Rebel envoy says travelling to Minsk for talks with Russia, Ukraine, OSCE

KIEV (Reuters) - A representative of pro-Russian rebels said on Friday he was travelling to the Belarussian capital Minsk for talks with envoys from Kiev, Moscow and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a separatist news agency reported. The group brokered a ceasefire deal in Minsk last September, but an upsurge in violence in separatist eastern territories in the past two weeks appears to have buried the frequently violated truce. Fresh talks would bring hopes of a new ceasefire agreement to contain the conflict, which has killed more than 5,000 since erupting nine months ago. (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice and Natalia Zinets; Editing by Janet Lawrence)