UN chief hails ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Friday welcomed the ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine, encouraging all parties to "display good will and take concrete steps towards urgent, full and effective implementation".

"The Secretary-General stresses that credible and comprehensive monitoring and verification are essential elements for successful implementation of the ceasefire and the peace plan," Xinhua quoted UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reading out a statement here to the press.

Ban also welcomed the recent discussions between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, which have played a part in the breakthrough, and strongly encouraged those contacts to continue.

Dujarric said the cessation of hostilities will further allow the UN and other humanitarian actors of the international community to deliver critical humanitarian assistance and other needed support to the impacted areas.

The Ukrainian government and insurgents announced Friday that they have signed a ceasefire protocol that will take effect later in the day.

The truce deal was inked in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, where envoys from the two warring sides as well as Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were holding talks for a possible political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

The UN chief called on the entire international community to rally behind these agreements to serve the interests of a sustainable peace based on a solution that leads to "full respect of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty".