www.ukrweekly.com Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association! icrainian Weekl у Vol. LIX No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 1991 50 cents Koniev urges Kiev women's rally calls for 'no' vote on referendum U.S. policy shift toward republics by Eugene M. Iwanciw UNA Washington Office WASHINGTON - Serhiy Koniev, Rukh activist and USSR people's deputy, spent four days visiting with Washington policy-makers. His visit to the nation's capital, organized by the UNA Washington Office, included meetings with members of Congress, representatives of the Bush administra­ tion and the local Ukrainian American community. Dr. Koniev began his visit with a full morning of meetings at the Department of State. At the request of the depart­ ment, he met with staff from various offices and bureaus which deal with the Soviet Union and the nationalities issue. That meeting was followed by a session with Curtis Kamman, deputy assistant secretary of state. In these meetings, as in most others, the deputy from Ukraine stressed that Scene of the International Women's Day rally held at October Revolution Square to focus on the upcoming referendum. by Marta Kolomayets this is one of the reasons we have only 13 Council of Rukh, the Popular Move­ Kiev Press Bureau women in the Supreme Soviet of U- ment of Ukraine, including Tamara kraine,"said Mykhailyna Boroday, the Velychko, Yaroslava Ostaf and Maria INSIDE: KIEV - "This is the first time in 70 energetic organizer of this action. Drach, decided that March 8, known as years that women of this city have come She and the leaders of the Women's (Continued on page 4) out to protect their plight," an elderly Kievan woman named Halyna Hryho- riyevna said on Friday, March 8, Chornovil offers observations on International Women's Day, as she stood chanting anti-union referendum slogans at October Revolution Square Kravchuk's pre-referendum trip to Lviv (Independence Square). "It is a great by Marta Kolomayets oblast union which has agreed on day," she added. Kiev Press Bureau political, economic and cultural coope­ She was joined by more than 2,500 ration. citizens of this capital city who came out LVIV - The president of the Soviet During a brief interview on Sunday, to witness a unique political meeting Union of the Ukrainian SSR, Leonid March 10, Mr. Chornovil offered his organized by women for women on the M. Kravchuk, visited Lviv Oblast on thoughts on Mr. Kravchuk's visit to eve of the March 17 referendum. The March 4, less than two weeks before the Lviv. meeting ironically attracted more men March 17 union referendum. This first than women, who attentively listened to official visit by the republic's leader to the trials and problems of being a western Ukraine, long considered the woman in today's Soviet system. All the bastion of Ukrainian nationalism, was Of what significance was Leonid speakers, save for the Rev. Yuriy Boyko according to some observers an astute Kravchuk's visit to the Lviv Oblast? of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Ortho­ political move by Mr. Kravchuk, who 9 Rabbi recalls Metropolitan dox Church, who delivered the blessing has traveled extensively in eastern I think that his visit was inevitable. Andrey Sheptytsky's role in saving at the close of the meeting, were women, Ukraine. Attempts to block change in Galicia, to lives of Jews during the Nazi occu­ housewives, professionals, mothers, During his visit to Lviv, Mr. Krav­ block our democratic government have pation, "Faces and Places" — page grandmothers — who are concerned chuk spoke of Ukraine's sovereignty, failed. You know in eastern Ukraine the 7. about the future of their children, the stating that it is supported by citizens of people have been inundated with unbri­ 9 "Journalist's notebook in Kiev/' future of Ukraine. Ukraine who reside in the oblasts of dled propaganda about western Ukraine. a new column by Marta Kolomayets, "The fact that more men than women Vinnytsia, Donetske and Luhanske. He At a time when there is a paper shortage, Kiev Press Bureau — page 2. are present here today tells me that we cautioned that only a united Ukraine eastern Ukraine has been showered with Ф Conference on "Glasnost and still have a lot of work ahead of us; can be successful as a sovereign state, leaflets; their mass media, their news­ the Global Village" — page 3. women have always been enslaved by for "we are all branches on one tree — papers, radio and television report that 9 Rep. Louise Slaughter on recent daily chores; we are not used to listen­ Mother Ukraine." in western Ukraine blood is being visit to the Baltic states — page 7. ing to women's ideas. It is time for that Mr. Kravchuk visited with Lviv spilled, terrible things are happening. Ь Freedom House's annual sur­ to change. And the thesis that men and Oblast Council Chairman Vyacheslav Why, they say, we stop just short of vey of world freedom — page 8. women are equal, it appears, means that Chornovil, a leader who has introduced hanging Communists from every light- Ф PEN honorary members in the a woman can work a sledge hammer on democratic reforms into his region and pole, and so on, and so forth. forefront of democratic movement the railroad alongside a man; but when has organized, along with leaders of the But this is all propaganda and, in fact, in Ukraine — page 9. it comes to voicing political ideas and Ivano-Frankivske and Ternopil Ob­ it is beginning to harvest results that are actions, women are not equal. I think lasts, the Galician Assembly, a three- (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 1991 No. 11 і Journalist's notebook \ iffife Newsbriefs j in Ukraine і Ijgl from Ukraine f by Marta Kolomayets f ^^IHMH^MMMH------^i--^- і Kiev Press Burfau 4 9 MUNICH - People's Deputy and committee, a group that is pushing for it^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ former political prisoner, Bohdan the formation of an autonomous re­ Rebryk, who chairs the subcommittee public composed of the southern ob- for the victims of political repression in lasts of Ukraine, with Odessa as its Ukrainian in Ukraine the Ukrainian Parliament, said on capital, has its own newspaper, Novoro- I remember my first trip to the Soviet Ukrainians of this feeling that is per­ March 5 that he had submitted to the siyskiy Telegraf. It notes, however, that Union. It was in the summer of 1985, haps, as so many like to say, "found in Ukrainian leadership a draft law on local authorities claim they know Mikhail S. Gorbachev had just come to our genes." compensation to the survivors of Com­ nothing about this group's activities. power, and the people were hopeful for Pavlo Movchan, a democratic deputy munist prisons and labor camps from Literaturna Ukraina reports that these a better tomorrow. from Kiev who is also the current head 1917 to the mid-1980s. The draft calls "Novorosy" have been inspired by the And, I remember arriving in Kiev, of the Ukrainian Language Society, for payments of at least 140 rubles and success of the Russian-dominated Cri­ Ukraine's capital city. During my first recently told me that the Council of no more than 1,200 rubles per month, mea in reclaiming its previous auto­ evening in the city, I decided to take a Ministers has accepted (February 12) a depending on the number of years the nomous republic status. (Radio Li­ stroll on the Khreshchatyk, down to the long-range program: "On the state pro­ recipient spent in the gulag. If it is berty) shores of the Dnipro. A man approach­ gram of the development of the Ukrai­ passed, it would be the most far- ed me, asking for directions in Russian. nian language and other national lan­ reaching legislation of its kind in the 9 KIEV — At a press conference on "A tourist," 1 thought to myself and told guages in the Ukrainian SSR until the Soviet Union, but Mr. Rebryk said the February 13 the Ministry of Interior of him that I, too, was a tourist. year 2000." government appeared less than pleased Ukraine revealed that joint military militia patrols are operating in 97 towns He explained in Russian, that he was He has called this program "our with his draft. (Radio Liberty) national salvation," adding that the and 79 transport depots throughout a native Kievan, a Ukrainian, but that Ukraine. The ministry added that these he did not speak the language. government is working together with the 9 KIEV - On February 25 in Kiev, Ukrainian Language Society to imple­ Lithuanian Deputy Prime Minister patrols do not carry automatic wea­ This was the first, but not the last time pons and are not accompanied by tanks I was disappointed during my inaugural ment programs to raise the level of Vytautas Pakalniskis and Viktor Kur- language and, thus, national conscious­ chyukin, deputy chairman of the Ukrai­ or armored personnel carriers. journey. 1 felt a stranger in a land that is The ministry spokesman, Oleksander my ancestral homeland; I found it ness. nian Council of Ministers, signed an The program, accepted by the Coun­ economic and trade cooperation proto­ Boytsekhovsky, used the standard difficult to understand why I, an Ameri­ Gorbachev arguments that these joint can, was one of the few people who cil of Ministers is indeed well-developed col for 1991. The document makes and far-reaching, bringing the Ukrai­ concrete the bilateral agreement on patrols were needed to combat "rising walked the streets of Kiev speaking crime" while "the people were demand­ Ukrainian.