The mayor of Simferopol Gennady Babenko states that the building of the Cathedral mosque in the city is possible after compromise achievement between the conflict parties.
"In my opinion, the mosque will be constructed as the situation stabilizes... There is always a lot of policy at the beginning, and then the decision will be reached. It is necessary to find the optimum decision for all", noted G.Babenko in the comment to journalists, informs news agency E-Crimea.
At the same time he stated, "I live in the Pervoya Konnaya Street, as all of you know. For example, I sleep normally. And my neighbors for some reason get up at 3am, when the tape recorder plays [five times a day, including at the dawn, in mosques sounds the call to prayer, which is loudly said by muezzin — auth.]. Especially in the summer, several times a day. We asked to make the tape recorder quieter… Therefore a mosque will be constructed, but only taking into account the opinion of townspeople", the mayor explained.
He added that he is not ready to name possible variants of location of the Cathedral mosque.
According to the Simferopol mayor G.Babenko, the city authorities intend to learn the opinion of the population concerning building of the Cathedral mosque in the Yaltinskaya Street, 22. The opinion of townspeople will be found out in open discussion or by means of mass media, and then this question will be considered by the ground commission of the City Council, and after will be brought for discussion on the City Council sessions.
In the beginning of March the People's Deputy from the Party of Regions Boris Deitch called heads and deputy corpus of the City Council of Simferopol to settle the conflict concerning construction in the city of the Cathedral mosque. B. Deitch considers that without positive decision on this problem it is impossible to keep the international agreement in Crimea.
Earlier the mayor of Simferopol G.Babenko suggested holding a city referendum concerning building of the Cathedral mosque in the territory located along the Yaltinska Street, 22. The mayor considers that the majority of townspeople will vote against mosque building on this territory.
On July, 24th, 2007, the City Council of Simferopol made the decision on assignment to a territory along the Yaltiskaya Street, 22, a name "Forest park "Yubileyniy"" with the subsequent definition of its borders and prohibition of carrying out on this territory of any building works.
On November, 23rd, 2007, representatives of the Crimean-Tatars built a fence round the territory in Yaltinskaya Street, 22.
INQUIRY: In July, 2004, the Simferopol city council came to an agreement with the Spiritual Management of Muslims of Crimea about a territory of the ground area by the size of 2,7 hectares in Yaltinskaya Street, 22, and gave the permission to work out engineering specifications for building of the Cathedral mosque.
On January, 10th, 2008, at the session of the Simferopol City Council was made a decision to allocate under a mosque building a land territory of 2,7 hectares on Lugovaya Street, 6, instead of the territory on Yaltinskaya Street, 22.
On February, 12th, 2008, the Crimean Tatars began the action on Yaltinskaya Street, 22, on gathering of a stone-shell rock for building of the Cathedral mosque.
On February, 15th, 2008, the Economic Court of the Autonomous Republic Crimea obliged the Simferopol city council to conclude with the SMMC the contract of rent of the ground area of 2,7 hectares in the Yaltinskaya Street, 22, for building of the Cathedral mosque in ten-day term.
The High Economic Court of Ukraine under the complaint of the Simferopol City Council returned the cause concerning a land territory for the Cathedral mosque on consideration of the Economic Court of Crimea. The Supreme Court of Ukraine left the decision of the High Economical Court in force. The Spiritual Management of Muslims of Crimea considers the decision of the Supreme Court to be made to order.
By news agency E-Crimea
Related Links:
The Conflict of Simferopol Authorities and Crimean Muftiyat Lasts
Crimean Muslims want to take issue of mosque land to Council of Europe
