The Ukrainian Weekly 1989
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/^', ubhshed by the Ukrainian National Association Inc.. a fraternal non-profit associatiod rainian Weekly Vol. LVII No. 32 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 6,1989 50 cents Meeting, hunger strike in capital Kiev post office's portico collapses focus on Ukraine's national symbols LONDON - A round-table meeting offices of the Soviet Peace Committee on the issue of national symbols be in Kiev, reported the Ukrainian Press tween representatives of the city's Agency based here. democratic movements and representa These informal associations were tives of the Supreme Soviet of the represented by members of the Ukrai Ukrainian SSR and other officials of nian National-Democratic League, the the Communist Party of Ukraine took Popular Movement of Ukraine for place on Friday, July 28, at 5 p.m. in the (Continued on page 2) Kiev regional popular front holds constituent conference by Dr. Roman Solchanyk Society, whose speech can only be described as a frontal attack on the A recent issue of Literaturna Ukraina republican party leaders. Mr. Pavly carries several addresses delivered by. chko recalled, once again, the discus Ukrainian writers at the constituent sion between Mikhail Gorbachev and conference of the Kiev branch of the Ukrainian writers during the Soviet Popular Movement of Ukraine for party leader's visit to Ukraine, which Perebudova,or Rukh, which was held took place in the office of Volodymyr on July 1 in the Republican Cinema Shcherbytsky, the Ukrainian party first Building in Kiev. secretary. According to earlier reports, the According to Mr. Pavlychko, Mr. conference was attended by 442 dele Gorbachev asked the writers: "Is it true gates representing more than 200 local that you want to form a new party? I Rukh groups; 188 invited guests from didn't read the draft program of your Kiev's main post office in an early photo. 23 oblasts; representatives of public and Rukh, but I was told that you want to KIEV - Early accounts report that Two more people were seriously hurt creative organizations and informal form a new party!" The answer was: 11 people were killed when the and taken to the hospital. Soviet televi groups; and guests from Moscow, "No, we don't need a new party. We portico of the main post office here on sion has shown footage of people Lithuania, Latvia and Ukrainian so need perestroika. But inasmuch as the Khreshchatyk collapsed during the attempting to dig victims out of the cieties from Sakhalin (Kievan Rus')and perestroika in the republic is being rush hour period on Wednesday, Au rubble with their bare hands. It was Riga (Dnipro). furtively impeded, indeed, often by gust 2, reported TASS, the official reported that due to torrential rains that The conference was opened by Myro- people in high state and party posts, we Soviet news agency. (Continued on page 13) slav Popovych, a doctor of philosophi are forced, on the urging of the people, cal sciences and chairman.of the Rukh's to form the Rukh for perestroika." Coordination Council in Kiev, and Nothing has changed since then, said Kiev Consulate idea advances more than 30 speakers are reported to Mr. Pavlychko, arguing that the Rukh have taken part in the debates. resulted from the need of the masses '4o with passage of Senate bill The very fact that the conference intrude themselves into the renewal organizers were provided with a public process, to free it from sabotage, from by Walter Bodnar signature. building to convene the meeting sug its deliberately stupid, or simply lazy The Senate conferees have already gests a certain thaw in the strained and unimaginitive course." WASHINGTON - The proposal been chosen, namely, Senate Foreign relations between the Rukh and the Mr. Pavlychko offered four concrete for opening an American consulate Relations Chairman Claiborne Pell (D- authorities that set in after the or examples to back his claims. He re in Kiev has advanced another step with R.I.), Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Paul ganized letter-writing campaign direct ferred first of all, to the ongoing the passage by the Senate of S. 1160, the Sarbanes (D-Md.), Alan Cranston (D- ed against the Rukh earlier this year. ecological concerns of the population, State Department Authorization Bill Calif.), Jesse Helms (R-N.C), Richard This was also noted in one of the reports which indicate that "the republic's for fiscal year 1990, on Friday, July 21, Lugar (R-Ind.), and Nancy L. Kasse- on the conference proceedings pub leadership either does not know how to at 1 a.m. baum (R-Kansas). Their counterparts lished in the party press, which cited or does not want to draw conclusions A similar authorization bill, H:R. in the House will soon be selected. Leonid M. Kravchuk, the head of the from the world's worst 'peaceful' atom 1487 had passed the House of Repre Americans for Human Rights in Ukrainian Central Committee Ideology catastrophe, the Chornobyl catastrophe. sentatives on April 12. Ukraine (AHRU), which views the Department, as saying that both he and Then he noted the mass graves in Provisions were made in the Senate opening of the consulate in Kiev as a top Ivan Drach, one of the leading Rukh Bykivnia outside of Kiev, which, during bill for the opening of a consulate in priority item, informed the seven con organizers, "mutually acknowledged several years of perestroika, were the Kiev, pending a reciprocity agreement feree members of the Senate of its their mistakes'' during the heated subject of a disinformation campaign with the Soviets for a similar facility in endorsement of the "small consulate" polemics earlier this year and have now by officialdom. New York City. It amends Public Law idea. 'found a common language." Another case in point is the election 100-204 for fiscal years Ї988 and 1989 to "A consulate in Kiev," wrote Bo- campaign in Ukraine, at which time read: "The Secretary of State shall not zhena Olshaniwsky, AHRU president, Nonetheless, the spirit of compro "the administrative apparatus grasped allow the Soviet mission to the United "would afford us direct access to such mise that is said to have been apparent at the rudiments of Stalinism" and States to occupy any new consulate in events as park demonstrations, elec at the Kiev meeting did not prevent the sought to quash alternative choices. In the United States except on the basis of tions, striking coal miners and strug writers from speaking openly about the Ukraine, said Mr. Pavlychko, the elec reciprocity as to the establishment by he gles to prevent Chornobyl-type eco various problems that remain unsolved tion campaign was "a joke played on the the United States of a consulate in logical disasters that affect the entire in the republic and the continuing rigid people and on socialism." Kiev." world." conservatism of the Ukrainian party And finally, he noted, '4he complete At this juncture,conferees from both "We reiterate the importance of a leadership. switch, overnight, of signposts in Vin- the House and Senate will meet after the U.S. presence in Ukraine — the largest Particularly forthright in this respect nytsia from Ukrainian to Russian at August congressional recess to iron out non-Russian Soviet republic, and we was Dmytro Pavlychko, head of the precisely the same time when the first the differences in their respective bills ask that the members of the Senate team Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Language (Continued on page 10) prior to presentation for the president's (Continued on page 3) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 1989 No. 32 place over the third and fourth de Meeting... mands. A GLIMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY (Continued from page 1) In response to these demands, Mr. Perebudova and the independent jour Zaichuk was quoted as having said: "As nal Ukrainian Time (Ukrainskiy Chas). long as there is a law, the militia will ". The official representatives included function in accordance with the law, ''A serious political lesson employees of the republican Supreme thereby viewing the public display of Soviet Lata and Shymkach, Ukrainian national symbols as a disruption of Kiev party secretary resigns Minister of Justice Volodymyr Zai- public order and resorting to appro chuk. historians Vasyl Tkachenko, priate means." by Dr Roman Solchanyk "Nothing like the passions in the hall Yevhen Kaminsky, Kostiantyn Hro- As a result members of the UNDL where the plenum took place had ever monta, and employee of the city party threatened to hold a daylong hunger Radio Moscow and Radio Kiev on been witnessed before. The clash of committee, Oleksander Pyvovar, and strike if no affirmative response was July 22 reported that the first secretary opposite views, the directness and even others. given to the rest of their demands. of the Kiev City Party Committee, some sharpness, the emotions and Members of the UNDL who were "We view this treatment of the cur Konsiantyn Ivanovych Masyk, has temperament — all of this was in the present, including Yevhen Cheriiyshov, rent law by justice minister Zaichuk as been relieved of his position "on his own addresses of the speakers, almost none Arkadiy Kyreyev, Yuriy Pinsky, Vadym lawlessness common for.a totalitarian request'' and transferred to another, of whom could keep on the allotted Helinovsky and Viktor Tymoshchuk, regime, a violation of human rights for unspecified job. The decision was taken seven-minute limit. Some speeches presented a list of four demands regard freedom of national self-determina by a plenum of the City Party Commit seemed like soul searching, with all of its ing the issue of Ukrainian national tion," stated members of the UNDL. tee held on the same day. Mr. Masyk's pains and anxieties.