Kachinski criticizes Yuschenko

According to the chancellery of President Leh Kachinski cited by the internet portal of Polish television www.tvp24.pl , the decisions made by President of Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko about granting the members of the Organization of Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian insurgent army the status of veterans and posthumous awarding of Stepan Bandera with the title of the hero of Ukraine provoked the protest by the head of the Republic of Poland. According to President of Poland, “current political interests prevailed over historical truth”. In the statement of the chancellery it is said that “the last acts of President of Ukraine are aimed against the process of historic dialogue and conciliation”. It is underlined that in Poland there is an opinion that strong and lasting partnership of sovereign, independent and democratic Poland and Ukraine is the national interests of the both countries.

According to the chancellery of President Leh Kachinski cited by the internet portal of Polish television www.tvp24.pl , the decisions made by President of Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko about granting the members of the Organization of Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian insurgent army the status of veterans and posthumous awarding of Stepan Bandera with the title of the hero of Ukraine provoked the protest by the head of the Republic of Poland. According to President of Poland, “current political interests prevailed over historical truth”. In the statement of the chancellery it is said that “the last acts of President of Ukraine are aimed against the process of historic dialogue and conciliation”. It is underlined that in Poland there is an opinion that strong and lasting partnership of sovereign, independent and democratic Poland and Ukraine is the national interests of the both countries.

Further in the statement it is pointed out that the assessment of the activity of the Organization of Ukraine nationalists and Ukraine insurgent army in Poland is absolutely negative since these organizations carried out massacre of polish population on the east territories of Second Republic of Poland. As a result 100 thousand poles were killed only on the ethnic ground. “These homicides provoke definite protest on behalf of polish society; - it is underlined in the statement”.

Representatives from the organizations of citizens who come from former east territories of Poland that now belong to West Belarus and West Ukraine appealed to President Kachinski with the request to condemn the act of heroisation of Bandera and members of UIA. The negotiations on this topic with the head of presidential chancellery Vladislav Stasyak were held by the famous Polish priest Tadeush Isakovich Zaleski last Tuesday.

Internet portal www.tv24.pl reminds that Viktor Yuschenko awarded the leader of OUN Stepan Bandera with the title of the Hero of Ukraine on January, 22. Bandera was the leader of one of fractions of OUN the armed formation of which (UIA) takes the responsibilities for the ethnic cleansings of polish population on the territories of Volyn and in West Galicia carried out from the spring 1943. The decision made by Yuschenko provoked the protests in Poland and among polish diaspora in Ukraine and Russia. Bandera as it is stated in the Decree of Yuschenko was awarded with the title of the hero for “the unshakeable spirit on the service to national idea, heroism and selflessness in the fight for independent Ukraine state”. The decision about awarding Bandera with the title of the hero together with the