Moldovan separatists unblock traffic at Ukrainian border

Moldovan separatists unblocked road traffic at the Ukrainian border, a Ukrainian official said Friday, ending two weeks of protests over Kiev's new customs regulations. "All crossing-points have been unblocked," Dmytro Tkach , Ukraine 's special representative on settling the Trans-Dniester dispute, told Kiev 's TV5 channel.

Photo: Moldovan separatists unblock traffic at Ukrainian border

The breakaway region's authorities had decided Thursday torestore road traffic across the border to "bring cargo into Trans-Dniester," Tkach said. But he added that trains were still being let in only "selectively:" trains carrying salt and scrap metal were permitted to cross the border, but others were still backed up and waiting.

Ukraine has been losing some 1 million hryvna ($US200,000; Ђ 160,000) a day because of the blockade, Tkach said. Ukraine imposed the new regulations amid pressure from Moldova and the European Union, which is concerned about smuggling via the internationally unrecognized Trans-Dniester region.

The separatist region called the move an attempt to pressure it into making political concessions, and refused to allow in Ukrainian cargo shipments. The Russian-speaking region receives support from Moscow , which has also condemned Ukraine 's move as a blockade. The European Union has said the new rules were implemented correctly, reports the AP.

N.U.