CHORNOBYL ANNIVERSARY STATEMENTS (05/12/96)

CHORNOBYL ANNIVERSARY STATEMENTS

President Leonid Kuchma

Below is the statement issued by President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine on April 26, 1986.

Dear Compatriots! Dear citizens of the countries of the world!

Chornobyl is an intolerably painful and unhealed wound of the Ukrainian people, a symbol of the global disaster that knows no borders. On the tragic day in April 1986, when the most widespread and horrifying technical and ecological catastrophe in the history of mankind took place, we, in fact, began a new count of time.

Chornobyl cannot be referred to in the past tense. It is a long-standing and universal tragedy!

For 10 years we have lived under the bitter Chornobyl star, suffering - some of us suffering more, some of us less. And all this time the alarming sound of Chornobyl's bells have been resounding in our ears, warning about the danger of the uncontrolled atom to all of us.

This is the reason why today, on the In-ternational Day in Memory of Chornobyl, in deep sorrow we bow down and pay respect to the pure souls of those who, without hesitation, stepped into the nuclear hell, protecting us with their bodies from the unpredictable, saving the Earth.

The world must not and has no right to forget their sacrifice, their great heroic deed for the sake of mankind.

Our gratitude to those people who, risking their health, entered the unknown in order to tame the merciless element capable of destroying in a matter of hours our life on Earth, in order to eliminate the consequences of the nuclear disaster, is immeasurable. In Ukraine alone there are 350,000 of them. And the same was done by numerous representatives of other peoples! Many of them are no longer with us today.

Today, we also remember those of our compatriots who, within no time, found themselves smothered by the heavy dusk of the ominous Chornobyl shadow that uprooted and drove them from the land of their ancestors, making them face all the bitterness of moving and settling in new locations.

We express our sincere gratitude to the states, international organizations and the tens of thousands of foreign citizens who rendered their support to Ukraine at this time of trial and are assisting us today. We extend our gratitude to all those who right from the start were aware of what had really happened on April 26, 1986.

This is also especially important because the unprecedented disaster from the very beginning was aggravated by lies and distorted information about its causes, scale and consequences.

In fact, Ukraine has become a zone of environmental emergency - a situation it had to face all alone after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

It would not be an overstatement to say that the Chornobyl disaster has turned into an allegedly "sovereign," private affair of the Ukrainian people.

Facing severe economic problems as a result of the process of creating an independent state and drastic reform of the underlying aspects of our life, we have to deny ourselves basic things and spend 12 percent of our state budget to "cure" the Chornobyl "disease" and its consequences.

During the last four years alone, more than $3 billion have been spent for this purpose, which is five times more than the total allocations for education, health and culture. This burden is beyond Ukraine's capabilities. Besides, it is unknown for how long our people will have to carry this heavy cross.

The global character of the disaster requires adequate attention and specific assistance in mitigating its consequences on the part of the international community as a whole. What is at stake is not only our destiny, but the future of mankind.

This position of Ukraine was brought by its president to the attention of leaders of the G-7 on April 20 in Moscow.

More than $3 billion will be earmarked to implement the political decision to shut down the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and to solve a whole complex of related problems.

Moreover, a decision will be adopted as to financing the construction of a new sarcophagus by members of G-7 and the European community.

This is now possible, in the first place, because the political course taken by Ukraine allows it to reduce substantially the nuclear pressure on our planet, to strengthen international security through practical measures.

Secondly, though it is hard to admit it, it was the Chornobyl disaster that made the world more sensitive and susceptible to the troubles of individual nations and countries, and made us realize how we depend on each other, being a single whole.

Now we enter the stage at which mutual support and mutual assistance, joint efforts and the collective wisdom of peoples will become a reliable guarantee that present and future generations of people will not have to face a similar tragedy.

Dear Compatriots! As has always been the case at times of hard trial, our people responded to the Chornobyl disaster with courage and self-sacrifice, endurance and immeasurable patience.

Thanks to you and all people of good will, life on our planet has been saved. Much has been done, and much more has to be done to make sure that the "shining" sarcophagus, the dead zone and radiation-fertilized soil are not the only symbols of Ukraine that we will leave as our legacy.

I believe in our people, in its wisdom, in its inexhaustible life potential.

I am confident that we will overcome everything on our way to creating a prosperous and thriving Ukraine.

I bow before you, my Dear Compatriots, for staying undaunted in the face of the disaster, for your will to live and for your confidence in the bright future of our Motherland!

Prime Minister Jean Chretien

Following is the message of Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada released in Ottawa.

I am pleased to extend my greetings to the members of the Ukrainian Canadian community who are marking the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine.

Canada and Ukraine have a special relationship born of the many Canadians of Ukrainian descent and the growing ties between our countries. It is fitting that we should join with the people of Ukraine and, indeed, with the citizens of the global community in remembering the victims of the Chornobyl accident and their families on this solemn occasion.

I would like to offer my congratulations to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress on having organized these important commemorative events across Canada. Please accept my best wishes, now and in the future.

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