Yushchenko and Our Ukraine will join mass protests on September 16 (09/15/02)

Yushchenko and Our Ukraine will join mass protests on September 16

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Viktor Yushchenko announced on September 10 that he would join mass protests by the Ukrainian opposition movement scheduled for September 16.

After wavering for weeks on whether his political bloc, Our Ukraine, which has the second largest faction in the Verkhovna Rada, should commit to the opposition or pursue a political agreement with Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma, Mr. Yushchenko said he would join the Socialists, Communists and the Tymoshenko Bloc on the streets of Kyiv on that day.

Mr. Yushchenko explained that he planned to continue to pursue all available political recourse to return the share of power that he believes rightfully belongs to the Our Ukraine parliamentary faction.

"We have been proceeding systematically," explained Mr. Yushchenko in explaining why he delayed his decision to join the demonstrations even as his political partners in Our Ukraine clamored for his participation. "We must, however, be aware that a September 17 and a September 18 will follow and must know what we will do then," he added during an Internet press conference.

Mr. Yushchenko has complained bitterly that Our Ukraine was underhandedly usurped of political power in the Verkhovna Rada after pro-presidential powers illegally twisted arms and offered bribes to ensure that their political bloc, For a United Ukraine, attained a majority in order to elect its own parliamentary leadership.

The Our Ukraine leader has, however, maintained contact with the pro-presidential representatives and President Kuchma, who have continued to woo him because they need the 110 lawmakers in the Our Ukraine parliamentary faction to establish a strong majority. One reason is that on August 24 President Kuchma said he was ready to cede some presidential authority - and to eventually back it up with Constitutional changes - if the Verkhovna Rada could form an effective majority, which he would then allow to form a government and appoint a prime minister.

At the same time, Mr. Yushchenko has kept up his call for a forum of democratic political organizations, which is slotted for September 15-16, to unify Ukraine's democratic movement and set a united agenda on how to proceed further. Mr. Yushchenko has called the forum the political solution to the "crisis of leadership" that erupted after the pro-presidential lawmakers stole the power in the Verkhovna Rada, according to Mr. Yushchenko. He has said all along that if the forum was a failure he would immediately join the opposition.

The leaders of the three opposition parties, Petro Symonenko of the Communist Party, Yulia Tymoshenko of the Tymoshenko Bloc and Oleksander Moroz of the Socialist Party - and especially Mrs. Tymoshenko - had publicly and privately pleaded with Mr. Yushchenko to join their effort. A somewhat less enthusiastic Mr. Symonenko suggested during a press conference just prior to Mr. Yushchenko's announcement that the opposition could do without the Our Ukraine leader.

"The forum organizers have invited the president, his associates and cohorts to take part as delegates," explained Mr. Symonenko. "We do not understand one thing - why have we not been invited - unless [Mr. Yushchenko's] point is to compromise us or to force us to give up our course."

The three opposition leaders said they had information that some 35,000 law enforcement officials would be ordered onto Kyiv's streets to control the crowds on September 16, but also to incite them into acts of civil disobedience.

"We know they will be trying to provoke the participants. It is to their advantage to show the crowd to be unruly," explained Mr. Symonenko. "That is why we ask maximum restraint of our supporters."

Ms. Tymoshenko said that the opposition movement, which will march under the banner "Arise Ukraine," would demand access to the city center and Independence Square. She said that the organization had filed all the proper paperwork and met all deadlines, while adding that the law allows national deputies to hold public meetings with constituents on the streets of the capital.

On September 9, Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko told reporters that he would push to have the demonstration held in the Chaika Aerodrome, where Pope John Paul II said Mass during his visit to Kyiv in 2000. Mr. Omelchenko said he had no recourse because the expected crowds - some are estimating a turnout of 30,000 protesters - would paralyze the city center. The Kyiv mayor said that municipal law bans major events on the Khreschatyk, except those associated with Christmas, New Year's Day, Victory Day, Independence Day and Kyiv Day.

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