Sunday, November 27, 2005
SENT NOV. 30, 2004, or DAY 9 of OR, entry II
OPPOSITION CALLS OFF NEGOTIATIONS
Greetings Friends and Family,
The opposition has called off all negotiations with the government of Viktor Janukovych since it has become abundantly clear that they have no intention of truly compromising or listening to opposition demands. Janukovych stated today that he would only agree to another election if there was valid proof of vote fraud, which he claims he has not yet seen. Also, the Supreme Court of Ukraine has been "reviewing" the issue of vote fraud for two days now and has made no sign of acknowledging the claims of the opposition and Western observers that the vote was rigged. This was Jushchenko's last hope that a strategy of negotiating with the government might succeed--if the Court had ruled the elections as fraudulent, then there would be a third election without questions asked. It appears that the Court is the last stronghold of authorities--rumors are that Kuchma is using the court to stop approval of a third election (by intimdation and threats to the jurors) while trying to publically save face by publically condeming the elections as rigged.
I could have said I knew it. . .well, I will. There is no talking with this government. They are proving it now, and it is very scary to think of what might happen next. Although I was frustrated at first with Jushchenko's embarking on negotiations, I had come to think OK, maybe this is working, given all the uproar that happened yesterday, with Janukovych apparently loosing key supporters. Now there is yet another upset. People are angry and tired, and many have been in Kyiv without a decent place to sleep and eat for days, some for over a week. The scene of protestors storming the parliament--I think more of this is to come. Tomorrow will be very interesting.
Two things, both hopeful: despite Janukovych's (and Kuchma's behind-the-scenes) refusal to cooperate with the opposition, the huge uproar in the parliament over Kharkiv's and Donetsk's declarations of autonomy has caused those state's parliaments and national deputies to rescind their calls for autonomy.
Second, I heard today on Ternopil radio an interview with a fellow from the city of Ternopil (remember that Ukraine's states are named after their capital cities) who has been in Kyiv since November 22. He was asked, when do you plan to come home, and he said, "DO PEREMOHY budu v Kyjevi! (I will be in Kyiv until Victory)!"
And oh, one more thing: I am tired of the Western press constantly hammering the issue of Ukraine's East-West, Ukrainian-speaking-Russian-speaking divide without qualification. What I mean is this: Ukraine is indeed a nation with regional differences and linguistic and cultural differences, and there is indeed a West-East divide. The point however is that this need not be a political division. The post-Soviet leadership, like the Soviet leadership, like the Imperial leadership before as well, all have sought to maintain its power in this country by manipulating these differences, by politicizing issues of culture. The Russophile oligarchy does so in Ukraine by convincing a segment of the Russian speaking population that the Russian language is under threat in Ukraine and that the opposition threatens to break off any cooperation between Ukraine and Russia. All of this is nonsense. The Russian language is not threatened in Ukraine in any way imaginable. Every news program has both a Russian and Ukrainian variant. Many talk shows have one announcer who speaks Russian, the other Ukrainian. Most foreign movies and books come to Ukraine dubbed and translated in Russian. The pop music industry is dominated by Russian variants, although the Ukrainian pop industry is strong and growing. Almost all Ukrainian-speakers can speak and understand Russian. The same can not be said of Russian-speakers in Ukraine, although a growing number of them are able to at least understand it. And Ukraine already cooperates with Russia enormously. If the Russophile oligarchy was not so dependent on keeping Russian-speaking voters alienated from Ukrainian-speaking voters to stay in power, one would look at Ukraine's cultural diversity and regional variations as something to be cherished. So all reporters writing about Ukraine should emphasize how authorities, through their propaganda, policies, and control of media are keeping Ukraine divided. And then they should report that a large number of Jushchenko supporters have spoken to the pro-Jushchenko masses from the central Independence Square in Kyiv in Russian. In fact, one of the most incredible moments to have occured yet--to my mind--was when the General-Major of Ukraine's police forces declared his support for Jushchenko on Saturday or Sunday (I forget exactly when), and said speaking in Russian that he was happy "that the time has come in which we can say 'No' to this regime."
Ukraine is a nation, like every society throughout human history, made up of differences--of difference of language, culture, religion, creed, and it should remain as such. The succes of a government is how much it can promote and maintain harmony between differences. Ukrainians know themselves that differences appear even when everyone is of the same supposed language and culture. Differences of opinion and creed then take over from differences of language and culture. There is no eliminating differences. To be a mature human being, one must love and respect those who are different from you. Therefore I personally am as much against Ukrainian ultranationalists who think Russian should be wiped off Ukraine's linguistic map of as much as I am against Russian ultranationalists who think Ukraine is nothing other than Little Russia. It would be a shame if a future Ukraine could no longer speak nor understand Russian. What needs to change is that Russian-speakers in a future Ukraine need to be able to speak and understand Ukrainian as well as Ukrainian speakers already can in Russian. And this is the kind of future Ukraine that Jushcheno and the opposition in general are struggling for--and so it is important to note that the truly ultra-nationalistic Ukrainian parties, such as the OUN (which is a shadow of its former self) and the character of (I forget his first name) ? Kozak, have rejected Jushchenko, not only because he's tolerant of Russian language, but also because he's got an American-born wife (Jushchenko's wife is Ukrainian-American). Jushchenko is too tolerant for their intolerant tastes.
Below are two articles from Yahoo/Europe/AP, and one that I wrote this weekend when I was feeling frustrated with Jushchenko for negotiating. I didn't send it at first because I had grown more tolerant of his attempt to negotiate, but now it seems more apropos.
Peace and Love,
Stefan
The first article, that I wrote, I posted earlier to this blog here: "Viktor Yushchenko--Reluctant Revolutionary?"
Ukraine Opposition Ends Compromise Talks
1 hour, 38 minutes ago
Europe - AP
By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine - Opposition supporters on Tuesday abruptly broke off compromise talks over Ukraine's disputed presidential election after pro-government lawmakers blocked a no-confidence motion seeking to topple the prime minister, who was declared the victor in last week's vote despite allegations of massive fraud.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Ukraine Elections
High Court Meets Again on Ukraine Election(AP Video)
The opposition's rejection of the talks raises pressure on Ukrainian authorities, while Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said the crisis in the former Soviet republic must be resolved without foreign meddling.
The Supreme Court was wrapping up a second day of hearings with no sign of a decision on an opposition appeal to annul the results from the Nov. 21 runoff election, which put Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych ahead by 871,402 votes.
The moves came after outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, who did not run in the election, spoke out harshly against any steps that would divide this nation of 48 million and said he would support a new vote.
Ukraine's government has been paralyzed since the election results sent hundreds of thousands into the streets of the capital for round-the-clock protests to support opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who claims he was robbed of victory.
Putin told German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that "an exit from the crisis should be found in a democratic way, that is, on the basis of observing the law and not under external or internal pressure based on political passions," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
Schroeder and Putin also discussed the possibility of new elections in Ukraine and agreed that any results should be "strictly respected," according to the German leader's office.
Russia considers the energy-dependent Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and a buffer with NATO (news - web sites)'s eastern flank and the political crisis has deepened the political tug-of-war between Moscow and the West.
Yushchenko's campaign chief, Oleksandr Zinchenko, announced Tuesday that the opposition candidate was breaking off talks with Yanukovych. The talks began last week under the mediation of European Union (news - web sites) foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Solana is set to arrive in Kiev Tuesday night for another round of talks and is to be joined Wednesday by Kwasniewski. The two planned to meet with the rival candidates on Wednesday, the European Commission (news - web sites)'s Kiev office said. It was not clear if the opposition announcement would affect Wednesday's meeting.
Zinchenko's comments came after pro-government lawmakers blocked an opposition attempt for a no-confidence vote in Yanukovych's Cabinet due to the emergence of separatist threats in the nation. Only 196 of the 410 lawmakers present supported the measure, however, less than the 226 votes needed.
Legislators later tentatively approved a resolution that would cancel Saturday's nonbinding decision to declare the election results invalid, prompting demonstrators massed outside to try to storm the session.
Protesters — some crawling on top of each other's shoulders — got as far as the lobby of the building before police pushed them back. Yushchenko also addressed the demonstrators in an effort to calm tensions.
Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn adjourned the session until Wednesday and said the nonbinding decision would not be rescinded.
In an apparent bid to compromise, Yanukovych said that if he becomes president, he will offer Yushchenko the post of "first person," or the prime minister's job.
Yushchenko quickly brushed off the offer, saying he wants to focus on the vote fraud.
"The election was rigged," he said. "People are asking whether this country has a political elite capable of upholding a fair vote."
Yanukovych also has said that he would support a revote if allegations of fraud are proven — but that he had yet to see such proof. On Tuesday, he even suggested he could withdraw from the race — if his rival did.
"We need to overcome the crisis and for the sake of this I propose that neither Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko nor I participate in the (new) election if the result of the vote will be declared falsified," Yanukovych said, according to Interfax.
Threats to Ukraine's unity, meanwhile, seemed to dissipate after the eastern Donetsk region said it would not hold its referendum on self-rule as planned Sunday amid sharp criticism from lawmakers and potential legal action to protect the nation's territorial integrity. The Kharkiv regional legislature also retracted its threat to introduce self-rule.
Donetsk Governor Anatoliy Bliznyuk — whose region is Yanukovych's home base — said his region was seeking "not autonomy, but to become a republic within Ukraine." He said the referendum would be held within the next two months.
The Supreme Court began hearing the opposition appeal on Monday, but officials have said a decision could take several days. Under Ukrainian legislation, the court cannot rule on the overall results but can declare results invalid in individual precincts.
The appeal focuses on results from eight eastern and southern regions — more than 15 million votes, almost half of the total cast in the runoff.
Yushchenko's lawyers on Tuesday cited turnout of above 100 percent in hundreds of precincts in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, problems with voting lists and multiple voting with absentee ballots.
The opposition also asked the court to annul the vote and name Yushchenko the winner based on his winning a narrow plurality of the votes in the first round on Oct. 31.
Yushchenko, whose stronghold was western Ukraine, a traditional center of nationalism, says he wants to push the country to greater integration with Western Europe, and he has suggested he would seek NATO membership.
Yanukovych drew his support from Ukraine's pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half and was expected to pursue closer ties with Moscow.
Greetings Friends and Family,
The opposition has called off all negotiations with the government of Viktor Janukovych since it has become abundantly clear that they have no intention of truly compromising or listening to opposition demands. Janukovych stated today that he would only agree to another election if there was valid proof of vote fraud, which he claims he has not yet seen. Also, the Supreme Court of Ukraine has been "reviewing" the issue of vote fraud for two days now and has made no sign of acknowledging the claims of the opposition and Western observers that the vote was rigged. This was Jushchenko's last hope that a strategy of negotiating with the government might succeed--if the Court had ruled the elections as fraudulent, then there would be a third election without questions asked. It appears that the Court is the last stronghold of authorities--rumors are that Kuchma is using the court to stop approval of a third election (by intimdation and threats to the jurors) while trying to publically save face by publically condeming the elections as rigged.
I could have said I knew it. . .well, I will. There is no talking with this government. They are proving it now, and it is very scary to think of what might happen next. Although I was frustrated at first with Jushchenko's embarking on negotiations, I had come to think OK, maybe this is working, given all the uproar that happened yesterday, with Janukovych apparently loosing key supporters. Now there is yet another upset. People are angry and tired, and many have been in Kyiv without a decent place to sleep and eat for days, some for over a week. The scene of protestors storming the parliament--I think more of this is to come. Tomorrow will be very interesting.
Two things, both hopeful: despite Janukovych's (and Kuchma's behind-the-scenes) refusal to cooperate with the opposition, the huge uproar in the parliament over Kharkiv's and Donetsk's declarations of autonomy has caused those state's parliaments and national deputies to rescind their calls for autonomy.
Second, I heard today on Ternopil radio an interview with a fellow from the city of Ternopil (remember that Ukraine's states are named after their capital cities) who has been in Kyiv since November 22. He was asked, when do you plan to come home, and he said, "DO PEREMOHY budu v Kyjevi! (I will be in Kyiv until Victory)!"
And oh, one more thing: I am tired of the Western press constantly hammering the issue of Ukraine's East-West, Ukrainian-speaking-Russian-speaking divide without qualification. What I mean is this: Ukraine is indeed a nation with regional differences and linguistic and cultural differences, and there is indeed a West-East divide. The point however is that this need not be a political division. The post-Soviet leadership, like the Soviet leadership, like the Imperial leadership before as well, all have sought to maintain its power in this country by manipulating these differences, by politicizing issues of culture. The Russophile oligarchy does so in Ukraine by convincing a segment of the Russian speaking population that the Russian language is under threat in Ukraine and that the opposition threatens to break off any cooperation between Ukraine and Russia. All of this is nonsense. The Russian language is not threatened in Ukraine in any way imaginable. Every news program has both a Russian and Ukrainian variant. Many talk shows have one announcer who speaks Russian, the other Ukrainian. Most foreign movies and books come to Ukraine dubbed and translated in Russian. The pop music industry is dominated by Russian variants, although the Ukrainian pop industry is strong and growing. Almost all Ukrainian-speakers can speak and understand Russian. The same can not be said of Russian-speakers in Ukraine, although a growing number of them are able to at least understand it. And Ukraine already cooperates with Russia enormously. If the Russophile oligarchy was not so dependent on keeping Russian-speaking voters alienated from Ukrainian-speaking voters to stay in power, one would look at Ukraine's cultural diversity and regional variations as something to be cherished. So all reporters writing about Ukraine should emphasize how authorities, through their propaganda, policies, and control of media are keeping Ukraine divided. And then they should report that a large number of Jushchenko supporters have spoken to the pro-Jushchenko masses from the central Independence Square in Kyiv in Russian. In fact, one of the most incredible moments to have occured yet--to my mind--was when the General-Major of Ukraine's police forces declared his support for Jushchenko on Saturday or Sunday (I forget exactly when), and said speaking in Russian that he was happy "that the time has come in which we can say 'No' to this regime."
Ukraine is a nation, like every society throughout human history, made up of differences--of difference of language, culture, religion, creed, and it should remain as such. The succes of a government is how much it can promote and maintain harmony between differences. Ukrainians know themselves that differences appear even when everyone is of the same supposed language and culture. Differences of opinion and creed then take over from differences of language and culture. There is no eliminating differences. To be a mature human being, one must love and respect those who are different from you. Therefore I personally am as much against Ukrainian ultranationalists who think Russian should be wiped off Ukraine's linguistic map of as much as I am against Russian ultranationalists who think Ukraine is nothing other than Little Russia. It would be a shame if a future Ukraine could no longer speak nor understand Russian. What needs to change is that Russian-speakers in a future Ukraine need to be able to speak and understand Ukrainian as well as Ukrainian speakers already can in Russian. And this is the kind of future Ukraine that Jushcheno and the opposition in general are struggling for--and so it is important to note that the truly ultra-nationalistic Ukrainian parties, such as the OUN (which is a shadow of its former self) and the character of (I forget his first name) ? Kozak, have rejected Jushchenko, not only because he's tolerant of Russian language, but also because he's got an American-born wife (Jushchenko's wife is Ukrainian-American). Jushchenko is too tolerant for their intolerant tastes.
Below are two articles from Yahoo/Europe/AP, and one that I wrote this weekend when I was feeling frustrated with Jushchenko for negotiating. I didn't send it at first because I had grown more tolerant of his attempt to negotiate, but now it seems more apropos.
Peace and Love,
Stefan
The first article, that I wrote, I posted earlier to this blog here: "Viktor Yushchenko--Reluctant Revolutionary?"
Ukraine Opposition Ends Compromise Talks
1 hour, 38 minutes ago
Europe - AP
By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine - Opposition supporters on Tuesday abruptly broke off compromise talks over Ukraine's disputed presidential election after pro-government lawmakers blocked a no-confidence motion seeking to topple the prime minister, who was declared the victor in last week's vote despite allegations of massive fraud.
AP Photo
AP Photo
Slideshow: Ukraine Elections
High Court Meets Again on Ukraine Election(AP Video)
The opposition's rejection of the talks raises pressure on Ukrainian authorities, while Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said the crisis in the former Soviet republic must be resolved without foreign meddling.
The Supreme Court was wrapping up a second day of hearings with no sign of a decision on an opposition appeal to annul the results from the Nov. 21 runoff election, which put Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych ahead by 871,402 votes.
The moves came after outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, who did not run in the election, spoke out harshly against any steps that would divide this nation of 48 million and said he would support a new vote.
Ukraine's government has been paralyzed since the election results sent hundreds of thousands into the streets of the capital for round-the-clock protests to support opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who claims he was robbed of victory.
Putin told German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that "an exit from the crisis should be found in a democratic way, that is, on the basis of observing the law and not under external or internal pressure based on political passions," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
Schroeder and Putin also discussed the possibility of new elections in Ukraine and agreed that any results should be "strictly respected," according to the German leader's office.
Russia considers the energy-dependent Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and a buffer with NATO (news - web sites)'s eastern flank and the political crisis has deepened the political tug-of-war between Moscow and the West.
Yushchenko's campaign chief, Oleksandr Zinchenko, announced Tuesday that the opposition candidate was breaking off talks with Yanukovych. The talks began last week under the mediation of European Union (news - web sites) foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Solana is set to arrive in Kiev Tuesday night for another round of talks and is to be joined Wednesday by Kwasniewski. The two planned to meet with the rival candidates on Wednesday, the European Commission (news - web sites)'s Kiev office said. It was not clear if the opposition announcement would affect Wednesday's meeting.
Zinchenko's comments came after pro-government lawmakers blocked an opposition attempt for a no-confidence vote in Yanukovych's Cabinet due to the emergence of separatist threats in the nation. Only 196 of the 410 lawmakers present supported the measure, however, less than the 226 votes needed.
Legislators later tentatively approved a resolution that would cancel Saturday's nonbinding decision to declare the election results invalid, prompting demonstrators massed outside to try to storm the session.
Protesters — some crawling on top of each other's shoulders — got as far as the lobby of the building before police pushed them back. Yushchenko also addressed the demonstrators in an effort to calm tensions.
Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn adjourned the session until Wednesday and said the nonbinding decision would not be rescinded.
In an apparent bid to compromise, Yanukovych said that if he becomes president, he will offer Yushchenko the post of "first person," or the prime minister's job.
Yushchenko quickly brushed off the offer, saying he wants to focus on the vote fraud.
"The election was rigged," he said. "People are asking whether this country has a political elite capable of upholding a fair vote."
Yanukovych also has said that he would support a revote if allegations of fraud are proven — but that he had yet to see such proof. On Tuesday, he even suggested he could withdraw from the race — if his rival did.
"We need to overcome the crisis and for the sake of this I propose that neither Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko nor I participate in the (new) election if the result of the vote will be declared falsified," Yanukovych said, according to Interfax.
Threats to Ukraine's unity, meanwhile, seemed to dissipate after the eastern Donetsk region said it would not hold its referendum on self-rule as planned Sunday amid sharp criticism from lawmakers and potential legal action to protect the nation's territorial integrity. The Kharkiv regional legislature also retracted its threat to introduce self-rule.
Donetsk Governor Anatoliy Bliznyuk — whose region is Yanukovych's home base — said his region was seeking "not autonomy, but to become a republic within Ukraine." He said the referendum would be held within the next two months.
The Supreme Court began hearing the opposition appeal on Monday, but officials have said a decision could take several days. Under Ukrainian legislation, the court cannot rule on the overall results but can declare results invalid in individual precincts.
The appeal focuses on results from eight eastern and southern regions — more than 15 million votes, almost half of the total cast in the runoff.
Yushchenko's lawyers on Tuesday cited turnout of above 100 percent in hundreds of precincts in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, problems with voting lists and multiple voting with absentee ballots.
The opposition also asked the court to annul the vote and name Yushchenko the winner based on his winning a narrow plurality of the votes in the first round on Oct. 31.
Yushchenko, whose stronghold was western Ukraine, a traditional center of nationalism, says he wants to push the country to greater integration with Western Europe, and he has suggested he would seek NATO membership.
Yanukovych drew his support from Ukraine's pro-Russian, heavily industrialized eastern half and was expected to pursue closer ties with Moscow.
