The Ukrainian Weekly 2010, No.49
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Nationwide tax protests continue in Ukraine – page 3. • Roundtable examines judicial reform in Ukraine – page 4. • Proposals for the Holodomor Memorial in D.C. – pages 14-15. THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIII No. 49 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010 $1/$2 in Ukraine Holodomor is remembered Two separate ceremonies at Embassy of Ukraine in U.S. in Kyiv remember Holodomor by Yaro Bihun ing and sharing in the Ukrainian people’s suffering, WASHINGTON — The millions of “I firmly believe that in the near future victims of the Famine-Genocide of 1932- a monument to the victims of the 1933 in Ukraine were remembered and Holodomor will be erected also in the honored here at the Holodomor victims capital of the United States and that it commemoration at the Embassy of will become yet another symbol of the Ukraine November 27. perseverance of the Ukrainian people,” More than 100 members of the he stated. Ukrainian American community, Also addressing the commemoration Embassy staff and their families joined were Michael Sawkiw, director of the together to pay their respects to those Ukrainian National Information Service who fell victim to this genocidal crime of of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of the Stalin era. America; Ihor Gawdiak, president of the The commemoration, which began in Ukrainian American Coordinating the Embassy building with a panakhyda, Council; and Andrew Bihun, president of or requiem service, led by the clergy of The Washington Group, an association of the Ukrainian churches of Greater Ukrainian American professionals. Washington and included remarks by the The commemoration concluded when Ukrainian ambassador and representa- all present exited the Embassy building tives of the leading Ukrainian American and paid their last respects to the victims organizations of the capital area, conclud- of the Holodomor by each lighting a ed with a candlelight vigil in the small candle and placing it in the form of Embassy courtyard. a cross in the Embassy courtyard and Zenon Zawada Ambassador Olexander Motsyk spoke with the traditional moment of silence. about the impor- Ukrainian youths hold a banner reading “”Holodomor Genocide, we didn’t for- tance of remember- get, we remember,” at the November 27 commemoration in Kyiv organized by ing this crime of the the citizens committee of 30 civic and cultural leaders. Stalin regime. by Zenon Zawada events revealed that society remains deeply “This monstrous, divided between those who recognize the unparalleled trage- Kyiv Press Bureau Famine as genocide against Ukrainians, and dy in the history of KYIV – The Ukrainian government Russophile Ukrainians who don’t. the Ukrainian peo- commemorated the Holodomor of 1932- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych ple which took the 1933 with far less substance and ceremony lives of almost a than in prior years. The November 27 (Continued on page 8) quarter of the popu- lation of Ukraine cannot be forgot- ten,” the ambassa- Wikileaks and Ukraine: Holodomor, dor said. “The Holodomor can nei- ther be denied nor shady business deals and Gaddafi concealed.” by Zenon Zawada Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Tatiana He said that Kyiv Press Bureau Gfoeller, who attended a lunch briefing Ukraine will do in Bishkek in October 2008 with everything “to KYIV – The Russian government Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, ensure that the truth led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who repeated the account as told to about the Holodomor blackmailed Azerbaijan’s government him by Mr. Aliyev. will be revealed to to stop it from recognizing the “Prince Andrew added that every the smallest detail Holodomor as genocide, documents single other regional president had told and that every victim released on Wikileaks on November 28 him of receiving similar ‘directive’ let- of this crime will be revealed. Other post-Soviet states ters from Medvedev except for counted and com- received similar warnings too. [Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek] memorated accord- Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev Bakiyev,” the leaked cable stated. “He ing to the Christian “received a letter from [Russian] asked the ambassador if Bakiyev had tradition.” President [Dmitry] Medvedev telling received something similar as well. “That is our The ambassador answered that she was sacred obligation,” him that if Azerbaijan supported the designation of the Bolshevik artificial not aware of any such letter.” he stressed. In response to the newly leaked A m b a s s a d o r famine in Ukraine as ‘genocide’ at the United Nations, ‘then you can forget information, Mr. Aliyev said the Motsyk thanked the Wikileaks exposure “is an open provo- Yaro Bihun about seeing Nagorno-Karabakh ever Ukrainian American cation, which has as its goal ruining again,’” the cable stated, referring to community for its Ambassador Olexander Mostyk (right) and his wife, relations between Azerbaijan and the region in Azerbaijan where devoted efforts in Natalia, join in a moment of silence and prayer at the neighboring states and creating mis- this cause and their Ukrainian Embassy’s courtyard in memory of the millions Armenians want independence. American friends who died in the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. The source of the claim was U.S. (Continued on page 19) for their understand- 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010 No. 49 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS NATO’s Lisbon summit and Russia: Independence referendum’s anniversary Ukraine restores work with Russia in CIS KYIV – On December 1 Ukraine cele- KYIV – Ukraine has fully restored work Crown jewels for chicken feed? brated the 19th anniversary of the referen- with Russia within the Commonwealth of by Eerik-Niiles Kross organizations where Russia does not have dum on independence and its first presiden- Independent States (CIS), Ukraine’s Prime Eurasia Daily Monitor a vote or control over decisions, form the tial election since the declaration of inde- Minister Mykola Azarov said at a foundations of this unipolar world. As pendence. The referendum was announced November 29 meeting with Sergey The fictional character George Smiley such, they stand in the way of Russia on August 24, 1991, and approved on Mironov, Cchairman of the Council of was fond of saying that bargaining with becoming a great power. Expansion of October 11 that same year. Only one ques- Federation of Russia’s Federal Assembly. the Russians tends to result in giving away NATO is a direct provocation that opposes tion was raised at the referendum, which He noted that Russia remains the largest the crown jewels in return for chicken Russia’s legitimate interests of being a took place on December 1, 1991: “Do you trade partner for Ukraine. “In our relation- feed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be dominant power. confirm the Act of Independence of ship there are, as always happens, some said about what is currently being bar- In his speech at the Munich security Ukraine?” A total of 90.32 percent of the problems, but they are solved normally, gained away by the West to Russia. The conference in February 2007, President electorate voted “yes.” In the first presiden- without undue politicization,” Mr. Azarov West seems willing to negotiate on its Putin pronounced the end of the unipolar tial election, Leonid Kravchuk won with emphasized adding that “this shows that we security organizations’ independent deci- world. He said “I am convinced that we 61.59 percent of the vote. (Ukrinform) are determined to solve them, instead of sion-making ability in return for Russian have entered that decisive moment, where doing politics of that.” In turn, Mr. Mironov OU demands explanation from Russia tactical cooperation on Afghanistan. The we have to seriously reconsider the global stressed the need to intensify bilateral con- only thing that is in dispute is the degree to security architecture.” From that point, KYIV – National deputies from the Our tacts at the interregional level. Earlier, dur- which Russia will have a future say in Russia advanced from the realm of Ukraine Party have sent a letter to the ing a meeting with Mr. Mironov, President European Union and NATO decisions. thought to enter the realm of deeds. Mr. Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine regard- Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine said he plans The Russian National Security Concept, Putin issued a decree with which Russia ing the elimination of the Federal National to visit Moscow on December 10 as part of the CIS summit. The president expressed signed by then President Vladimir Putin in renounced all of its obligations under the and Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in hope that during the visit he will meet his January 2000, brought into play Russia’s Conventional Forces Europe [CFE] treaty. Russia. Deputies called on the Foreign Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. current world view and doctrine. In other words, Mr. Putin abandoned Affairs Ministry to hand a note of protest to (Ukrinform) Moscow’s goal is the transformation of a the system of military balance that had Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail U.S.-centric (unipolar) world into a multi- been in place since 1990. This included Zurabov and demand relevant explanations, polar model, in which one of the more Ukraine, Russia to be strategic partners Russia’s obligation to notify its neighbors the party’s press service reported on important centers of power is a Russia that of, for example, such things as a military November 26. “The ban on the activity of KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych of is respected by all and has complete hege- build-up by Russia on their borders. He the Federal National and Cultural Ukraine said the high level of interstate rela- mony in its “sphere of privileged inter- demonstrated that Russia, as a great Autonomy of Ukrainians is an obvious con- tions established between Ukraine and ests.” power, was already creating a new security firmation of serious and systemic violations Russia in recent years has created conditions One of the main threats to Russia, arrangement.