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----- Original Message -----
From: "XABIER ORMAETXEA"
To: orest.deychak@mail.house.gov; morganw@patriot.net
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003, 9:36 AM
Subject: Ukrainian famine, since Basque Country
Orest Deychakiwsky, E. Morgan Williams
Dear Friends:
My name is Xabier Ormaetxea, and I am the Chairman of the Foreign
Affaires Commission of the Basque Parliament.
By this letter, I want to congratulate to Senator BEN NIGHTHORSE
CAMPBELL for presenting in the US Senate the resolution regarding
the 70th anniversary of the genocidal Ukraine famine of 1932-1933.
As friend of Ukrainian people, I have prepared a similar text that will
be presented in Basque Parliament in the beginning of September and
hope will be approved by unanimity in October.
Best wishes, Xabier Ormaetxea
EN RECUERDO Y CONDENA DEL 70 ANIVERSARIO DE LA
HAMBRUNA GENOCIDA DE UCRANIA 1932-33
En este año 2003 se conmemora el 70 aniversario de la hambruna Ucraniana,
un desastre artificial que produjo la muerte de millones de inocentes
hombres,
mujeres y niños ucranianos, y exterminó practicamente a la cuarta parte de
la población rural del ese país (entre 4 y 10 millones de personas, según
diversas versiones)
Resulta probado que un alto porcentaje de los habitantes de Ucrania, así
como de los territorios poblados por ucranianos al norte del Caucaso
murieron de hambre durante la hambruna de los años 1932-33, que fue causada
por la colectivización forzosa y el embargo del grano efectuado por el
régimen Soviético. Todas las investigaciones realizadas han concluido sin
duda alguna que José Stalin y su régimen totalitario cometieron un genocidio
cruel, para exterminar cualquier expresión de identidad política y cultural
y el derecho de autodeterminación del pueblo ucraniano.
Como resultado de lo anterior, millones de ucranianos principalmente de las
zonas rurales murieron de hambre sobre una de las mas fértiles tierras del
mundo, mientras las autoridades soviéticas prohibían el desplazamiento de la
población hacia otras áreas en las que existía alimentación abundante.
Las brigadas de incautación a las ordenes de Stalin requisaban el grano
siguiendo unas cuotas de producción imposibles de cumplir fijadas en 1932,
requisando toda la producción y reservas de las familias hambrientas, y
asesinando a aquellos que se resistían. El gobierno de la URSS, conocedor
de la situación de hambruna, intensificó la esquilmación de todo el producto
agrícola propiciando las muertes por hambre de la población.
Durante estos dos años, el Gobierno soviético exportaba grano a los países
occidentales y rechazó toda oferta de asistencia a la población hambrienta.
Esta hambruna con resultado de millones de muertes, no fue el resultado de
un desastre natural, sino la consecuencia de una política cruelmente
planificada para destruir los derechos políticos, culturales y humanos del
pueblo Ucraniano.
Mientras todo esto ocurría la UniÑn Soviética ocultó y negó sistemáticamente
la existencia de la hambruna genocida, con la colaboración incluso de
periodistas internacionales, y aýn hoy en día estos trágicos hechos son aun
desconocidos para la mayor parte del mundo.
En Consecuencia con lo anteriormente expuesto
El Parlamento vasco resuelve
1.- Honrar en el 70 aniversario de la hambruna Ucraniana , planificada por
el régimen Soviético, a los millones de victimas inocentes causadas por la
misma.
2.- Recordar en el 70 aniversario de la hambruna ucraniana, la brutalidad
totalitaria del régimen Stalinista, que despreció constantemente los
derechos humanos y produjo millones de victimas
3.- Condenar el desprecio por la vida humana, los derechos humanos y las
manifestaciones de identidad nacional que caracterizaron al régimen de
Stalin y causaron la hambruna Ucraniana
4.- Declarar que la hambruna artificial ucraniana de 1932-33 constituye un
autentico genocidio que encaja en la definición de la convenciÑn de las
naciones unidas sobre genocidios
5.- Apoyar los esfuerzos del gobierno de Ucrania y el Verhovna Rada
(Parlamento de Ucrania) para hacer publico el conocimiento internacional de
la Hambruna Ucraniana
6.- Proclamar que una Ucrania independiente y democrática, en la que el
respeto por la dignidad y los derechos humanos sea la piedra angular, es la
mejor garantÌa de que atrocidades como la que recordamos nunca vuelvan a
castigar al pueblo Ucraniano, y que la Integración de Ucrania en la unión
Europea constituirá la mayor garantía de la permanencia de los principios
democráticos y la independencia para Ucrania de cara al futuro, por lo que
instamos tanto a las autoridades comunitarias, como muy especialmente a las
instituciones Ucranianas a acelerar el proceso de reformas necesarias para
que en el menor tiempo posible Ucrania sea un firme candidato a la adhesión
a la UE.
NOTE: A second communication from Xabier Ormaetxea, member of the
Basque National Party, and his special interest in Ukraine.
----- Original Message -----
From: "XABIER ORMAETXEA"
To: "Morgan Williams" morganw@patriot.net
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 9:50 AM
Subject: since Basque Country 2
Dear Morgan.
Thanks a lot for your most kind answer to my e-mail.
My name is Xabier Ormaetxea, I am 42 years old, married and with two
boys, I am member of the Basque National Party since I was 15 years old,
and always have been involved in foreign relations in my party.
As Basque Nationalist, I feel a great sympathy for any nation that works for
re-establish its national identity, language, culture etc. Nationalism is
nor for me a way to ask for isolation or national selfishness. No nation is
better than other, and no nation has any right to rule over others, on the
contrary nationalism must defend brotherhood and solidarity between
nations preserving their own identities.
I am also an Europeist and believe and fight sincerely to create a great
Europe based in the union of all European peoples, but believing that the
diversity of cultures, languages etc is the real richness of Europe, that
respect for diversity and the union of the European nations in a great
supra-state must be the guarantee that there will not be in the future more
abuses, wars, or cruel conflicts among Europeans.
Since 1988 I am member of the Basque Parliament, this is my 5th legislature
as MP, I have been in the precedent legislatures chairman of the Industry
commission, but in this one, I choose to be chairman of the European
affaires and Foreign activities Commission. I am also vice-speaker of my
parliamentary group (Basque Nationalists). My party is since 20 years ago
(since the existence of Basque Autonomy) the main and ruling party in our
autonomous community.
When I was elected chairman of Foreign Affaires Commission I decide that
one of the main targets would be to work to have closer relations with
eastern countries, and after studying the situation of them I saw clearly
that Ukraine should be the main country to work.
Our Basque Government have an important budget for Foreign cooperation,
this year is more than 30 millions euros, and I noticed that almost all use
to go for projects in south America and Africa. I talked with our
authorities and
told them that would be good to dedicate a part of our foreign cooperation
budget to eastern countries, the reasons are clear. We have European
brothers that need help, and most important, European eastern countries have
a bigger capability to convert economic help into real development.
As I was interested by Ukraine, I began to look for Ukrainian friends trough
internet and I made some good ones. I also saw that the best way to
establish relations between my country and Ukraine should be to begin for
cooperation so I began to look for Non Governmental Organizations in Ukraine
to try to cooperate with them.
After search on internet and send several e-mails to different NGOs I
received
a very kind answer from Caritas-Spes Ukraine, the Charity organization of
the
Roman Catholic Church. Its president, the auxiliary Bishop of Kiev Mons.
Stanislaw Shirokoradiuk invited me to make a visit to Ukraine, and I did it
on
February 2002.
Before doing the visit I had an interview with the Ukrainian ambassador in
Spain, he gave me good words but rejected to help me in having any kind of
official contacts or meetings, so I made this first trip in what I made a
good friendship with the Bishop Shirokoradiuk and also with some teachers
of the agrarian university of Kiev that I met before by internet, and I must
tell you that in this first trip I felt captivated by Ukraine and Kiev, even
if it was impossible to have any official contact, cause as I saw there was
not any interest in having contacts with Basques (probably for the strange
influence and informs of the ambassador in Spain).
When I returned and after talk with several Basque NGO and see that they
were not very interested in having cooperation with east Europe, I decide to
create my own foundation named Ekialde Foundation (ekialde means east in
Basque), dedicated to establish cooperation between Basque Country (and
Spain) in economic, cultural, education, and charity with east countries and
mainly with Ukraine.
Before my visit, me and my wife were thinking in adopt a girl from Russia,
but being in Ukraine we decided to change the country and try to adopt the
girl in Ukraine, unfortunately we had bad luck and after several trips we
finally didn't adopt the girl, although the possibility of doing in a short
future is still opened.
During 2002 I made 4 trips to Kiev and my Foundation donated 33,000
euros to different charity projects for children.
During 2003 the amount of funds donated will be close to 300,000 euros
that I have obtained from Basque Government and different City Councils
of Basque Country. We have also created in Kiev the Ekialde-Ukraine
Foundation, with the friends I made from the Agrarian University of Kiev.
Since my first trip to Kiev, I try to follow the Ukrainian news and
situation.
And always read all the newspapers and magazines wrote in English about
Ukraine.
Recently I have established contact with the European movement preparatory
committee in Ukraine, and settled some basis for cooperation. We are
thinking now with their help and kind offer to prepare a visit of a
delegation of
the Basque parliament to Ukraine, and if we have success in that , we will
prepare after it other delegations of entrepreneurs, so we have hope to do
interesting things in a short future.
The people of the European movement in Ukraine sent me by e-mail the info
about the US senate resolution about Ukrainian famine, and after reading it
I decide that would be most interesting to preset something similar in the
Basque parliament. I will try also to talk with our deputy in the European
parliament Mr. Ortuondo, and with our Deputies in the Spanish Parliament,
for if they consider interesting to present similar resolutions in those
Parliaments, I will inform you if I can convince them to present those
texts.
-
Reading about the tragedy of the Ukrainian famine made me remember facts
of our Basque history:
-
During the years 1936-1939 took part the Spanish civil war, fascism against
the democratic Republic. Basque National Party positioned itself in favour
of democracy, and the Spanish Government and Parliament approved an Statute
of Autonomy and a Basque Government was formed. The Basque Government
formed mostly with volunteers a Basque army that defended the Basque Country
from the advance of the fascists, and as Spain was cut in two parts, there
were not contact between the Spanish democratic Government and the Basque
Government so our government act almost as an independent one, with army,
coin, passports etc etc.
The western democracies made a non intervention pact, so we and the Spanish
republic were alone, while The Nazi Germany and the Fascist Italy supported
the Franco's fascist army. The German Lutwafe wanted to experiment a new
kind of air war, using fighters and bombers against civil population, and
they did, for first time in the history aviation was used to destroy civil
targets, and Gernika (the holy town of the Basques) was destroyed with
lots of dead civilians... The success of the attack convinced the German
army to use this tactic in the future wars they would have,, and they did.
The fascist government of Spain developed a big international campaign
supported by many foreign journalist denying their responsibility in Gernika
Destruction and blaming the Basque Government and army as responsible of
destroy their own town. During 40 years the official version told that the
Basques burned their Holy town. It is curious that when democracy arrived
to Spain the Spanish Parliament rejected in the beginning the responsibility
for the destruction of Gernika, and was the German Parliament the first in
recognize officially the German authority of the destruction helping the
Spanish fascism.
Well, you can ask me,, why you tell me that?
The USSR supported the Spanish republic against the fascism, and the Basque
Government , looking for international solidarity formed a Basque Football
team called the EUZKADI (Euzkadi is the name we give to our country), this
team make a tour by Europe and was invited to play in France, in other
Countries and also in the USSR. They played in Tblisi, in Moscow and in
Kiev. On May 1937 our selection played a match against the Dynamo of
Kiev in Kiev, and received the solidarity of Kiev population, it was a shown
of solidarity of the Ukrainian people with Basque Country.
May be some of the players that play the brotherhood match against our
Basque team were part of the Dynamo of Kiev players that were killed in
1942 by the Nazi Germans when they defended the Ukrainian national
proudness in the Stadium.
Best wishes
XABIER ORMAETXEA
Material compiled, edited and posted by the www.ArtUkraine.com Information
Service (ARTUIS) Washington, D.C. and Kyiv, Ukraine
FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
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