UNA Sends Condolences to Polish American Leaders Obama And
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InsIde: • Joint statement by Obama and Yanukovych – page 3. • Ukraine’s inventors foresee economic prosperity – page 4. • Toronto preschool provides Ukrainian immersion – page 13. THEPublished U by theKRA Ukrainian NationalIN AssociationIAN Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIII No.16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010 $1/$2 in Ukraine Institute of National Memory Obama and Yanukovych meet threatened by ministries’ “review” on sidelines of nuclear summit by Natalia A. Feduschak Soviet history books, and highlighted the by Yaro Bihun Obama-Yanukovych meeting, which Special to The Ukrainian Weekly country’s 20th century struggle for inde- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly described the many positive aspects of pendence. The institute has also promoted the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, also LVIV – Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Ukraine’s Kozak era, remembered victims WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President announced Ukraine’s decision to get rid for Humanitarian Affairs Volodymyr of political repressions and developed con- Viktor Yanukovych and U.S. President of all of its stocks of highly enriched ura- Semynozhenko said on April 14 he had cepts of historical education. Barack Obama met here April 12 and nium by the time of the next Nuclear not yet made a decision on the future of The institute was also supposed to take reaffirmed their countries’ mutually bene- Security Summit, which is scheduled to the Ukrainian Institute of National over the country’s Soviet-era KGB ficial strategic partnership. be held in 2012 in South Korea. Memory or if it should continue to exist at archives, but Ukraine never put in place Their meeting, the first since Mr. President Obama praised Ukraine’s all. the legislative mechanism to make that Yanukovych was elected in February, decision, the joint statement said, “as an Established in 2006 by former President happen. came during the first day of the two-day historic step and a reaffirmation of Viktor Yushchenko, the institute has been Dr. Yukhnovskyi, an academician who Ukraine’s leadership in nuclear security at the forefront of shaping information Nuclear Security Summit, which brought is one of Ukraine’s leading scholars and and nonproliferation.” about Ukraine’s history – particularly together the leaders of 47 countries in an was a national deputy for many years, has No formal announcement was made chapters in that history which were denied effort to gain tighter control over nuclear headed the institute since its inception. about where Ukraine’s estimated 70 kilo- or suppressed for decades by Soviet weapons materials and keep them out of Many scholars had hoped the institute grams of highly enriched uranium would authorities. the hands of potential terrorists. would become the kind of institution that “I don’t know, there should be propos- The joint statement following the (Continued on page 16) als,” Mr. Semynozhenko told Zahid.net, a Poland’s Institute of National news agency based in the western Remembrance has become. The largest Ukrainian city of Lviv. “This, in its institute of its kind in Central and Eastern essence, is a unique research institute. It Europe, that body was established in 2000 needs an agency and it should operate in and has continually researched the Soviet conjunction with other necessary institutes. and Nazi eras. Its substantial archival hold- Every directive that is not careful gives ings are open to scholars from around the birth to what we have to deal with right world, and many Ukrainian researchers now. We didn’t create all the problems have used the facilities. we’re talking about now. Quite the oppo- The Polish institute’s director, 49-year- site – we have to resolve them, but through old Janusz Kurtyka, died on April 10 in the legal and democratic methods.” plane crash near Smolensk, western Discussions over the institute’s future Russia, that took the lives of Lech began in late March, when Mr. Kaczynski, the Polish president, and 95 Semynozhenko ordered Ukraine’s Justice other leading figures. and Education ministries to review “the Mr. Semynozhenko said it was now up future functioning” of the institute. Critics to the Institute of National Memory, the had said they feared the move was the first academic community and citizens’ groups step in its liquidation and a rollback of to decide in what direction the institute democracy in Ukraine under the new should move. administration of President Viktor Many here, however, are concerned the Yanukovych and the Cabinet led by Prime new government will eventually shut down Minister Mykola Azarov. the institute. “It’s full of absurdity,” Dr. Ihor “Who knows if it will continue to Yukhnovski, the institute’s director, said exist,” said Yaroslav Hrytsak, who heads Official Website of Ukraine’s President after Minister Semynozhenko issued the the Institute for Historical Research at directive. “We’ve done huge work, … Presidents Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine and Barack Obama of the U.S. during written textbooks, conducted research. I (Continued on page 21) their meeting on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. am not a young person and have seen many governments in my time. When peo- ple come to power, they should learn and listen for a few months before taking UNA sends condolences to Polish American leaders action.” PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Ukrainian President Timothy L. Kuzma of the prayers go out to the families of those Viacheslav Kyrylenko, leader of the For National Association on April 12 sent Polish Falcons of America. who lost loved ones in this tragic inci- Ukraine parliamentary faction immediate- letters of condolences on the tragic The text of the letters read: dent and we ask God to remember all ly condemned Mr. Semynozhenko’s deaths of Polish President Lech “On behalf of the Ukrainian National the Polish people in mourning during decree. Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynski Association Inc. (UNA), the oldest and this difficult time. “The new authorities are rolling back all and scores of members of Poland’s largest Ukrainian American fraternal orga- “On behalf of the UNA’s Executive the important national gains that have been leadership in a plane crash outside of nization, please accept our sincerest con- Committee and General Assembly, achieved over the last years,” he told a Smolensk, Russia, on April 10. dolences to the people of Poland, the please accept our deepest sympathy.” television audience on March 30. “For The plane was en route to 70th anni- Polish American community and all your The letter was signed by UNA four years the Institute of National versary observances of the Katyn mas- members over the tragic death of Polish Executive Officers Stefan Kaczaraj, Memory has existed, and now they will sacre, in which over 20,000 Polish mili- President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, president; Christine Kozak, national sec- liquidate it.” tary officers were killed on the orders of and all the members of the Polish leader- retary; and Roma Lisovich, treasurer. The next day in Parliament he demand- Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. ship killed in Saturday’s plane crash. The Chicago-based Polish National ed that the government stop its “persecu- The UNA’s letters were sent to the “The death of Mr. Kaczynski is a tre- Alliance and the Pittsburgh-based tion” of the institute. leaders of two Polish fraternal organiza- mendous loss not only for the people of Polish Falcons of America are fraternal The Institute of National Memory has tions, President Frank Spula of the Poland and the entire world, but also for societies similar to the Ukrainian focused on Ukraine’s Holodomor, studied Polish National Alliance and National Ukraine and America. Our thoughts and National Association. World War II events skewed or ignored in 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010 No. 16 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS EU official says association talks Yanukovych expresses condolences Communications Ministry has sent tele- grams to all entities engaged in aviation with Ukraine now at crucial juncture KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych activities, ordering them to tighten mea- delivered condolences over the tragic death sures to ensure flight safety, it was reported by Ahto Lobjakas Continuing Dialogue of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a on April 13. The order was issued following plane crash in western Russia, it was report- the crash of a Tu-154 aircraft carrying RFE/RL Mr. Mingarelli reiterated the EU’s sat- ed on April 12. “With great sorrow and Polish President Lech Kaczynski near isfaction that newly inaugurated President A top EU official said on April 7 that indescribable pain Ukraine accepted the Smolensk, Russia, on April 10. In particu- Ukraine could wrap up its Association Yanukovych chose Brussels as his first tragic news of the plane crash, on which lar, the ministry ordered additional mea- Agreement talks with the European Union foreign destination on March 1. Mr. were the President of the Republic of sures to tighten control over the adoption of within the next six to 12 months. Yanukovych “said everything we expect- Poland Lech Kaczynski and his wife, and decisions on the landing and takeoff of But Hugues Mingarelli, director-gener- ed him to say,” the EU official said, representatives of political and spiritual Ukraine’s civil aviation aircraft. al for external relations at the European describing the atmosphere of the visit. EU leadership of the state. In this hour of deep (Ukrinform) Commission, also hinted at potential dif- integration and signing an Association