that the group is involved in a bilateral mission, headed by the army and at the invitation of the Ukrainian government. Such inspections can be agreed on between individual OSCE member states.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/05/01/slav-m01.html