Correction

In the January 31 edition, in the article on the visit of Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to Ukraine, it was incorrectly reported that Mr. Chrétien was not present at a short ceremony in commemoration of the victims of the 1932-1933 Great Famine, held at the Famine Memorial in Kyiv, on January 27. In fact, Mr. Chrétien was present but did not place the flowers at the foot of the monument, an honor bestowed upon his wife, Aline. (The Weekly had attempted repeatedly to contact Canadian officials in Kyiv about the matter, but could get no responses to clarify the situation. In addition, our Kyiv Press Bureau contacted the press offices of President Leonid Kuchma and the Cabinet of Ministers Department of Protocol, both of whom said no one was available to comment at the time.)

The Embassy of Canada in Kyiv later issued a statement in regard to the ceremony, which reads as follows:

"Prime Minister Chrétien was the first leader of government of the Western world to visit the monument. The prime minister makes a point of associating his wife with all aspects of his program, including ceremonial. It was for this reason that both of them carried the floral tribute to the monument. Mrs. Chrétien was so moved by this horrible tragedy that, in a human gesture, she took a bouquet of flowers and placed it at the monument."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 7, 1999, No. 6, Vol. LXVII

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