www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Rusyns seek autonomy in western Ukraine – page 3. • Paula Dobriansky receives Shevchenko Freedom Award – page 4. • Internment monument unveiled in Sault Ste. Marie – page 5. THEPublished U byKRAINIAN the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVI No. 45 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008 $1/$2 in Ukraine Ukraine reacts IMF OKs $16.4 billion loan to Ukraine by Zenon Zawada Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense, Meanwhile, the IMF funds will enable to the election Kyiv Press Bureau Volodymyr Lytvyn and Tymoshenko the state to purchase, or nationalize, blocs. shares in stricken banks, thereby giving KYIV – The International Monetary The law’s biggest provision involves them a capital injection and stabilizing of Barack Obama Fund (IMF) on December 5 approved a creating a stabilization fund to raise bud- them. $16.4 billion loan to the Ukrainian gov- get revenues with new measures, such as “The crisis in all the world is being KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko ernment – its biggest ever credit – to sta- and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of privatization of state assets, and then interpreted as a banking crisis,” said bilize Ukraine’s shaken financial system using the money to extend credit and Ukraine congratulated Sen. Barack and restore public confidence in the Prime Minister Tymoshenko. “And that’s Obama on his victory in the U.S. presi- financing to insolvent banks and con- nation’s banks. struction firms. (Continued on page 10) dential elections. The first tranche of $4.5 billion was “Congratulations on your election as released after Ukraine’s Parliament president of the United States,” wrote agreed to set aside the election financing Mr. Yushchenko on November 5. “It is conflict, after two weeks of fierce wran- ELECTION NOTEBOOK: Ukraine’s my strong conviction that during your gling, and approve anti-crisis legislation term in the office Ukraine-U.S. relations, on October 31, which was signed by based on the common values and close- President Viktor Yushchenko on elections now postponed indefinitely ness of interests in the international November 3. arena, will develop and strengthen in Besides propping up collapsing banks, by Zenon Zawada favor of our people.” Ukrainian leaders hoped the loan would Kyiv Press Bureau The Ukrainian president expressed restore public trust in the nation’s finan- confidence that the strategic partnership cial system, much of which eroded after KYIV – The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc between Ukraine and the United States the government froze access to bank succeeded in indefinitely postponing the will further play a significant role in deposits on October 13 and then deval- 2008 pre-term parliamentary elections securing peace and stability worldwide. ued the hryvnia, causing many depositors with its leaders apologizing for their Mr. Yushchenko wished Sen. Obama to lose money. brutish behavior in recent weeks but nev- good health and success in his work for “The issue is we need to demonstrate ertheless vowing to overwhelm the courts the benefit of the American people. that the National Bank has a reserve in Prime Minister Tymoshenko sent a to prevent any vote. the national currency,” said President telegram to the president-elect, congratu- “In formal ways, we will practically Yushchenko, referring to the loan as lating him on his election victory. She bury the administrative courts with com- “psychological credit.” wrote: “Your victory is an inspiration for plaints,” Andrii Portnov, a Tymoshenko Though she offered a different propos- us. What seemed impossible is now pos- Bloc national deputy, said on November al, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko sible.” 3. “In this period, we will create the most eventually agreed to support the presi- Ms. Tymoshenko said she is convinced powerful, most extensive legal service dent’s anti-crisis proposal, which was that the leadership and enthusiasm of the throughout all of Ukraine’s regions, ratified by 243 national deputies in the Website of the Government of Ukraine (Continued on page 10) Verkhovna Rada representing the Our (Continued on page 10) Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Kean University conference focuses on Holodomor Cooper Union stirs by Roma Hadzewycz Ukrainian community UNION, N.J. – Kean University on October 10 hosted an educational confer- with Picasso’s “Stalin” ence on the “Ukraine Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933” that featured presentations by Matthew Dubas by historians, educators and Holodomor survivors. NEW YORK – The Ukrainian commu- Billed by the university as a human nity of New York City mobilized to call for rights conference, the program’s stated the removal of a three-story high portrait aim was “to preserve the dignity of all depicting Joseph Stalin on display on the human beings, to promote human rights southern façade of Cooper Union’s around the world and to ensure that food Foundation Building, located at Third is never again used as a weapon.” Avenue and Seventh Street, in the Ukrainian The conference coordinator was Dr. neighborhood of Manhattan’s East Village. Ruth P. Griffith, who teaches a graduate The banner was 40 feet wide and 52 course titled “Ukrainian Famine- feet high and was installed on October 26 Genocide” that was first offered in the as part of Norwegian artist Lene Berg’s spring semester of 2006. Dr. Griffith is exhibit inside the Arthur A. Houghton Jr. the granddaughter of a Holodomor vic- Gallery. The portrait is a copy of the tim and the daughter of a survivor, Mary 1953 charcoal drawing “Stalin by Picasso Horbatiuk-Demsyn Piatnochka, who or Woman with Moustache.” spoke at the conference of her family’s Originally commissioned by Louis experience during the genocidal Famine. Aragon, editor of the Parisian newspaper The keynote address at the conference Les Lettres Francaises and a member of was delivered by Dr. Taras Hunczak, pro- Markian Hadzewycz the French Communist Party, as a memo- fessor emeritus of history at Rutgers rial tribute to Joseph Stalin after his At the Kean University conference “Ukraine Famine-Genocide” (from left) are: University, who underscored that “it was death, Mr. Aragon wanted to memorial- conference coordinator Dr. Ruth P. Griffith; her mother, a Holodomor survivor, (Continued on page 11) Mary Horbatiuk-Demsyn Piatnochka; and Dr. Taras Hunczak, keynote speaker. (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008 No. 45 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Ukrainian cable TV networks President cuts Secretariat staff possible revival of the coalition in the Verkhovna Rada are the prime minister’s KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor alone. He said that he personally does not ordered to drop Russian channels Yushchenko on November 4 signed a see any political force in the Parliament, decree on the reduction of budget spend- by Pavel Korduban ban the Russian-language programs of the except the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc ing and personnel supporting the activity (YTB), that could back the incumbent Eurasia Daily Monitor RTVi and EuroNews channels, which are of Ukraine’s head of state. One-fourth of prime minister to interfere in the forma- based outside Russia. the Presidential Secretariat will be dis- Moscow has claimed that Kyiv’s recent “The powers-that-be want to cut off tion of a coalition. The president said the decision to banish several Russian TV chan- charged, and a number of presidential democratic coalition “would have worked Ukrainian society from the Russian infor- institutes will be closed. The staff of the nels from Ukrainian cable TV networks was mation space,” the PRU said in a statement, for a long period… if the prime minister National Institute of Strategic Studies has a violation of bilateral accords and of the “thereby violating freedom of speech in had been honest with the coalition, did been cut by 100 to 217 people. The rights of Russian speakers. Kyiv, on the Ukraine and the right of citizens to receive not hold back-door talks and consulta- National Institute of International other hand, says that the Russian channels full and true information.” The PRU, which tions how to turn Ukraine’s course to the Security and the National Security in question violated Ukrainian laws. is apparently going to play the Russian lan- opposite side.” The president added that Institute were united into one scientific Ukrainian cable TV operators, backed by guage card in the forthcoming parliamenta- the Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense center, as a result of which 178 positions pro-Russian politicians, may ignore the ban. ry election campaign, also accused the faction has no desire to return to the were liquidated. From now on, presiden- On September 23 the National TV and NRTR of violating the right of Russian coalition, and he emphasized that early tial advisers will be appointed exclusively Radio Broadcasting Council (NRTR), speakers to receive information in their elections under the current situation are Ukraine’s media regulating body, ordered native language (Ukrayinska Pravda, on freelance terms – they will not be reg- the only constitutional way out. cable networks to stop re-broadcasting the October 7). istered as civil servants and will not (Ukrinform) state-controlled Russian channels ORT and receive salaries. Forty-five employees of Moscow’s reaction has been predictably Uncertainty puts pressure on PM RTR and the private Ren TV beginning stormy. The Russian Foreign Affairs the Presidential Secretariat, 50 of the November 1. Ministry warned that the ban on the Russian National Security