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                     Independence Referenda Open in Ukraine

   by VOA News

   Voting on secession began Sunday in two regions of eastern Ukraine.
   The vote marks a deepening of the political crisis in Ukraine, which
   has pushed East-West relations to lows not seen since the Cold War.
   Interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov has warned secession
   supporters that independence for the regions would be "a step into the
   abyss."   He has appealed to the rebels to join talks on greater
   autonomy in the east.
   Sunday's ballots seek voter approval for establishing so-called
   sovereign people's republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.  The
   vote - organized on an ad hoc basis with no clear controls over ballot
   papers or voter lists - has been widely criticized in Kyiv and in
   Western capitals.
   Separatist leaders claim the populations in Donetsk and Luhansk are
   demanding the immediate opportunity to vote on the region's future,
   despite questions about the legality of the ballots and recent polling
   showing 70 percent of locals opposed to secession.
   Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said late Saturday the U.S.
   will not recognize the results.  She said the polls "violate
   international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine."
   Psaki said the U.S. is "disappointed" that Russia has not used its
   influence in the region to postpone the poll, despite Russian President
   Vladimir Putin's suggestion last week to delay the vote and his claim
   that Russian forces were pulling back from the Ukrainian border.
   Instead, Psaki said, the U.S. does not have any indication the Russian
   military is moving away from the border.  She said Russian state media
   continue to "strongly back" the referendums "with no mention of Putin's
   call for postponement."
   Western leaders blame Moscow for encouraging the separatist movement.
   German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande
   said Saturday they would back new economic sanctions against Moscow if
   the ongoing unrest threatens Ukraine's May 25 presidential election.
   On Friday, Putin visited Ukraine's Crimea peninsula for the first time
   since Moscow annexed the territory in March.  The United States, which
   does not recognize the annexation, condemned Putin's visit.  Ukraine's
   Foreign Ministry called it a "provocation."
   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/independence-referenda-open-in-ukraine/1912131.html