The confirmation of Viktor Yushchenko as new Ukrainian President has given new hopes to us, campaigners against the plans of the former administration to drive a deep-water canal through that part of the core area of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve located in the Ukrainian Republic.
As you may know, Ukraine now has a new president, Mr Yushchenko, who claimed that all civil rights in Ukraine will be observed. We now need the international society to write to him and appeal to him to take action to save the reserve.
He has now been proclaimed officially winner of the elections and inauguration will take place shortly.
(as you also may know, the former Transport Minister who was the prime mover behind the canal plan, Mr.Kirpa was killed or committed suicide. He was believed to have been one of the treasurers of the illegal slush funds of the previous govt D.C.) I would like your assistance with drafting a letter from the international community to the new President.
We should ask the relevant EU commission to tackle the new president on the issue – as they were very supportive of him during his election campaign (as a pro-European democratic candidate)
Will you he?p us one more time – now there is a real hope of change?
[b]WHAT YOU CAN DO![/b]
Lend your support to Proact assistance for Ukrainian conservationists
by sending an email, letter or fax to President Viktor Yuschenko – to
convince him to reverse the previous government’s policy which
violated its own legislation and international agreements.
Use the draft text below or write in your own words to the President
using the email link or the numbers and addresses provided below.
Email addresses:
[email]postmaster@ribbon.kiev.ua[/email] [email]portal@kmu.gov.ua[/email]
copy to
[email]pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua[/email] [email]olegk@te.net.ua[/email]
[email]info@proact-campaigns.net[/email]
.. and send a separate email (text supplied below) to the new EU
Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas
Draft Texts
LETTER TP PRESIDENT YUSCHENKO
President Viktor Yuschenko
Vul. Bankova, 11
252220 Kiev
Ukraine
Fax: +380-44-293-1001
email:postmaster@ribbon.kiev.ua
[email]portal@kmu.gov.ua[/email]
by electronic mail – e-postoffices please pass print or mail texts to:
President Viktor Yuschenko
Dear President,
[b]THE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY OF THE DANUBE DELTA BIOSPHERE RESERVE MUST BE PRESERVED INTACT[/b]
Over the past 2 years conservationists worldwide have lent their support to Ukrainian campaigners in order to prevent the building of a deep-water Danube – Black Sea canal through the core area of the UNESCO Danube biosphere reserve region, which is a part of the Ukrainian-Romanian Danube Delta bilateral reserve.
According to studies carried out by local and international conservation experts in your country, the realisation of such a project in the reserved zone will result in irremediable environmental damage to a significant part of the area. This will have serious consequences for the habitats and survival of many protected and endangered species of flora and fauna.
We support the concerns of the National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine – as well as a number of other scientific and public organizations – and urge you to take all necessary steps to reverse the plans of the previous government to realise this project in the biosphere reserve. Its conservation is of utmost importance to the Ukraine and to Europe as a whole.
We also appeal to you personally to redeem your election promises andaccept the pan-European policies and responsibilities which you embrace. These are particularly important for your nation in the field of conservation and environmental protection. We hope that you will be able to give the necessary assurances to the European Parliament and Commission which you will be visiting very early in your twerm of office.
We wish you every success in your efforts to introduce modern and
democratic processes in the Ukraine.
Yours sincerely,
[Name and Address]
——————————————————————————–
[b]LOBBY THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER TO RAISE DANUBE DELTA ISSUE WITH PRESIDENT YUSCHENKO[/b]
The previous EU-Commission members were very active in putting pressure on the last Ukrainian administration on the Danube Delta canal issue. Not only was the matter raised at international conferences; an EU-delegation also visited the Ukraine on a fact-finding tour.
It is now essential that the new Commission takes up this matter at an early stage with the newly-elected President Viktor Yuschenko.
[b]WHAT YOU CAN DO![/b]
Send an email to the new EU Environment Commissioner Mr Stavros Dimas urging him to raise this matter with President Yuschenko at an early stage to convince him to reverse the previous government’s plans and move towards an environmental policy which is inn harmony with EU guidelines.
Use the draft text below or write in your own words to the Mr Stavros Dimas (copy to his predecessor Margot Wallstrom who is now one of the EU’s V?ce-Presidents) using the email link below.
email to EU Commissioners
Email addresses in text:
[email]stavros.dimas@cec.eu.int[/email]; [email]margot.wallstrom@cec.eu.int[/email],
copy to
[email]pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua[/email], [email]info@proact.campaigns.net[/email]
Draft Text
——————————————————————————–
by electronic mail to:
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas
cc. EU Vice-President Margot Wallstrom
Dear Commissioner,
[b]THE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY OF THE DANUBE DELTA BIOSPHERE RESERVE MUST BE PRESERVED INTACT[/b]
Over the past 2 years conservationists worldwide have lent their support to Ukrainian campaigners in order to prevent the building of a deep-water Danube – Black Sea canal through the core area of the UNESCO Danube biosphere reserve region, which is a part of the Ukrainian-Romanian Danube Delta bilateral reserve.
RAMSAR and UNESCO studies have concluded that the realisation of such a project in the reserved zone will result in irremediable environmental damage to a significant part of the area. This will have serious consequences for the habitats and survival of many protected and endangered species of flora and fauna.
The previous European commission was very active in its efforts to persuade President Leonid Kuchma’s administration to stop the planned project until a full and independent environmental impact study was completed. Sadly these efforts were not met with cooperation from the Ukrainian side.
As new EU Commissioner for the Environment, we urge you to take up this matter urgently with Predsident Viktor Yuschenko and his new government appointees. We are confident that, if the President redeems his election promises, and introduces more transparent, democratic and pro-European policies, further inroads into the core area of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve can be prevented and an environmental disaster avoided.
Yours sincerely,
[Name and Address]