Crimean news 54.
(Mass Media survey for 17-22
April 2000).
All the material is given in an abridged form.
Ukraine
has to develop and adopt the new concept of ethno-national policy.
L.Grach
criticizes the position of the Parliament of Ukraine in relation to the Crimea.
And
someone rumored that Crimean dwellers didn't go to vote.
Presidents
of Russia and Ukraine arrived in Sevastopol in the same plane.
Vladimir Putin: "The Black Sea navy stands on the raids of
Russia and Ukraine".
The Russians congratulated each other upon reunification of the Crimea
with Russia.
Consular mission of Georgia has come to the Crimea.
It was worth taking initiative.
Politics.
"We
should relate the fact that we have consciously refused to use such terms as
"the native nation" and "national minority" to the
phenomenon of the Constitution of the Crimea" - stated the Chairman of the
Supreme Soviet of the Crimea, Leonid Grach* when coming out at the first
national conference - "Educational rights of the national
minorities", held in Yalta on April 17. The conference was organized by
the program of legislative and political consultations of European Council and
by the Ministry of education and science of Ukraine.
Galina Mamiko, "Krimskiye Izvestiya",
#73(2077), 19 April 2000, p.1.
Our information: *The Chairman of the Crimean Parliament, Leonid
Grach is also the head of the Crimean communists.
Our commentaries: The Constitution of ARC, which was adopted
after Leonid Grach and his supporters had come to power, doesn't take into
consideration the rights and interests of the Crimean native nations - Crimean
Tatars, Karaits and Krimchaks. It doesn't allow them to be presented in the
organs of legislative and executive power, preserve their original culture and
language.
Ukraine
has to develop and adopt the new concept of ethno-national policy.
The Chairman
of the Supreme Soviet of the Crimea, Leonid Grach thinks that Ukraine has to
develop and adopt the new concept of ethno-national policy and the law about
the national-and-cultural autonomy.
"Besides,
this right for national-and-cultural autonomy doesn't have to be the right for
national-and-territorial self-determination,- he emphasized.
The head of
the Crimean parliament focused on the fact that "public and cultural
self-organization are incompatible with actions of duplicating state structures
by implementation of parallel imperious functions".
Interfax-Ukraine, "Krimskiye
Izvestiya", #73(2077), 19 April 2000, p.1.
Our commentaries: "The native nation of the Crimea - the
Crimean Tatars strive for restoring the status of the Crimea as a
national-and-territorial autonomy, which had existed before the Crimean Tatars
were deported in 1944. The autonomy didn't violate the rights of other
nationalities living in the Crimea then and didn't duplicate any state
structures.
Leonid Grach
has evaluated the situation in the inter-nationalities sphere. "Mejilis is
first of all an unregistered, illegal public organ. We have to understand that
there can be no other approach to the Crimean situation, except for the
approach from the position of recognizing the nationalities as equal and
creating conditions for implementing cultural inquiries".
L.Grach spoke
definitely against the new status - "the native nation". Abrupt
refusal of the chairman of the Crimean Parliament caused some events around the
participants of recommendations project of parliament hearings. The hearings
were devoted to regulating state policy of providing Crimean Tatar nation's
rights.
Galina Mamiko, "Krimskiye Izvestiya",
#76(2080), 22 April 2000, p.1.
L.Grach
criticizes the position of the Parliament of Ukraine in relation to the Crimea.
Leonid Grach
states about "ignoring ARC Constitutional principals and flouting
constitutional authority of the autonomy" made by the Parliament of
Ukraine in relation to the Crimea.
He thinks that
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine " has acted irresponsibly in political and law
senses when ignoring one of the main constitutional authorities - one-canal
system of budget".*
According to
his words it was the first attempt to break the Constitution of the Crimea.
"Today, we can speak about the second attempt to violate one more clause
from the Constitution of the Crimea ". It was an attempt of the highest
legislative organ to begin considering the problems of legislative regulating
of state policy in providing Crimean Tatar nation's rights at the parliamentary
hearings on April 5 "without participating of an official representative
of the Crimean Parliament".**
Interfax-Ukraine, "Krimskiye
Izvestiya", #76(2080), 22 April 2000, p.1.
Our information: *The Constitution of the Crimea foresees
one-canal budget system of the Crimea. Yet, it doesn't correspond the clauses
of the Constitution of Ukraine, that's why the state budget of Ukraine for year
2000 was adopted without giving the Crimea one-canal budget system.
**The Prime-Minister of the Crimea, the deputy
of Supreme Soviet of the Crimea, Sergey Kunitsin, took part at the
Parliamentary hearings and came out with a report. He made his own evaluation
to the parliamentary hearings (see "Crimean news" #52).
And so, the
Ukrainian referendum on people's initiative has been held. According to the
data of the commission dealing with carrying out the referendum in the
Autonomous Republic Crimea 70% of Crimean voters took part in the referendum.
Besides, more than 81% of them voted for abolishing deputy immunity.
O.Volodin, "Krimskaya Pravda",
#71(22484), 18 April 2000, p.1-2.
And
someone rumored that Crimean dwellers didn't go to vote.
As the
chairman of the Crimean electoral committee stated, according to exact data the
first question of the referendum (about giving the President rights of
dissolution of the Parliament in case if the deputies don't form the majority
in the Parliament and assert the budget in 3 months time) was positively
answered by 70,28% of the Crimean dwellers, who took part in the election.
81,21% of the election participants voted for limiting the deputy immunity.
83,14% of the referendum participants voted for reducing the number of deputies
from 450 to 300. 68,31% voted for creating a double-house parliament.
Alexey Nejivoy, "Krimskoye Vremya",
#71(938), 18 April 2000, p.2.
Presidents
of Russia and Ukraine arrived in Sevastopol in the same plane.
Due to the
visit of Presidents of Russia and Ukraine to Sevastopol city administration
took extraordinary security measures. Traffic was blocked in the downtown, and
there were almost no pedestrians.
The President
of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin and the President of Ukraine, Leonid
Kuchma arrived in the Crimea from Kyiv in the President's of Ukraine plane. The
heads of two states discussed the problems of the Black Sea navy.
Tayana Ryabchikova "Krimskaya
Pravda", #72(938), 18 April 2000, p.2.
Vladimir
Putin: "The Black Sea navy stands on the raids of Russia and
Ukraine".
Sevastopol was
and will remain a Russian city, it will be if not a Russian then a Pro-Russian
city. It was demonstrated by the city dwellers on April 18, the day of working
visit of Vladimir Putin and the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. Having
gathered near the main city square, Sevastopol dwellers brought abrupt slogans:
"We surrender to Russia", "Putin, don't forget: Sevastopol,
Crimea are Russian".
Vladimir Putin
said that the theme of two navies partnership had been "seriously discussed" in Kyiv. The
question - will the position of Russia concerning entering NATO by former
Soviet republics change? - was answered by the President of Ukraine as follows:
"Russia has had a special relation to it according to its national
interests. And if they don't welcome Russia there we will, of course, carefully
watch the process of widening of NATO, and we will resist NATO approaching our
boarders."
On 18 April
evening Vladimir Putin and Leonid Kuchma left Sevastopol.
Tatyana Ryabchikova, Grigoriy Staroverov,
"Krimskaya Pravda", #73(22486), 20 April 2000, p.1-2.
The
Russians congratulated each other upon reunification of the Crimea with Russia.
217 years ago,
on 19 April 1783, Yekaterina the Great signed the manifesto of accepting the
Crimea, Taman and the whole Kuban to the Russian power. Taman and Kuban have
been a part of Russia ever since and the Crimea by a historic miracle became a
part of Ukraine.
In 1996 the
Russian community of the Crimea proclaimed the April 19 as a national holiday -
The day of reunification of the Crimea and Russia. Some hundreds of the Crimean
dwellers came to the Central Park of Simferopol having Russian flags and
slogans. "Glory to Russia!", "Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine are
together forever!", "Russia and the Crimea are united!",
"Yeketerina's manifesto is darling even to Ukraine!" - said the
slogans.
The meeting
participants called the Russians to unite and act together. The meeting
resolution also condemns the partnership of the Ukrainian power with
"unlawful groups of the Crimean Tatar extremists, who call themselves as
"mejilises", attempts of the parliament to adopt laws "About the
Crimean Tatar nation's status" and "about the native nation of the
Crimea". In this connection the meeting participants demanded that they
should give the Russian language the status of a state language, reunite
Ukraine with Russia and Byelorussia into one Union…
Alexander Mashenko, "Krimskoye
Vremya", #73(940), 20 April 2000, p.3.
Our information: *in 1954 the head of the Soviet Union.
N.Khrushev gave the Crimean oblast from Russia to Ukraine.
Social sphere.
Consular
mission of Georgia has come to the Crimea.
Citizenship
problems of the former deported and today living in the Crimea after returning
from Georgia, will be solved by the Consular mission of Georgia, which has arrived
in Simferopol.
During the
meeting with the Consular group they asked them to reduce the fee of legalizing
the documents for giving up the Georgian citizenship, which makes up $45. They
noted that the representatives of embassy were in power to reduce the fee down
to $30, and it would be implemented.
There are more
than 3,5 thousand of the citizens of Georgia living in the Crimea, who face an
urgent problem of changing the citizenship into the Ukrainian one. Most of them
are the Crimean Tatars, who can't afford paying so much money in order to give
the Georgian citizenship up.
Interfax-Ukraine, "Krimskiye
Izvestiya", #73(2077), 19 April 2000, p.2.
Acting
Chairman of Republic Committee dealing with problems of nationalities and the
deported, Edip Gafarov speaks about the functions of the department, he's now
heading.
- The main
function of our committee is the help in accommodation of repatriates and help
in the returning of those who haven't returned from the places of exile yet.
The Committee has been given the power to distribute facilities on the program
of the accommodation of the deported. There are two financial sources - The
State budget and the Republic budget of the Crimea.
The Committee
is both the developer and executor of the deported accommodation program. Some
260 thousand of the deported have returned by the beginning of the current
year, 300 villages of compact dwelling have been formed, they have started
accommodating the infrastructure. We are now developing the program of further
accommodation for 2001-2005 together with Kyiv.
The further destiny of the repatriates
depends on the success of the committee work and real financing of this
program. Allocations have been prepared in it according to the years, quarters
and even months. They have foreseen to allocate 50 million grivnas* for the
year 2001 and two more million are annually added to this sum. Totally, the
financing for 5 years will totally reach 315 million grivnas. If the foreseen
sum of money is received in time and totally, then it will give an opportunity
to do a lot of things. In particular, in 2002 all 300 villages will completely
be electrificated, in 2004 all of them will be provided watermain.
Simultaneously they will build schools, shops, and medical points. They need 2
million meters square in order to accommodate all the repatriates.
Yelena Gornaya, "Krimskaya Gazeta",
#72(15928), 19 April 2000, p.1-2.
Our information: *Grivnas stands against dollar approximately
as follows: 5,4 givnas = $1.
The deputy of regular representative of the
President of Ukraine in the Crimea, Remzi Havadji met the representative of the
Crimean Tatars' organizations in Turkey unity, the chairman of friendship
society "Ukraine - Turkey" Ahmed Ihsan Kirimli.
During the
years of mass return to the Crimea Ahmed Kirimli has greatly helped the Crimean
Tatars. In particular, a building for a hospital was bought and restored in one
of the villages. Medical equipment and medicine will soon be received there.
Yet, the opening of the hospital is being delayed because of the absence of the
canalization. Ahmed Kirimli addressed to the Crimean powers asking help in
order to come up with this problem.
Mariya Lashkina, "Krimskaya Gazeta",
#75(15931), 22 April 2000, p.2.
Economics. Tourism.
The solemn
celebration of the 80th anniversary of the famous Crimean Tatar
activist, chairman of the Crimean Tatar Diaspora in Turkey Ahmed Ihsan Kirimli
was held in the hall of the Crimean State Industrio-Pedagogical Institute
(CSIPI).
The rector of
CSIPI, Fevzi Yakubov announced awarding him the title of a respected professor
of CSIPI. The chairman of the Crimean Tatar nation's Mejilis, Mustafa Djemilev,
the deputy of the regular representative of the President of Ukraine, Remzi
Havadji, heads and representatives of the Crimean Tatar non government
organizations, delegation of guests from Turkey, and representatives of the Crimean
Tatar intelligentsia congratulated doctor Kirimli.
Folklore
ensemble "Krim", national ensemble "Uchansuv" made the
meeting cheerful and happy by donating their wonderful music, songs, dances of
the Crimean Tatar and other peoples.
Gulnara Useinova, "Golos Krima",
#17(3360, 21 April 2000, p.1.
It was
worth taking initiative.
Yevpatoriya
city library hasn't received any money from the city budget for completing its
book fund for five years. It comes up with this problem itself. The library of
N.Krupskaya, for example, together with society of the Crimean Tatar culture
"Yashlik" got a grant on program "Integration of the deported
nations into the Ukrainian society".
It allowed the
library to increase the number of the Crimean Tatar literature. Other city
libraries also successfully work together with non-government organizations.
They have proved that not only entrepreneurs and heads of enterprises can be
indifferent to books but city dwellers also. Readers get a great benefit from
such a partnership.
Valentina Lavrenko, "Krimskaya
Gazeta", #71(15927), 18 April 2000, p.2.