Crimean news 49.
(Mass Media survey for 13-18
March 2000).
(The material is given in an abridged form).
Mustafa Djemilev: "There will be no
blood in the Crimea in May".
We have nothing in common with NATO.
We divide land: someone gets a plot, and someone…
Land! But not everyone celebrates.
Politics.
The
sitting of the Crimean Tatar Mejilis
Presidium was held on March 11. The participants got acquainted with the report
of the Mejilis chairman, Mustafa Djemilev, and the head of
political-and-juridical department, Nadir Bakirov's. The updates were about their
trip to Western Europe. The national deputy, Refat Chubarov, shared about the situation
in Verkhovnaya Rada where the Crimean Tatars' problems would be mentioned. These
hearing will take on April 5.
Apart
from that, they discussed the problems of land reforms in the Crimea and Crimean Tatars’ participation in
it. They also discussed the problems of national education.
"Avdet", ("Returning"), #5 (329), 14 March 2000,
p.1.
Mustafa
Djemilev: "There will be no blood in the Crimea in May".
Mustafa Djemilev's interview with the "Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine"
newspaper.
·
Two months are left till May 18, the Day of deportation. They keep
saying different things about the protest and insubordination actions in
correlation with this date. Moreover, they say that the actions will be
extremely aggressive.
·
Our
actions have never had a sanguinary character. All I can say is that the
actions will be held in the whole Crimea.
·
Can it turn out to be that you are manipulated in a game that the
Crimean Tatars do not even suspect? You get no result from meetings except for
negative effect on the Russian population.
·
Unfortunately,
all we have achieved is due to our active actions. For example, had not there
been samozahvats* in 1990-1993, most Crimean Tatars would not have been able to
come back to their native land.
·
The Prime Minister of the Crimea, Sergey Kunitsyn, has recently stated
that they would possibly reconsider the land division in the Crimea, taking
into account the Crimean Tatars' interests. Do not you expect that it will
cause a social explosion?
·
The
matter is that nearly 70% of our nation lives in the rural zone. Why haven't
they become the members of CAE**? It's another issue. They were not accepted in
some cases, others were looking for job in some other places. The Crimean
Tatars did no t settle down in villages just because they wished so. Even
engineers did not have enough money to buy an apartment in a city. As a result,
if 30% of the Crimean Tatars in Middle Asia lived in the rural zone and 70%
lived in the urban zone, then it's vice versa in the Crimea. Now, in accordance
with the law, the land is divided among the members of CAE. And we are given
the land from the reserve fund. This land is mostly unsuitable for agriculture.
Speaking of social explosion, it is yet worth thinking whose dissatisfaction is
grounded deeper. It is the business of political figures who have forgotten
about the returning nation and have adopted an imperfect law. The peace in the
Crimea should no t be based on the violation of the Crimean Tatars' rights.
·
Is Mejlis still an unlawful organization?
·
We
are not an organization. Mejlis is an electoral representative organ of the
Crimean Tatar nation. National Parliament, if you wish. True, it has not been acknowledged
by the law. The state proposes us to register as a public-and-political party ,
let's say, as the Society of Beer Fonder. We will not do that.
·
They say that the money allocated to the Crimean Tatars from the state
budget is kept by Mejlis because it is easier to operate with a nation when its
representatives have no much money.
·
First,
Mejlis is kept on the money of our compatriots and Diaspora in other countries.
Secondly, the state organs control all the allocated money. In particular, The
State Committee of Nationalities does it. I mean that we would like not to
control the money but to watch its distribution. There are some rumors now that
Crimean Tatars have been allocated 320 million grivnas. But we have no idea
where it is. It was distributed by the autonomy officials for the aims that bear
no relation to the Crimean Tatars' problems.
·
Have Crimean Tatars been taken on in the Chechenian war?
·
This
information is not absolutely correct. I know some of our people who left
voluntarily for Chechnya during the previous war. But Djohar Dudayev's position
was strict then: the Chechnians, first of all, had to give up their lives for the
native land. And the Crimean Tatars just guarded Dudayev. True, when the Russian army was attacking the Palace in
Groznoye, Crimean Tatars had to take part in military actions. Some of them
were wounded but every one of them is
safe and in the Crimea now. I want to emphasize the following: there has never
been a single Crimean Tatar among mercenaries fighting in Chechnya for the sake
of money.
·
And what about fighting without money?
·
I
don't rule out such cases during the current war, but the Crimean Tatars'
battalion, mentioned in Dorenko's*** program is nothing but a lie. The Chechens
thank us for some other things - moral help and support to refugees who
happened to come to the Crimea.
·
Are there many of them?
·
There
were about a hundred registered by Mejlis.
·
Are they peaceful people?
·
Mostly
women and children. We have recently received a request from Moscow Center of
the Deported Nations to accommodate 300 Chechen children in the Crimean Tatar
families after they have spent some time in Evpatorya health resorts.
·
Some information agencies say that Chechen commanders buy immovable
property in the Crimea.
·
It's
not true. SSU**** has refuted this information.
·
Have you been to Chechnya?
·
Only
once. I was present at Aslan Maskhadov inauguration. I met Basayev and
Yandarbiyev there. I saw Yandarbiyev a week ago in Istanbul. We discussed the
situation in the Crimea. I tried to explain to him that measures had to be
adequate to the consequences. I know these NATO principles very well. I had a
chance to visit Brussels headquarters of NATO.
·
And what did you do there?
I
was invited to the briefing of European countries ambassadors dealing with the
Crimean Tatars' problems. They understand that Mejlis, despite of all its authority,
won't be able to keep its compatriots from undertaking any actions should the
Crimean Tatars' rights be ignored. We can't call the nation to calm down, if non-violent
methods have no result.
From "KP" file.
There
are about 3 million Crimean Tatars living in the world. The biggest Diaspora
lives in Turkey (2 million people). There are about half a million Crimean
Tatars living in former Soviet countries. 270 thousand Crimean Tatars live in
the Crimea.
Their main demands:
1. Official recognition of Mejilis as an official representative organ
of the Crimean Tatar nation.
2. Restoration of the national territorial autonomy.
3. Adopting the law about the
Crimean Tatar nation's status in Ukraine, in which they guarantee to respect
the rights of the Crimean Tatars.
4. Distribution of land among the Crimean Tatars equally with CAE
members.
Andrey Konovalov, Anna Salivanova, Gayana Yuksel, Alexey Khozlinov,
"Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine", 49 (865/22275), 17 March 2000,
p.14.
Our information:
*The
Crimean Tatars were compelled to invade vacant lands for construction, because
the authorities had refused to give them any land.
**CAE
- Collective Agriculture Enterprise.
***Sergey
Dorenko - TV-journalist, has an authorial politics-and-analytical program on
the Public Russian TV-channel.
****SSU
- Security Service of Ukraine.
The
problem of restoration of the deported rights restoration arose a long time
ago. It's a pity, but the Crimean Tatar nation's status has not still been
identified. The problem of their political rehabilitation also has not been
solved.
Ukraine
has acquired independence, and now it is on the way of integration into the
European Community. Considerable part of the Crimean Tatars has returned to the
Crimea. However, their accommodation in the Crimea, especially the solution of
non-economic problems, i.e. which do not demand financial expenditures -
political rehabilitation, subjectivity rights restoration, defining of the
status and some other, related to the problems of social integration into the
Ukrainian society - have been extremely delayed. Gaining of official status as
a native nation will undermine propaganda-and-ideology stereotypes of the
totalitarian past on the one hand and will not give any privileged position to the Crimean Tatars on the other
hand. Historically grounded and fair definition - "native nations"
for the Crimean Tatars, Karaits, Krymchaks* is the solution of culture problem
with an aim to restore and strengthen analogous institutes. The defining of the
legal status will be undoubtedly a factor that strengthens the stability in the
region and the country. It will promote the image of the country because the
world community will accept it with understanding. Ukraine is in the clash
between two cultures. It has a unique chance to be an exemplary socio-political
sample that provides functioning of interethnic and interconfessional
relationship. (This decision was signed by 36 non-government organizations of
the Crimea).
Prepared by L.Alyadinova, "Golos Krima", #12 (331), 17 March
2000, p.1.
Our information:
*Crimean
Tatars, Karaits and Krimchaks are native dwellers of the Crimea.
We have
nothing in common with NATO.
"Soyuz"
party declaration mentions the recent trip of NATO commanders around the Crimea
(see "Crimean news 47"), their interest to scientific-and-technical
elaborations, preparedness ‘to provide help in military actions' that cause
neither emotions nor illusions.
We
are troubled by the successful acquiring of NATO double standards by Ukrainian
authortities. Declaration of polyvectoral foreign policy brings humiliating
role of "everyone's garden". The dynamics of development in cooperation
between Ukraine and NATO indicates its leadership's intention to overcome the
recognized negative attitude toward NATO.
Unlike
the ruling elite, waiting for the reward, the nation knows that whip is kept
for them. That is why no elite can decide the destiny of the nation. As the
declaration emphasizes, 'We are sure that the question: where should Ukraine go
- to NATO or Byelorussia-and-Russia Union, should necessarily be solved on the
referendum.'
V.Vasilyev, "Krimskaya Pravda", #40 (22459), 14 March 2000,
p.1.
Our information:
*Crimean
party unites Pro-Russian citizens of the peninsula.
Land reform.
We divide
land: someone gets a plot, and someone…
On
8 May 1995 the President's of Ukraine Decree was adopted. It was "About
the order of land division, given to the collective property of agriculture
enterprises." So, the whole land had been divided among village dwellers
by the end of 1999. However, about 40% of the Crimean Tatars had been living in
the Crimea by that time.
On
24 May 1999 the head of Ministry Council of the Crimea, Sergey Kunitsin,
adopted the Resolution #182. The article 3 of that resolution states
"Republic Committee of land reserves has to solve the problem of giving
land to the Crimean Tatars living in the rural zone. These land plots have to
be of an average plot size of a CAE member."
Everything
seems to be clear. But in reality, it was much more complicated. The land (about
90%) has already been distributed. Besides, an average plot in different
regions was different and varied from 1 hectare up to 18.
An
example of CAE Urozhaynoye in Simferopol district will show how the Resolution
#182 was implemented and how it effected Crimean Tatars. On February 24 they
held a meeting, which clearly showed how unfairly the land division was
implemented.
The
population of Urozhaynoye village is 2500. 538 of them have been given land. 700
dwellers of the village are the Crimean Tatars and only 60 of them have got
land plots.
The
Crimea Tatars were forcefully exiled from native lands and worked in kolkhozes
of the huge country for 50 years. Having come back to the native land, they
have no rights to get land plots just because they are not CAE members. Unsurprisingly,
they demand their plots, their land that their fathers and grandfathers have
worked up. They demand that the problem of re-division should be reconsidered. But
local administration says "No!" and gives no positive ways out. There
are some reserve lands left after the land division. But this land is not of
the best quality and mostly unsuitable for agriculture.
Leylya Alyadinova, "Golos Krima", #12 (331), 17 March 2000,
p.2.
Land! But not
everyone celebrates.
Mamedi
Sohtayev is a working group representative of the Crimean Tatar nation's Mejlis
that deals with land issues. He is sure that the President's Decree about land
reform does not solve all the problems of land issue, including the problems of
the deported. It is a well-known fact that most of them were not the citizens
of Ukraine and were not the members of CAE by the time of land division. And the
Decree demands these conditions. As a result, most of the Crimean Tatars living
in the rural zone (87%) are left without any land plots. The land problem has not
been solved in this context for more than three years. Each leader has to solve
it in his district personally.
Mustafa
Djemilev thinks that local authorities will proceed sabotaging the problem of
giving land to the Crimean Tatars because of lack of desire to solve it. "Frankly
speaking, I predict a great tension in this regard. Knowing the chauvinist character
of many administrations I think that introducing additions to the President's
Decree is the only way out. We have addressed the President with this problem
for several times. The majority of the Crimean Tatars living in the rural zone
cannot participate in the land division and have their own land plots. There is
no need in re-division in some districts with abundance of land. We do not
speak about some special privileges and advantages. We only want everyone to
have equal opportunities. Moreover, using the land reserve cannot solve this
problem. There are still many Crimean Tatars living in the places of exile and
we have to reserve land for them".
Lentara
Halilova, "Golos Krima", #12 (331), 17 March 2000, p.1.