Re: Danube and Ukrainian power

Dear Leonid,
Dear friends,

I  write you asking not to sign letter to Ukrainian
authorities about canceling destruction of Danube
reserve if you, like me, have received it recently.
(Please see the text of that letter attached to my
message). I ask about it not because I am averse to
safeguarding Danube. This matter is very important
but, unfortunately, I need to say that, perhaps
striving to the noble goals, the authors of the text
use some very inaccurate formulations which could lead
to much more harmful results than ecological problem
you try to solve.

Particularly, I mean appealing to Mr. Yanukovich as
the “most likely future president of Ukraine”. Is it
casual or deliberate misinformation? I would like to
draw your attention to the fact that according to all
polls the most popular candidate for further
presidential elections is the leader of democratic,
pro-European (which should be more correctly named
“pro-Ukrainian”)  opposition block “Our Ukraine”
Victor Yuschenko who precedes V. Yuanukovich for
approximately 10 % voices. At the other hand, it is
true that most Ukrainians do not believe that
elections in this October will be honest and
transparent. Quite popular answer in the pre-election
surveys is “I would like to see Yuschenko the next
Ukrainian president but I am sure that all the same
they [the present power] will draw out the
Yanukovich’s victory by all means.” There are a lot of
evidences that such apprehensions are not an
exaggeration: for example, recent major elections in a
small town of Mukacheve, which many analysts
considered to be the rehearsal of the future
presidential elections. The convincing victory of
opposition candidate was brutally stolen there by the
pro-power and criminal-supported forces. That case has
shown: being left without the support of European
observers, supervisors and controlling officials,
Ukraine could turn into not just non-democratic but
completely criminalised and even fascist country. So
the efforts of many European politicians and civil
organisations who really want to see Ukraine as a
predictable, democratic, prosperious European country
are directed to helping Ukraine in providing the
honest and transparent elections, the proper
realisation of Ukrainian people’s right to vote freely
and to elect whom they want. That will most probably
lead to the change of power and, therefore, to the
real observance of the European values in Ukraine –
not in the last turn in the field of ecology.
Organising observing, supervising and controlling the
future Ukrainian elections seems to be much more
effective way for European community to influence what
is happening than threatening V. Yanukovich that he
will force difficulties as next president if he will
not stop works on Danube.

To my mind, crediting Mr. Yanukovich as “the most
likely future president of Ukraine” could mean the
ecological activists’ silently acceptance of the
possible abuses during the future elections “in
change” to some moves of the present Ukrainian power.
Sorry, but to my mind conscious Europeans should not
give such card blanches. 

If you are interested in English-languaged information
about Ukraine I recommend you very informative and
comprehensive web-site www.ArtUkraine.com

Kyrylo Bulkin,
independent journalist
www.geocities.com/kbulkin

The original letter:
Leonid Savin <[email protected]>
Fri, 04 Jun 2004 11:01:35 +0300
wrote:
Dear all!
     Ukrainian authorities keep on with their
destructive canal 
projects at the
Danube reserve.
     The German suckig ship has dredged already 500 m.
The reserve is 
wounded
but we still can try to save it!
     Foreseeing the upcoming June 5, World
Conservation Day, we ask you 
to
adress Ukrainian President Kuchma, and Prime-minister
and most possible 
next
president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich.
     You may ether use direct adresses or Ukrainian
embassy in your 
country to
express your concern - adresses embassy should read <
http://www.seu.ru/projects/eng/dunay/embassy.htm>.
Draft letters are 
below.

To President Leonid Kuchma

On the world conservation day, we, as representatives
of world 
environmental
community, ask to stop all works at the Bystroe
estuary and Danube 
biosphere
reserve!
     We are aware that already about 6000 letters from
90 countries 
came have
experessing peoples' concerns and organizations from
90 countries have
experessed their concerns and protest at Ukranian
action regarding the 
nature
territory of the international value. The fact of the
work proceeding 
on is a
clearly expressed disrespect to the workd community.
     This shows that Ukrainian authorities show
absolutely no intention 
to
integrate into European and civilized world community.
Such intentions, 
beside
mere declaration, should be supported by observation
of commonly and
internationally accepted environment conservation and
legislation 
practices, as
well as observation of international agreements.
     The barbaric actions that are continuing to
destruct the Danube 
biosphere
reserve clearly indicate that Ukraine may not be full
and reliable 
member of any
international agreement or community.
     To chamge this internationally spread notion,
please stop the 
Danube
reserve destruction and withdraw dredging fleet from
the Bystroe 
estuary

To Viktor Yanukovich, Prime Minister of the Ukraine
and candidate to 
Ukrainian
Presidency

Mr. Yanukovich
     We address you as most likely future President of
the Ukriane. We 
have to
inform you that, in case you are elected Ukrainian
President, you will 
have to
deal with serious international problems that Ukraine
got itslef in 
lately.
     On the world conservation day, we, as
representatives of world
environmental community, ask to stop all works at the
Bystroe estuary 
and Danube
biosphere reserve!
     We are aware that already about 6000 letters from
90 countries 
came have
experessing peoples' concerns and organizations from
90 countries have
experessed their concerns and protest at Ukranian
action regarding the 
nature
territory of the international value. The fact of the
work proceeding 
on is a
clearly expressed disrespect to the workd community.
     This shows that Ukrainian authorities show
absolutely no intention 
to
integrate into European and civilized world community.
Such intentions, 
beside
mere declaration, should be supported by observation
of commonly and
internationally accepted environment conservation and
legislation 
practices, as
well as observation of international agreements.
     The barbaric actions that are continuing to
destruct the Danube 
biosphere
reserve clearly indicate that Ukraine may not be full
and reliable 
member of any
international agreement or community.
     To chamge this internationally spread notion, to
avoid serious 
future
problems and iternational isolation of Ukraine, please
stop the Danube 
reserve
destruction and withdraw dredging fleet from the
Bystroe estuary.




	
		
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