SIMFEROPOL, JANUARY 15 (ITAR-TASS) - A POLICY OF "LANGUAGE AGGRESSION," AIMED, IN THE FIRST PLACE, AT DRIVING OUT "THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE, THE MOST WIDELY SPREAD LANGUAGE IN UKRAINE," IS BEING PURSUED IN UKRAINE, LEADERS OF THE RUSSIAN COMMUNITY OF THE CRIMEA AND THE PARLIAMENTARY GROUP OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF THE CRIMEA STATED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY.

JOURNALISTS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE WERE ACQUAINTED WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF A ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE, HELD LATE IN NOVEMBER, WHOSE TOPIC WAS "PROMOTION OF THE OFFICIAL STATE LANGUAGE IN THE INFORMATION SPACE OF UKRAINE." PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONFERENCE URGED THE UKRAINIAN LEADERSHIP "TO SPARE NO EFFOR#T FOR PROMOTING THE EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AND THE PURPOSEFUL RESTRICTION OF THE SPHERE OF FUNCTIONING OF THE NON-OFFICIAL ONE." THE AUTHORS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TV AND RADIO BROADCASTING, THE STATE COMMITTEE FOR RADIO AND TV AND THE UKRAINIAN INFORMATION MINISTRY, REGARD "BROADCASTING AND PUBLICATIONS IN THE NON-OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AS A PHENOMENON, WHICH BY ITS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES IS AS MUCH A THREAT FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY, AS THE PROPAGANDA OF VIOLENCE AND LECHERY, AS WELL AS VARIOUS FORMS OF ANTI-UKRAINIAN PROPAGANDA." THEY SUGGESTED THE RAISING BY 100 TIMES OF TARIFFS FOR THE CIRCULATION OF PERIODICALS, PUB

LISHED IN NON-OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, AND THE IMPOSING OF HIGH CUSTOMS DUTIES ON THE IMPORT OF BOOKS IN NON-OFFICIAL LANGUAGES. FOLLOWING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT GAVE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE HEADS OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATIONS TO INTENSIFY CONTROL OVER THE PUTTING INTO EFFECT OF THE LANGUAGE POLICY, TO DRAFT A NEW EDITION OF THE LAW ON THE LANGUAGE, TO WORK OUT PRIVILEGES FOR THE PUBLICATION AND CIRCULATION OF PRINTED MATTER IN THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE AND TO ISSUE LICENSES ONLY TO THOSE TV COMPANIES, WHICH BROADCAST PROGRAMMES MOSTLY IN UKRAINIAN.

THE ORGANISERS OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE IN SIMFEROPOL STRESSED IN THEIR STATEMENT THAT, BY GIVING SUCH INSTRUCTIONS, THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT GROSSLY VIOLATED THE UKRAINIAN CONSTITUTION, WHICH GUARANTEES A FREE DEVELOPMENT, USE AND PROTECTION OF RUSSIAN AND OF OTHER LANGUAGES OF THE NATIONAL MINORITIES. IN THEIR OPINION, BY SUPPORTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE, WHICH DESCRIBE THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AS A PHENOMENON "NO LESS DANGEROUS, THAN THE PROPAGANDA OF VIOLENCE AND LECHERY," THE PRESIDENT INSULTED ETHNIC RUSSIANS LIVING IN UKRAINE.

THE STATEMENT SETS FORTH THE DEMAND TO THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT TO CANCEL HIS INSTRUCTIONS ON THE LANGUAGE POLICY, TO STRICTLY ABIDE BY THE CONSTITUTION, TO ORDER THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE THAT THEY SHOULD APOLOGIZE BEFORE THE RUSSIAN NATION FOR THE INSULTS.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE RUSSIAN COMMUNITY OF THE CRIMEA SENT A MESSAGE TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, SUGGESTING THAT IT "EXAMINE THE PROBLEM OF THE LANGUAGE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIAN POPULATION OF UKRAINE AND THE REPUBLIC OF THE CRIMEA, THE SITUATION OF RUSSIANS AND RUSSIAN CULTURE IN UKRAINE AND ESPECIALLY IN THE REGIONS, TRADITIONALLY INHABITED BY RUSSIANS, AND DISCUSS A POSSIBILITY OF RENDERING ASSISTANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESERVING RUSSIAN CULTURE, AS WELL AS THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AND INFORMATION SPACE."

TASS