Ukraine's Embassy Remembers the Holodomor
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INSIDE: l Soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska in the Met’s “Aida” – page 9 l Hot off the presses: a new Ukrainian cookbook – page 10 l New women’s world chess champ: the pride of Ukraine – page 15 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXX No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012 $1/$2 in Ukraine UNA General Assembly meets New law on referendum seen Committees lay the groundwork for 2013 and beyond as bypassing Ukraine’s Constitution by Zenon Zawada “Politicians already are parasitizing off Special to The Ukrainian Weekly [Ukraine’s] divide, constantly reminding the east and south of the country about how KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych on they differ from the west and center. Now a November 27 signed into law the bill “On more serious lever of manipulation has an All-Ukrainian Referendum,” which ended up in their hands. Never mind lever! makes it possible to hold a national refer- Grenade! A populist politician initiating the endum to amend the Ukrainian latest irresponsible referendum is a true Constitution, repeal it, pass a new monkey with a grenade,” wrote Vitaly Constitution, approve new laws or repeal Portnikov, a leading social critic, in a column existing laws. on the UAInfo website on November 28. Previously, only the Parliament could Mr. Yanukovych had yet to state publicly amend the Constitution, with 300 votes why he sees the need for a law allowing ref- (out of 450). Parliament approved the bill erenda. National deputies of the Party of on November 6, slightly more than a week Regions of Ukraine (PRU) went on the talk after the recent elections demonstrated show circuit to insist that holding referen- the opposition had more support, thereby da will enhance democracy in Ukraine by ruining the Party of Regions hopes of a giving its citizens the right to decide key 300-vote constitutional majority. issues directly. Roma Hadzewycz The bill’s passage drew fierce criticism “This right belongs to our citizens and Members of the UNA General Assembly at Soyuzivka for their 2012 annual meeting. from opposition leaders, who accused the it’s only being given for a certain time,” Ihor president of setting the stage to shift the Miroshnichenko, a PRU national deputy by Roma Hadzewycz Also participating was the editor-in- 2015 presidential election from a popular said on the November 30 broadcast of the chief of the UNA’s publications, Svoboda and vote to the Verkhovna Rada. Holding refer- weekly show “Big Politics.” KERHONKSON, N.Y. – The Ukrainian The Ukrainian Weekly, Roma Hadzewycz. enda on provocative issues – such as the Yet, opposition leaders and veteran National Association’s General Assembly Reporting on the year ended December state language or federalization – could political observers didn’t see it that way. convened at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center threaten Ukrainian statehood altogether, on Friday, November 30, through Sunday, (Continued on page 15) critics said. (Continued on page 13) December 2, for its regular annual meeting to review the fraternal benefit society’s activity for the past year and to adopt a plan of action for 2013 and beyond. Six committees deliberated during the Ukraine’s Embassy remembers the Holodomor sessions: Organizing/Fraternal, Soyuzivka, Publications, Canada, Financial and WASHINGTON – Natalia Motsyk Advocacy. The latter was a new creation, as (left), wife of Ukraine’s ambas- the UNA seeks to articulate its concerns on sador to the U.S., Olexander the federal, state and local levels. Motsyk, and U.S. Court of Reports were delivered by the three full- Federal Claims Judge Bohdan Futey, join in lighting the can- time executive officers of the UNA: dles of the memorial cross in President Stefan Kaczaraj, National the courtyard of the Ukrainian Secretary Christine Kozak and Treasurer Embassy at the conclusion Roma Lisovich. All other General Assembly of this year’s Holodomor anni- members – executive officers, advisors and versary commemoration in auditors – as well as the editor-in-chief of Washington on November the UNA’s official publications, Svoboda 27. Among those address- and The Ukrainian Weekly, had the oppor- ing the evening gathering were tunity to deliver addenda to their written Ambassador Motsyk, Judge reports. Soyuzivka Manager Nestor Futey, the director of the U.S. Paslawsky also delivered a report. State Department Office of Present at the meeting in addition to the Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus full-time executives were three other exec- Affairs Baxter Hunt and the utive officers, First Vice-President Michael chairman of the Committee for Koziupa, Second Vice-President Eugene Ukrainian Holodomor-Genocide Oscislawski and Director for Canada Myron Awareness Michael Sawkiw Groch. Also attending were: Auditing Jr. The Very Rev. Volodymyr Committee members Slavko Tysiak (chair- Steliac, dean of St. Andrew man), Eugene Serba and Dr. Wasyl Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Szeremeta; and Advisors Maya Lew, led the assembly in honoring Andrew Futey, Ewhen Osidacz, Nicholas Fil, the millions who perished with a Stephanie Hawryluk, Gloria Horbaty, Andrij prayer, a moment of silence and Szul and Olya Czerkas. Unable to attend the the singing of “Vichnaya Pamiat” meeting were Advisors Lubov Streletsky (Eternal Memory). and Luba Poniatyszyn Keske. – Yaro Bihun Yaro Bihun 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012 No. 50 Work starts on new Chornobyl shelter RFE/RL according to plan, the structure will reach a New Rada to convene December 12 and Minister for Regional Development, span of 257 meters and a height of 110 Construction, Housing and Utilities Anatoliy Workers have raised the first section of a meters. KYIV – The first meeting of the newly Blyzniuk. All of the ministers were elected to structure that will eventually cover the After the 1986 disaster, a sarcophagus elected Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will start the new Verkhovna Rada. (Ukrinform) exploded reactor at Ukraine’s Chornobyl was quickly built to entomb the damaged at 10 a.m. on December 12. Representatives nuclear power station. No. 4 reactor. However, cracks in that struc- of the majority voted for such a decision at a Opposition on new state budget The European Bank for Reconstruction ture have been discovered. meeting of the Parliament’s preparatory and Development (EBRD), which is leading The cost of the project is estimated at group on November 28. The opposition did KYIV – National Deputy Serhiy Sas the project, hailed the progress on some $1.2 billion. Most of the funding is not participate in the vote, as it had walked (Batkivshchyna) said on December 4 that the November 27 as a major step toward clean- coming from 40 donor nations to the out of the room because the working group government of Mykola Azarov has no right to ing up the aftermath of the 1986 explosion, Chornobyl Shelter Fund run by the EBRD. on preparing for the work of the Verkhovna submit the draft state budget for 2013, as in the world’s worst civilian nuclear disaster. Analysts say one of the biggest challeng- Rada of the seventh convocation refused to fact it is already in retirement. Speaking at Vince Novak, the EBRD’s director for es facing the project is dismantling the include the issue of the personal voting by the Verkhovna Rada meeting he said, “The nuclear safety, said the jacking operation to plant’s chimney. That must be removed in national deputies as the first question on the president has signed the statements of a complete the first stage of lifting was one of order for the new covering to be put in agenda of the new Parliament’s first meet- number of officials to transfer them to the the most crucial phases of the project. place. However, the chimney is coated with ing. (Ukrinform) status of national deputies. That is, in fact, The initial lifting operation raised radioactive residue, which could disperse this Cabinet has already retired. According to around 5,000 tons of steel to a preliminary into the atmosphere as the chimney is Opposition insists on personal voting the Constitution, it cannot present the state budget to Parliament,” Mr. Sas explained. In height of up to 22 meters. taken apart. KYIV – Representatives of opposition turn, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Victor Zalizetsky, the deputy head of the The official short-term death toll from parties – UDAR, Batkivshchyna and Lytvyn said he had discussed this question Project for New Safe Confinement the Chornobyl accident was 31, but many Svoboda – are insisting on the urgent con- with Prime Minister Azarov, “who said that Construction at Chornobyl, said the struc- more people subsequently died of radia- sideration of a personal voting system. the government had tabled the draft budget ture should stop the spread of radiation tion-related sicknesses such as cancer. Svoboda representative Ruslan in Parliament before the members of govern- from the damaged reactor. The worst contamination occurred Koshulynsky said, “We are continuing to ment who were elected to the Rada submit- “The task of this object is to provide for within a radius of 30 kilometers around the adopt our fundamental position and pro- ted their resignation statements to the presi- the nonproliferation of radioactivity and plant, the so-called exclusion zone. That pose supporting the resolution to ensure dent.” First Deputy Finance Minister Anatoliy contaminating aerosols, within the sur- area has been deemed uninhabitable. the observance of Article 84 of the Miarkovsky began presentation of the 2013 rounding environment, and correspond- Constitution of Ukraine on the individual state budget in Parliament on December 4. ingly this will protect both Ukraine and With reporting by AP and Reuters. voting of MPs.” Mr. Koshulynsky said this The budget was expected to be adopted on European countries from radioactive con- Copyright 2012, RFE/RL Inc.