CRIMEA SAYS NO TO NATO

Crimeans voted massively against the Ukraine’s accession to NATO. Despite threats from the occupant Ukrainian regime 58.2% of the Crimea’s registered voters, participated Saturday, Deember, 16, in the people’s referendum, non-official voting, organized by the People’s Assembly. Ukrainian authorities said they would not recognize the results of the plebiscite. 98,7 voters cast their ballots against NATO. They gave a negative response to the referendum’s question: “Do you agree with the president Victor Yushchenko’s political course on accession of the Ukraine to NATO?”
Earlier the Ukrainian president’s representative in the largely Russian-speaking Crimea said he had asked the judicial authorities to give a legal assessment of the People’s Assembly’s initiative. Crimean officials stayed away from the voting held in tents set up in public places all over the Crimea. At a massive rally after the voting chairman of the All-Crimean Non-Government Council and deputy to the Ukrainian parliament Leonid Grach said: “The Crimea, a bastion of Slavic patriotism, stood out against planting anti-Russian doctrine in the Ukraine… Crimean citizens have overpowered at the referendum the president who claims to be a democrat, but does not want to heed the voice of 900,000 residents of the Crimea and does not recognize the people’s will.”
Another rally was held in Sevastopol. The activists waived banners reading "We Are Against NATO," "NATO is a Threat to Ukraine's Independence," and "Russia is Our Main Partner”. Sevastopol is ruled by the Ukraine. However, the overwhelming majority of this city are strongly pro-Russian. Many Crimeans are quite aware of the fact that the Saturday’s referendum is not binding for the Ukrainian regime and that Kiev will continue its policy of joining NATO without people’s consent. Still they decided to turn out for voting believing that they are sending a strong message to Kiev: “We disapprove your anti-Russian stand”. Many voters say they want another referendum: that on secession from the Ukraine.