YUSHCHENKO SAYS UKRAINE NOW FREE AT NEW YEAR RALLY

KIEV - Opposition leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko has said that Ukraine is a free country now. Speaking to a huge New Year rally on the central square in Kiev, he thanked those who protested against vote-rigging after the second round of the presidential election on 21 November and those who helped them.

The following is the text of Yushchenko's speech broadcast live by Ukrainian television TV 5 Kanal on 31 December:

Dear Ukrainian people. Dear and beloved friends. Holy (Reverend) fathers. Highly esteemed Kiev mayor Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Omelchenko. Highly esteemed Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Dear friends, brothers and sisters.

I know that the Ukrainian people had only a few decades of real independence in the last 800 years. Burial mounds of heroes, who fought for Ukraine's independence, are scattered all over the Ukrainian land. We have been independent for 14 years, but we have not been free. Today we are independent and free. I would like to congratulate you on this, my Ukrainian people.

I am happy because my generation fought for Ukraine's freedom and independence. I want to specially address Independence Square, our friends and colleagues who have fought for Ukraine's freedom since 22 November.

Dear friends, these 500,000 people worked for the sake of 47m Ukrainians, whom they wanted to see free and independent. We saw great help by Kiev people, who fed and warmed Kiev's [Independence] Square at that time. Kiev's [Independence] Square was the heart of Ukraine at that time.

Dear friends, I would like to thank every generation, every region that was represented at Independence Square during these days. We are on the eve of New Year. On behalf of my family, I would like to wish wellbeing and happiness to every Ukrainian household, so that every Ukrainian could say proudly that they are Ukrainians, that they are proud of being Ukrainians and of living on Ukrainian land.

Addressing you, I would like to say simple and well-known words in Ukraine. I wish you luck. I wish you luck in all your good deeds. God bless you. Long live everyone of you. Long live Ukraine. Glory to God.

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CROWD IN UKRAINE
'orange revolution' changed Europe

TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, Fri 31 Dec 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Friday, Dec 31, 2004

KIEV - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has delivered an emotional speech before a huge crowd of supporters of Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko in the main square in central Kiev. Saakashvili, who spoke in Ukrainian, said Europe's destiny was decided in that square and that the "orange revolution" changed Europe.

He said he "felt like a Kievite" again during the opposition protests in Ukraine. Saakashvili congratulated Ukrainians on their victory and their "new president" and wished them a happy New Year. His speech was immediately followed by Yushchenko's New Year address from the same
square.

The following is the text of the speech by Saakashvili aired live by Ukrainian television TV 5 Kanal on 31 December:

[Saakashvili] Dear friends. Brothers and sisters. I greet you all. You do not fully realize yourselves what this square means to the world. We held our breath watching you. We admired your courage. The future destiny of Europe was being decided in this square.

Good overcame evil in this square. You had us relive the moments of joy that we sensed during our own, Georgian, revolution. We, Georgians, were very proud to see our national flags in this square. I want you to know that we will always be on your side.

These days I have felt like a Kievite again, but - [shouts of approval] As a president and official, I had no opportunity to come, but I was on Khreshchatyk [street in central Kiev] in my heart. I was with you. [shouts
of approval]

But each freedom-loving person was a Kievite at that time, at the time of the orange revolution, which has changed Europe. On behalf of a fraternal people, my wife and I wish to greet you on the New Year. We wish to congratulate you on your victory, a great victory, a new president. My greetings to all of you.

Happy New Year to you all, all inhabitants of Ukraine, on behalf of fraternal Georgia. I greet you all once again. You have a wonderful, amazing president, a friend of mine, a great friend of mine and a truly great political figure. [shouts] Greetings. [Action Ukraine Monitoring]

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