www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Gareth Jones, correspondent who reported the Famine-Genocide — page 3. • Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute: a student perspective — page 5. • Plast’s Vovcha Tropa campground: a 50th anniversary tribute — centerfold. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXI HE KRAINIANNo. 29 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2003 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine Lacking support, Kuchma prepares T U Ukrainian andW Polish presidents urge to withdraw his political reform bill by Roman Woronowycz should take place at the same time. reconciliationby Roman Woronowycz over ’43-’44tial of trust thatVolyn will allow events our nations to Kyiv Press Bureau “If the Parliament wants to continue to Kyiv Press Bureau come to complete historical reconciliation, proceed with its draft law, then so be it, Mr. Kuchma said. KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma but this is not truly a parliamentary pro- KYIV – Presidents Leonid Kuchma of announced on July 15 that he was prepar- Ukraine and Aleksander Kwasniewski of The day was the culmination of several posal, it is merely a project of a few par- months of negotiations and public discus- ing to withdraw his political reform bill liamentary forces,” explained Mr. Poland called for mutual forgiveness and from the Constitutional Court after it reconciliation as they solemnly marked the sion on how the two countries should com- Kuchma. memorate the event, with some voices from failed to obtain a majority of support in The president added that he did not 60th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy of the Polish side calling for war crime tri- Ukraine’s Parliament during a vote on feel the withdrawal of his proposals 1943-1944. bunals and declarations of genocide, while July 10. Mr. Kuchma also underscored would spell an end to political reform In the village of Pavlivka, located 18 that he would not endorse a similar draft and said this was done not as recognition miles east of the Polish border, where some the Ukrainian side sought to bring to the law prepared by the opposition. of failure on his part, but as an attempt to of the worst massacres occurred, the two fore past Polish occupation of its territory “The Parliament does not want to take state leaders attended prayer services, laid avoid “deadlock.” Mr. Kuchma said that (Continued on page 17) upon itself the responsibility, that is why his aides are now studying the legal wreaths to the victims and unveiled a monu- they threw it to the Constitutional Court,” aspects and grounds for withdrawing a ment in commemoration of the bloody explained the Ukrainian president, speak- presidential initiative from the events of World War II, during which tens of ing of his political reform proposals. Constitutional Court’s review. thousands of Ukrainian and Polish civilians Rower halts bid “And for this reason I now state that the “The president continues to be ready in the region were killed at the hands of presidential proposal – which today to remain involved in political reform,” opposing paramilitary units representing the encompasses a much broader political concluded Mr. Kuchma. “This is not a two countries. to cross Atlantic field because it has had inputs from vari- “We cannot change this history, nor can victory for the opposition, but a defeat by Andrew Nynka ous sources – will not be a stumbling for all. However, we still have some we question it. We cannot silence it, nor excuse it. Instead we need to find the block [to political reform].” options and this matter is not finished.” PARSIPPANY, N.J. – After only eight courage to accept the truth, to call a crime a The president also quickly rejected The decision to withdraw the presi- days at sea, Ukrainian Teodor Rezvoy’s crime, inasmuch as only with respect to the any possibility that he might support a dent’s proposals from the Constitutional historic bid to paddle alone from New truth can we build the future,” read a joint similar bill prepared by National Deputy Court came after the Verkhovna Rada York to France has ended abruptly. His statement signed by the two presidents. Anatolii Matvienko, chairman of the could muster only 207 of the needed 226 $100,000 hi-tech rowboat, Ukraine, is In remarks at a site on which a Roman Sobor Party and a member of the Yulia votes on July 10 during a vote in support unaccounted for, drifting somewhere in Catholic church had stood before it was Tymoshenko Bloc faction in Parliament, of the first draft of the president’s politi- the Atlantic, while Mr. Rezvoy is on land burnt to the ground, allegedly by Ukrainian one of three factions that has proclaimed cal reform initiative. The pro-presidential in the United States. Insurgent Army (UPA) forces, President outright opposition to the president. That forces had wanted some sort of initial The 35-year-old Ukrainian, who Kuchma called for an end to a “conspiracy draft law was prepared as an alternative agreement before the summer recess to planned to row 3,354 miles from New to Mr. Kuchma’s proposals and excluded of silence.” York City to Brest, France, over the a stipulation that all Ukrainian elections (Continued on page 20) “Ukraine and Poland have a great poten- course of approximately 80 days, had been battling bad weather, rough seas and westward winds that pushed him off course and behind schedule. According to the General Consulate of Ukraine in New York City, Mr. Rezvoy Ukraine’sby Maryna Makhnonos peacekeeperssoliders will arrive preparein mid-August in forIraq, whereduty temperatures in Iraq jump from also began to feel ill, saying there was the Iraqi city of Al-Kut, located south- some 49 degrees C (120 F) in the morn- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly some problem with his liver. Mr. Rezvoy east of Baghdad in the Wasit region, to ing down to 27 degrees C (80 F) at continued to row for several days as VELYKOPOLOVETSKYI RANGE, night. take part in an international peacekeep- rough seas repeatedly capsized his Ukraine – Dressed in light sand-colored On July 3, they underwent another ing mission. 2,000-pound boat. fatigues with automatic rifles on their lengthy training period at the 1,700- Meanwhile in Ukraine, the soldiers The consulate said Mr. Rezvoy did not shoulders, and armed with a basic set of are training in green camouflage and hectare military range situated close to send out the maritime distress signal Arab words and optimistic about the enjoys the mild climate in the last few the village of Malopolovetske, some SOS but that, after a U.S. Navy frigate local weather conditions, Ukrainian weeks before heading for service in 120 kilometers (74.4 miles) southwest appeared on his horizon, Mr. Rezvoy of Kyiv. ended his quest for France on July 10 During their training that day, which when he signaled for help. was observed by journalists, the troop- The USS Doyle responded to the ers checked drivers and cars at a check- Ukrainian and approached his 23-foot point, patrolled territory in groups of yellow rowboat with caution. He was seven in armored personnel carriers, considered a possible terrorist, and both beat off an attack of terrorists, exam- he and his boat were searched. ined citizens dwellings, calmed a crowd The Navy found no threat and of protesters and practiced medical released Mr. Rezvoy, but damaged his assistance actions – all skills that might boat when they attempted, but failed, to be of use during a year of service with hoist the rowboat onto the deck of the the international stabilization force. USS Doyle for a closer inspection. Besides that, the Ukrainian battalion Without a boat to row, the U.S. Navy will guard important sites, such as deposited Mr. Rezvoy in Salem, Mass., weapons storage areas and a local air- on July 11. port. “They tried to check everything. They “All these attacks are practiced as an checked if I had explosive materials or extreme example for the people to some weapons,” Mr. Rezvoy told the know what could happen,” said Capt. Reuters news service at the Ukrainian Serhiy Burda Andrii Lysenko, a spokesman for the Consulate in New York City on July 14. (Continued on page 10) Ukrainian troops bound for Iraq during training southwest of Kyiv. (Continued on page 15) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2003 No. 29 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Ukraine, Poland and the EU’s NEWSBRIEFS Presidents recall Volyn massacre decree to transfer what Mr. Yavorivskyi called “unique spiritual and cultural treas- “Wider Europe” initiative PAVLIVKA, Ukraine – President ures” to the UOC-MP Monastery of the Leonid Kuchma and his Polish counter- Caves. “So far, the final decision has not by Taras Kuzio June. The Polish papers take the question part, Aleksander Kwasniewski, attended a been made,” stressed Mr. Yavorivskyi. RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report of differentiation one step further by ask- reconciliation ceremony in Pavlivka on “There is still a chance, and we will try to ing the European Union to treat countries July 11 to commemorate people of both stand up in the Parliament and warn The Wider Europe initiative announced depending on “the degree of convergence nations murdered in Volyn in 1943, in March is a comparatively late attempt to Tabachnyk of making a faulty decision.” of their values and foreign policy with Ukrainian media reported. The ceremony (Religious Information Service of Ukraine) grapple with the problem of new neighbors those of the EU.” was preceded by a statement aimed at rec- as the European Union enlarges in 2004. Demanding that countries move closer onciliation that was adopted by both the Money-laundering blamed on legal gaps Its proposal for “Integration, Not towards the EU’s understanding of com- Ukrainian and Polish parliaments.