President Bill Clinton issues statement on Great Famine (12/17/00)

President Bill Clinton issues statement on Great Famine

Following is the text of a statement issued by President Bill Clinton on the occasion of Ukrainian Famine Remembrance Day 2000. The message was received on December 7 by the Ukrainian National Information Service, which forwarded it to The Ukrainian Weekly on December 8.

On the 67th anniversary of the Great Famine in Ukraine, I join the people of Ukraine and Americans who trace their roots to that country in remembering the victims of this atrocity of the Soviet period.

The world community has a solemn obligation to keep alive the memory of the innocent men, women and children who suffered and perished because they wanted to preserve their way of life and stood against Stalin's totalitarian ambitions.

This anniversary is an occasion for both sorrow and reflection, and it reminds us that the struggles of Stalin's victims, in Ukraine and elsewhere, were not in vain. The people and the government of Ukraine can honor them by ensuring that the dream of an independent, democratic and prosperous Ukraine is fully realized.

As you mark this solemn anniversary, I commend you for keeping alive the memory of this tragic chapter of Ukraine's history.

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