Quotable notes

"Let's for a minute close our eyes and look at the map. Ukraine and Poland. Together that's 90 million people. That's a power in Europe. If we can agree with each other, everyone in the world will have to speak to us completely differently. They will have to treat us in a completely different way. We'll stop being a fringe. We'll become an irremovable political factor both in Europe and in the world. A Ukrainian-Polish coalition - modeled, let's say, on the Benelux - is a power which could secure peace, economic development and democracy in this part of Europe."

- Gazeta Wyborcza Editor-in-Chief Adam Michnik, speaking at a conference on Ukraine's European aspirations in Warsaw on December 18, as quoted by Polish Radio and cited by RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report.

"I'm looking into the next year with fear. Everybody agrees that the [2004 presidential] elections will be the scariest and dirtiest ever."

- Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma on December 19, as quoted by Interfax and cited by RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 4, 2004, No. 1, Vol. LXXII

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