12-05-2006 15:46 President Viktor Yushchenko arrives on two-day official visit to PolandYushchenko is supposed to meet with Polish President Lech Kaczynski,
On the very same soil where blood was spilled more than six decades ago, the presidents of the two nations opened a memorial on May 13 honoring those who perished, urging reconciliation and declaring a new era in Polish-Ukrainian relations embodied by the Orange Revolution.
"I can only imagine what a difficult road has been traveled by tens of thousands of people to this act of reconciliation which we are witnessing today," said Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
"But I am convinced of one thing: that only the strong are capable of forgiving. I am convinced that the memory of one's own history, historical memory, is an imperative for contemporary times."
Polish President Lech Kaczynski acknowledged that the massacre was covered up for decades by past Polish and Soviet governments, which forbid crosses and prayers for those who perished.
"The time has now come to not hide the truth and to speak of the wrongs that have not been righted," Mr. Kaczynski said.
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