Crimean news 84.
(Mass Media review for
13-18 November 2000).
Articles are abridged.
Sometime
centuries ego Ukraine was governed from the ancient capital of the Crimean
Khannate.
Simferopol
residents stand against provocation.
Crimean
population gradually declines.
Journalists
and a public figure.
Politics.
Sometime centuries ego Ukraine was governed
from the ancient capital of the Crimean Khannate*.
Housing the Crimean
Tatars will take no less than 5-10 years.
As it was found
out, the president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, had never visited Bakhchisaray
history-cultural reserve - the palace of Crimean Khans. In this connection,
before holding a sitting of the President's Council of Crimean Tatar people's
representatives**, he decided to begin his working day with visiting the museum
accompanied by ministers and other executives who had arrived with him. The
palace impressed president greatly, and he said that this historical memorial
was of a great importance for Ukraine and it was necessary to take all the
measures in order to finish its restoration. The Crimean Tatars proposed the
president to take the responsibility not only of the Bakhchisaray palace but
also a medieval Moslem university Zyncyrli Medrese, cave town Chufut-kale,
which is a historical and cultural memorial of the Crimean Tatars and Karaits -
native peoples of Crimea. The Crimean Tatars also came out with an opinion that
it was necessary to solve the issue of returning cultural values, which had
been moved from Crimea in different periods of time. In particular, according
to Refat Chubarov's words, 404 manuscripts in the Crimean Tatar, Arabic and
Kurdish languages were moved to the library of Saltikov-Sshedrin
(Saint-Petersburg) in 1976. He also reminded that during the war*** time 283
ethnographic exhibits that were of a significant cultural value had been taken
from Crimea to Germany.
It has been the
third time that the president Leonid Kuchma meets the Council of Crimean Tatar
representatives this year - first two meetings were held in May and August in
Crimea. Owing to this Council created in May 1999 Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar
people got an official status. And from now all the state organs that get
commissions from the president deal with the problems of Crimean Tatar people.
On Friday four
problems loomed over horizon because of being topical: Crimean Tatars'
participating in the land division, financing the program of moving and housing
the Crimean Tatar people, Crimean Tatars' representatives and participating in
the work of power organs, problems in the humanitarian sphere - education,
culture and interethnic relations.
Currently, 258
thousand Crimean Tatars are registered in Crimea and some 40-50 thousand are
said to live without having been registered. Approximately 60% out of 140
thousand able-bodied returnees are out of work and two thirds of the employees
have got different professions from their jobs. About 70% of deportees lived in
the urban zone in the places of deportation and now they are compelled to
settle down in the rural zone. Some 80-90 deportees are planning to move to
Crimea in the near future. Today, the Crimean Tatars make up 12% of Crimean total
population, in Belogorsk and Bakhchisaray districts - 25-33%, in Yalta - 1%. By
the beginning of 2000 about 120 thousand returnees had no dwelling and lived in
dormitories and at their relatives'. Some 300 villages where the Crimean Tatars
live in compact have been formed since 1989 in Crimea. More than half of them
are out of water and gas mains have no good roads, telephones schools,
hospitals, and shops. According to the most optimistic forecasts of the Crimean
government it will take 5-10 years to accommodate these settlements. This also
depends on the amount of financing.
As the Council
chairman Mustafa Dzhemlev and a national deputy Refat Chubarov pointed, the
Crimean government and Crimean representatives of the presidents took active steps
on fulfilling the repatriation program, ensured a peaceful and democratic
solution of the problems that arise. However they criticized the actions of
parliament, its leader Leonid Grach, whose actions cause tension in interethnic
contradictions in Crimea.
The issue of
Crimean Tatars' participating in the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea has to be solved
in the near future. As is known, the first composition of the Crimean
parliament envisaged a quota of 18 seats and 14 of them - for the Crimean
Tatars. "Kurultay"**** fraction proved itself as a progressive,
stabilizing factor in the history of Crimean parliament. However, the present
calling composition does not include the Crimean Tatars, which has considerably
weakened the interest of deputy corpus to the deportees' issue. The fact
whether Crimean Tatars will be in the composition of the next calling or not
depends on the future electorate law for the Crimean Verkhovna Rada, which is
now being prepared. In Refat Chubarov's opinion the problem can be solved either
by means of proportional elections or creating quotas according to the majority
system. A group of law developers on behalf of Leonid Grach has submitted a law
draft to the parliament of Ukraine, which is based on the proportional system.
Refat Chubarov claims that despite some disadvantages of this law project,
which contains some advantages for the communistic party, some 14-15 Crimean
Tatar deputies can be elected from national-cultural and political
organizations of deportees to the Crimean parliament on its conditions.
However, he expressed his concerns that some other political powers, which do
not like it, may not support such an electoral system. Apart from that, the
legislature does not foresee regional parties in Crimea, and the Verkhovna Rada
is a representative organ but not a legislative one, so the elections must be
held according to the majority principal. In this case the problem of Crimean
Tatars' representatives can be solved by giving quoted seats. Deputies can be
elected either in the quoted districts or in one national district.
Nikita Kasyanenko, "Den"
("The Day"), #208 14 November 2000, p.4.
Our information: *Bakhchisaray was the capital of Crimean Khannate.
**Sea also "Crimean news 83"
about this sitting, commissions and decisions made at the sitting.
***The World War 2 is meant.
****All 14 Crimean Tatar deputies were
members of "Kurultay" fraction.
Simferopol residents stand against
provocation.
On November 4, a
conference was held in Simferopol regional mejlis, where they adopted an
address to Kurultay 3 delegates making some offers on regulations about
election of Kurultay delegates. They have made several addresses to the
President of Ukraine and Crimean Council of Ministers concerning a conflict
situation in Kapskhor* village caused by mounting of crosses. "Such
actions of Crimean Eparchy encroach upon religious feelings of representatives
of other confessions living beside Christians. Acting, without taking into
consideration this fact means creating a conflict situation, antagonism between
Christians and Moslems on purpose…"
They adopted a
resolution at the conference: to address to the state executive organs offering
to dismantle mounted crosses and thus, stabilize the situation in Crimea.
"Golos Kryma" ("The
Voice of Crimea"), #47 (366), 17 November 2000, p.1.
Our information: *See "Crimean news 82" about this
situation in Kapskhor village.
Statistics.
Crimean population gradually declines.
Crimean population
goes on to decrease also due to the migration. 28947 people arrived in Crimea
and 32044 people departed from it during 9 months of 2000. So-called migration
drop of Crimean population has counted for 3097 people this year.
Alexander Masshenko, "Krymskoye
Vremya" ("The Crimean Time"), #213 (1080), 15 November 2000, p.2.
Culture.
Journalists and a public figure.
Press conference
devoted to the preparations of celebrating the 120th anniversary of
public and state figure, journalist Abdureshid Mediyev was held in the Republic
Crimean Tatar library of I.Gasprinskiy.
Mediyev's life is
closely related to Crimea. He was born in Or (currently Armyansk) town,
graduated from the Simferopol teachers school and at the age of 27 was elected
the head* of Karasubazar (currently Belogorsk).
In 1907 Mediey
organized and edited "Vatan khadimi" newspaper. A.Mediyev was elected
as a deputy of the Second State Duma** from Taurian province***. He fought for
rights of his electors from its tribune.
Journalist and
public figure was meant to live for 32 years only.
On November 29 a
science-practical conference will be held in Belogorsk in honor of the 120th
anniversary.
S.Kiryanova, "Krymskiye
izvestiya" ("The Crimean news"), #213 (2217), 16 November 2000,
p.5.
Our information: *The head of local administration.
**Parliament of Russia.
***Former name of Crimea.