Separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk are ready to exchange a group of international observers they are holding for fellow rebels who are in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities, their leader said on Saturday, Reuters reported. Asked about a prisoner exchange, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters: "The Kiev junta has our fellows and comrades therefore, if there is a possibility, we are ready for an exchange." "They (members of the observer mission) are in alright condition. One of the soldiers suffers from diabetes, but it is not a serious condition, he is on tablets. There is medicine there is food," said Ponomaryov. "They are being kept in good conditions. There is no physical duress being used because they are all working with our people," he said, without elaborating. "They were soldiers on our territory without our permission, of course they are prisoners," he said. "We won't know what to do until we determine who they are, what kind of activities, for what purpose they came here." He said the Russian government had not been in contact with him to discuss the observers' release. A German government source said a negotiating team from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is on its way to try to secure the observers' release. -- SPA 19:02 LOCAL TIME 16:02 GMT تغريد
