The Ukrainian Weekly 2003, No.46

www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Democratic opposition forces harassed in Sumy — page 3. • Special section on the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 — pages 4-8. • Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus tours Europe — centerfold. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXI HE No.KRAINIAN 46 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2003 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Australian Senate condemns Famine-Genocide 30 U.N. member-states sign CANBERRA,T Australia – TheUin Australia to seek support for the W Australian Senate on October 30 passed a motion. joint declaration on Great Famine motion condemning Stalin’s action in “The resolution puts on the public bringing about an act of genocide by cre- record in Australia that Stalin was the NEW YORK – Speaking on the morn- nature of the Great Famine in Ukraine.” ating the Famine in Ukraine in 1932- perpetrator and his regime will always be ing of November 10 at an international He characterized the declaration as 1933, calling it one the most heinous acts judged as inhumane. The motion reiter- conference on the Famine-Genocide of “unique in that it is the first of its kind of genocide in history. ates the fact that the Famine was an act 1932-1933 held at Columbia University, within the United Nations to publicly con- demn the Soviet totalitarian regime for the Sen. Bill Heffernan, former chair of of genocide against the Ukrainian Ukraine’s ambassador to the United murder of millions of innocent victims.” the Australian Ukrainian Parliamentary nation,” said Stefan Romaniw, chairman Nations reported that a joint declaration [In Kyiv, according to The Ukrainian Group, worked with Federal Minister of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian signed by the U.N. delegations of 25 states Weekly’s Kyiv Press Bureau, a source at Rod Kemp to move the formal motion. Organizations. would be released later that day to mark the 70th anniversary of the Great Famine the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when Similar motions are now being pro- “This motion will assist the government of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. By mid-week, asked whether the word “genocide” posed in other state and territory of Ukraine in seeking support for a resolu- the list of states signing the declaration had appears in the text of the joint declaration, Parliaments throughout Australia. tion to the United Nations in November grown to 30, plus the European Union. explained: “I think you understand that the The Australian Federation of 2003, putting these facts on the interna- Ukrainian Organizations has worked in The document describes the Famine as Russians would never have allowed for the cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine (Continued on page 3) “a national tragedy for the Ukrainian peo- word ‘genocide’ to be used. We agreed to ple” that “took 7 to 10 millions of innocent this version because we realized that we lives,” but stops short of calling it genocide. could end up with nothing. If the Russians According to Ambassador Valeriy had blocked the statement, we might not Kuchinsky of Ukraine’s Permanent Mission even have had this.’] to the United Nations, the declaration will be The joint declaration “On the 70th Famine Remembrance Week begins circulated as an official document of the anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932- United Nations and it is hoped the declara- 1933” was signed by the U.N. delegations tion will be read before the U.N. General of: Azerbaijan, Argentina, Bangladesh, withby conference Roma Hadzewycz at Columbiathe Soviet government University was the complicity Belarus, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, of many governments of ‘civilized’ people Assembly by Secretary General Kofi Annan. NEW YORK – An international confer- Canada, Egypt, Georgia, Guatemala, and the reporters of the foreign press in Ambassador Kuchinsky noted that the ence at Columbia University featuring declaration – which is signed by, among Jamaica, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moscow, most notoriously Walter Duranty Moldova, Mongolia, Nauru, Pakistan, speakers from the United States, Ukraine others, the Russian Federation, the United of The New York Times,” he said, adding Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of and the United Kingdom marked the begin- States and Canada – is “the result of hard that “sadly, professional historians rein- Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Russian ning of Famine Remembrance Week in work and strenuous efforts of Ukrainian forced this silence with their own denials Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian New York City on Monday, November 10. diplomats who have spent many months until recently.” Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, The conference on “The Man-Made in intense consultations and discussion Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-1933 Among those in the audience at the within the United Nations, as well as with- opening were two ambassadors to the States and Uzbekistan. (Holodomor)” was opened by Prof. Mark in various capital cities. These efforts have The text of the joint declaration, as cir- von Hagen of Columbia, who underscored United Nations, Valeriy Kuchinsky of informed many political activists and, in that the Famine was “a particularly stark (Continued on page 21) turn, their respective nations of the true (Continued on page 20) demonstration of the brutality of the Soviet regime.” The Famine was denied for 55 years in Ukraine and elsewhere in the Soviet Union, Self Reliance N.Y. donates $500,000 to St. George Schools Prof. von Hagen noted. “Compounding this conspiracy of silence ruthlessly enforced by by Andrew Nynka community,” Mr. Shmigel said during a and the president of the Ukrainian reception that followed the assembly. World Congress, said the credit union’s NEW YORK – The Self Reliance Askold Lozynskyj, a member of the (N.Y .) Federal Credit Union on board of the directors of the foundation (Continued on page 14) November 6 announced a donation of $500,000 to the St. George Ukrainian Famine exhibit Catholic Schools Foundation, creating a significant financial base for the endow- ment fund that was created to support openedby Marta at Baczynsky U.N. the two Ukrainian Catholic schools here. Special to The Ukrainian Weekly The announcement was made in the UNITED NATIONS – The exhibition auditorium of St. George School, locat- “Holodomor: The Great Man-Made ed between Sixth and Seventh streets Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933” opened on on Taras Shevchenko Place, in front of Monday, November 10 at the United faculty and staff, as well as some 200 Nations, commemorating the 70th students who cheered wildly during Anniversary of the Famine-Genocide. The portions of the afternoon assembly. exhibit was organized by The Ukrainian “This is a great help – a very gener- Museum at the request of Ukraine’s ous gift which will help extend the Permanent Mission to the U.N. More than future of the two schools,” the Rev. 300 people attended the opening. Philip Sandrick, pastor of St. George The exhibition was opened by Shashi Church, said after the announcement. Tharoor, under-secretary-general for pub- Myroslaw Shmigel, chairman of the Andrew Nynka lic information, who said that the word board of directors at the credit union, “Holodomor” has now become a part of characterized the contribution as an Dr. Bohdan Kekish (left), president and CEO of Self Reliance New York, and the language of the United Nations. investment in the Ukrainian community. Myroslaw Shmigel (second from right), chairman of the board of directors, Valeriy Kuchinsky, permanent repre- “We’ve grown up here; we spend so much present the Rev. Philip Sandrick with a check in the amount of $500,000. sentative of Ukraine to the United Nations, of our time in this neighborhood. This Looking on are board members Stefan Kaczaraj (right) and Jaroslaw spoke about the tragedy of the Holodomor money is an investment in our Ukrainian Oberyszyn (partially hidden). (Continued on page 21) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2003 No. 46 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Hard lessons for Our Ukraine in Donetsk Our Ukraine holds forum in Sumy the Soviet Union, Interfax reported. by Jan Maksymiuk nationalists” from western Ukraine with (RFE/RL Newsline) KYIV – The Our Ukraine bloc led by distrust, to say the least. RFE/RL Newsline Viktor Yushchenko held a forum of dem- Kyiv to increase military hardware in Iraq Though he was born in Sumy Oblast ocratic forces on a city square in Sumy The Our Ukraine bloc led by Viktor in northeastern Ukraine and avoids any on November 9 after it was rejected per- KYIV – Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Yushchenko failed to hold a congress of radicalism on the sensitive language mission to gather in any building in the Szmajdzinski agreed with his Ukrainian democratic forces in Donetsk as planned issue, Mr. Yushchenko is nevertheless city, Interfax reported, quoting the Our counterpart Yevhen Marchuk in Kyiv on on October 31. After arriving in Donetsk perceived in the traditionally pro-Russian Ukraine press service. Unidentified November 7 that Ukraine should send that day, Mr. Yushchenko and his sup- eastern Ukraine as a “nationalist.” The youths reportedly set off firecrackers “several dozen additional” combat heli- porters were confronted by hostile congress in Donetsk was intended to during the rally, pelted its participants copters to the Polish-led stabilization crowds at the airport and in downtown change this image and allow Mr. with eggs and demolished buses trans- sector in Iraq to help protect convoys and Donetsk in what looked like a highly Yushchenko to gain a foothold in the porting Our Ukraine lawmakers to Sumy. patrols, and to lead reconnaissance oper- coordinated effort to prevent the Our region, which is controlled both econom- Mr. Yushchenko was not allowed to ations, Polish Radio reported. Mr. Ukraine gathering and to fan anti- ically and politically by a group of oli- address Sumy residents on a local televi- Szmajdzinski said neither Poland nor Yushchenko sentiment in the city.

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