West, Ukraine, hail rebel decision to postpone disputed elections

By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - A decision by pro-Russian separatists to postpone local elections that Ukraine had said were illegitimate was welcomed on Tuesday by Kiev, the European Union and Moscow - the rebels' patron - as a sign of progress in the faltering peace process. The separatists said the elections, which they had set for Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 in two regions they control, would now take place next February, potentially giving time for a compromise to be worked out