Ukraine ceasefire with rebels takes hold

Ceasefire between Pro - Russian separatists and
military forces in eastern Ukraine went into effect on
Friday evening.
Ukraine and pro -Russian rebels have had a shaky
start to a ceasefire aimed at ending nearly five
months of fighting in the country's east .
Three explosions were heard north of Donetsk just
minutes after a ceasefire between Kiev and pro -
Russian rebels went into effect on Friday , the
Reuters news agency reported.
Al Jazeera 's Paul Brennan, reporting from Donetsk ,
said the ceasefire otherwise appeared to be holding,
but there would have to be a serious rebuilding of
trust between both sides to ensure a cessation of
hostilities adding that the tension would not die down
anytime soon.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko had ordered
government forces to cease fire at 6pm ( 15:00 GMT)
following an agreement signed at talks attended
by representatives of Ukraine, Russia , the rebels and
the OSCE in Minsk, Belarus.
" I am ordering the head of the general staff of the
armed forces of Ukraine to halt fire starting at 6 pm ,"
Poroshenko said in a statement published on his
official website.
The separatists were represented by leaders from
the self - proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and
Luhansk People' s Republic, including rebel Prime
Minister Alexander Zakharchenko .
The negotiations followed talks between Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Poroshenko in Minsk
last week .
NATO head , Anders Fogh Rasmussen, welcomed the
agreement that sought to end to end fighting that has
killed an estimated 2 ,600 people in the east of the
country.
Rasmussen said the next "crucial step is to
implement it in good faith ... but so far , so good ,"
adding he hoped it "could be the start of a
constructive political process ".
The view was echoed by UN chief Ban Ki-Moon , who
urged a " comprehensive monitoring " of the situation
for a successful truce .
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had
called for the United States and Europe to act as
guarantors to the ceasefire .
" It must be supported by the United States and the
EU . We will not manage with Russia on our own.. . we
need guarantees ," Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting
moments before rebels announced that a truce deal
had been agreed .
Combat continued on the outskirts of the strategic
Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Friday, ahead of
the truce announcement .
Mariupol became a major focus of concern for
Ukraine after the rebels broke out of their main
strongholds further north in late August .
The new offensive has raised concerns the rebels
are aiming to seize Mariupol , a major port of about
500 ,000 people, and create a land corridor between
Russia and Crimea , the Black Sea peninsula that
Russia annexed in March.