1993: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

In the United States: lobbying, aid programs

Just days before the new year, Ukraine purchased the Forrest-Marbury Court, at 3350 M St., NW, in the historic Georgetown district of Washington as its new Embassy in the United States. The building is one of only six buildings in private ownership in Washington that has been designated a "building of great importance to the National Cultural Heritage" by the Joint Committee on Landmarks of Washington.

Within days, the Embassy staff transferred from its previous location in a downtown office building on L Street to their new home. On February 24, Ukrainian Americans joined with representatives of the Ukrainian and U.S. governments in the official ceremonies establishing the new Embassy.

In mid-January, Ukraine also signed a three-year contract, with an option to buy, for a building on East 49th Street in New York to house its General Consulate.

With a new administration arriving in Washington in January, Ukrainian Americans began the year with high hopes for improved U.S.-Ukrainian relations. Prior to Bill Clinton taking the oath as president of the United States, however, the Bush administration took one last shot at Ukraine. Summoning Deputy Foreign Minister Borys Tarasiuk and Deputy Defense Minister General Ivan Bizhan to Washington on January 5, administration officials then, once again, rebuffed Ukraine's request for security guarantees and financial assistance.

Leaking a story to The Washington Post, a senior U.S. official stated that "Washington would not engage in a bargaining process to persuade Ukraine's legislature to ratify its commitment to remove nuclear weapons from its soil." Even so, Ukraine tried to put a positive spin on the meetings; Minister Tarasiuk stated that "no pressure was exerted."

One bright spot in the closing days of the Bush administration was the establishment, by the Voice of America (VOA) and Worldnet Television, of a 30-minute, Ukrainian-language news and features television show for Ukraine titled "Window on America." It first aired on January 9 and covered, as one of its stories, the Tarasiuk visit. One month later, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), personnel from Ukraine's television joined the Worldnet staff to work on two programs of "Window on America." In June, Worldnet invited representatives of the Ukrainian American community to review the progress of the show and to offer comments for its improvement.

January 20 saw the inauguration of the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton. Participating in the inaugural festivities were Tanya Osadca and Aka Pereyma, who demonstrated the art of pysanky at one of the inaugural pavilions. While relations between the Clinton administration and the Ukrainian American community began on a high note, they soon deteriorated.

For the first few months of the new administration, Ukraine's nuclear weapons again dominated relations. Ukraine continued insisting on security guarantees and the United States held to its position that guarantees would be forthcoming only after ratification of START I and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

All hopes of a shift in U.S. policy toward Ukraine were dashed when during confirmation hearings to become secretary of state, Warren Christopher was asked "What steps should the United States government take to assuage Ukrainian fears regarding its national security?" Mr. Christopher responded: "When Ukraine keeps its promise to President Bush to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state, it will be eligible for security assistance that the U.S., U.K. and Russia have given other non-nuclear signatories."

Visiting Washington in February, Rukh Chairman Vyacheslav Chornovil joined Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski in a panel discussion about Ukraine at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

March brought both Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Reform Viktor Pynzenyk to Washington. After meeting with President Clinton, Secretary of State Christopher, and Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, Minister Zlenko sounded optimistic about the encounters despite Mr. Clinton's statement that ratification of START I "is a precondition to a long-term successful relationship" between the U.S. and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Minister Pynzenyk met with Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen and officials of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss Ukraine's market reform.

U.S.-Ukrainian relations took a nosedive, however, when the Clinton administration rebuffed Ukraine's request for a meeting between Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma and President Clinton. When the administration refused to invite the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Rep. E. (Kika) de la Garza, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, invited him. U.S. Ambassador Strobe Talbott then issued the word that senior administration officials were not to meet with the Ukrainian leader. The story was then leaked by the administration to The New York Times, prompting a denial by Kuchma that he even intended to visit the U.S.

Throughout the year numerous articles and editorials in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Foreign Affairs, Army Times and The Ukrainian Weekly began questioning the wisdom of U.S. policy on nuclear weapons in Ukraine. A school of thought began to emerge that it is not only in Ukraine's interest, but in U.S. interest, for Ukraine to gain operational control of nuclear weapons and be in a position to stem Russian expansionism into Central/Eastern Europe.

After almost a year of relative inactivity, the East European Coalition assembled by the Washington Office of the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) in 1991 became reactivated. Polish and Hungarian national organizations joined the charter organizations from the Ukrainian, Armenian, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian communities. The coalition focused on foreign assistance for the nations of Central and Eastern Europe and more effective means of delivering that assistance.

In April, a high-ranking U.S. Congressional delegation led by House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Minority Leader Robert Michel (R-Ill.) visited Ukraine and Russia. Other members of Congress in the delegation included Majority Whip David Bonior (D-Mich.) and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.). After meeting with top officials in Ukraine, including President Kravchuk, the attitude of the members toward Ukraine changed considerably.

During the House Foreign Affairs Committee's consideration of the foreign assistance bill, Chairman Hamilton added report language that stated: "The United States must make a greater effort to treat Ukraine as a separate and important entity. The U.S. must initiate a larger, more effective assistance program for Ukraine that promotes political and economic reform and is specific to Ukraine."

By late spring and early summer, rumors that U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Popadiuk would be recalled spread through Washington and the Ukrainian American community. It was not until mid-summer, however, that the administration officially announced that Mr. Popadiuk, who completed his assignment on July 30, would be replaced by William Miller.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Mr. Miller's nomination on September 9 and, in extraordinarily swift action, favorably reported the nomination five days later. The following day, September 15, Mr. Miller was confirmed as the new ambassador to Ukraine. He took the oath of office on October 13 and presented his credentials to President Kravchuk on October 20.

In May, the Clinton administration shifted its policy toward Ukraine. During a visit to Kyyiv, Ambassador Talbott stated that "one of the important points that we tried to make is that issue (nuclear weapons) is not the only issue." Two weeks later, at a meeting with Ukrainian American community leaders, the ambassador stated that relations between the two nations are "multi-dimensional" and the U.S. will not focus solely on nuclear issues. The community leaders, however, were disappointed to hear that the U.S. had not shifted its position on the weapons or security guarantees.

During a June 24 hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs, Ambassador Talbott stated that the government of the United States wishes to broaden relations with Ukraine and presented five general principles that are intended to achieve that goal. Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe then discussed "confidence-building measures" that the administration was undertaking as well as closer military ties with Ukraine. In a follow-up panel, however, Dr. Yaroslav Bilinsky challenged conventional thinking by arguing that Ukraine and Israel have the greatest moral right to possess nuclear weapons. Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Lewis Libby then argued that Ukraine cannot feel secure in the absence of a soundly articulated U.S. policy in Europe.

On June 1, Ukrainian Americans commemorated the 60th anniversary of the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine. Ukraine, however, waited until September to commemorate this sad episode in its history. In commemoration of the event, the U.S. Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 42, introduced by Sen. Donald Riegle (D-Mich.), on September 10. A copy of the findings and conclusions of the Commission on the Ukraine Famine was presented to the Ukrainian government during its commemorative program as required by the resolution. An identical resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 140, introduced by Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), was passed by the House on October 12.

U.S. foreign assistance to Ukraine dominated the political debate throughout the year. For the administration and Congress the issue was passage of a $2.5 billion aid package for the newly independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union; for Ukrainian Americans the issue was a greater percentage of the package for Ukraine. In an article in The Ukrainian Weekly, UNA Washington Office Director Eugene Iwanciw pointed out that during fiscal years 1992-1993, of the $2.3 billion of assistance to the NIS, Ukraine received less than 6 percent of the assistance though it contains over 18 percent of the population of the NIS.

The UNA's and Ukrainian Congress Committee of America's (UCCA) Washington offices began a grassroots and lobbying effort to insure that Ukraine received a greater share of the aid destined for the NIS. When the House of Representatives considered the foreign aid authorization and appropriations bills on succeeding days in June, a number of representatives including Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Sander Levin (D-Mich.), Mr. Bonior and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) argued for more assistance to Ukraine. The bill, however, did not allocate money to any particular nations but left it to the discretion of the administration. The battle then shifted to the Senate.

Prior to Senate consideration of foreign aid, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the ranking minority member of the Senate Appropriations Foreign operations Subcommittee, traveled to Kyyiv to assess the situation. After meeting with a range of Ukrainian officials including President Kravchuk, Sen. McConnell articulated his support for a new policy toward Ukraine.

Ukrainian Deputy Volodymyr Yavorivsky visited Washington during this period and met with numerous members of Congress on the general issue of aid to Ukraine and the specific issue of aid to the victims of Chornobyl. Ukrainian Defense Minister General Kostyantyn Morozov also traveled to Washington for a series of discussions about $175 million of pledged U.S. assistance for the retirement of nuclear missiles. During his visit, the general visited with Sen. McConnell to discuss the status of the Ukrainian military at which time he stated that funding for military housing would be welcomed.

Just before the summer recess, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Economic Policy marked up the foreign assistance authorization bill. During its consideration, Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.) surprised his colleagues by offering an amendment requiring that Ukraine receive its per capita share of the assistance. While the subcommittee agreed in principle to the amendment, formal adoption was put off to the full committee so that technical aspects could be worked out.

When the full committee met in September, administration arm-twisting of committee members precluded the expected adoption of the Wofford amendment. Sen. Wofford retreated and offered a modified amendment calling for a "fair share" of the assistance for Ukraine.

Despite the setback in the Foreign Relations Committee, the UNA and UCCA offices continued working on the appropriations bill. When the Appropriations Subcommittee presented its draft of the foreign aid bill, it already included "at least $300 million" of assistance for Ukraine due to the efforts of Sen. McConnell. The bill sailed through subcommittee, full committee and the Senate without any voiced opposition.

The administration did, however, try to kill the provision during the House-Senate conference on the appropriations measure. Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) led the fight for the administration, arguing that the earmark "would be an insult to Yeltsin." Sen. McConnell led the fight for aid to Ukraine and was joined by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee, and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), as well as Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.). After a minor modification, the provision survived and was signed into law.

Joining in the celebration of Svoboda's centennial anniversary were five U.S. senators and 10 representatives, all of whom made statements on the floor of their respective chambers about the contribution Svoboda has made to the United States and to Ukraine's independence. The celebration was less complete than hoped for when the White House refused to issue any statement or letter of congratulations.

At the request of President Yeltsin at the Vancouver Summit, President Clinton proposed legislation to revise Cold War provisions in U.S. law. Titled the Act For Reform in Emerging New Democracies and Support and Help for Improved Partnership (FRIENDSHIP) with Russia, Ukraine, and Other New Independent States, the act immediately stirred controversy.

Even prior to introduction of the proposal, Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) introduced legislation that would effectively gut the Captive Nations Resolution. Sensing the negative reaction to that proposal, the administration did not attempt to amend Captive Nations but encountered opposition when it included a disclaimer about the resolution. After negotiations, the FRIENDSHIP Act was enacted with an amendment authorizing the construction of a monument in Washington to honor the victims of communism.

In a related development, the Clinton administration followed the path of the Bush administration in trying to close down Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), including its research institute, early in the year. When the proposal met opposition, the effort turned toward folding the two radio stations into VOA. Since even this tactic sparked serious Congressional opposition, the administration agreed to consolidate all the radio stations under an independent board. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) supported the consolidation but opposed the new organizational structure, arguing that it should be independent of the U.S. government.

While the negotiations continued, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) continued to slash the budget of the Board for International Broadcasting (BIB), the parent organization of RFE/RL, forcing major personnel cutbacks. As the administration reached agreement with Sen. Biden, a new problem arose when Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) voiced opposition to any agreement that would retain RFE/RL in any form.

Already close relations between the Department of Defense and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry were strengthened even more when the Pentagon dispatched a military medical mission to Ukraine during late September. The mission consisted of physicians, dentists, optometrists, public health specialists, nurses, and lab technicians who brought with them a military transport filled with medical supplies.

The year ended on the same note with which it began: the nuclear issue. In October, Assistant Secretary of Defense Graham Allison traveled to Ukraine to again persuade it to unilaterally disarm. He stated that the United States believes that Ukraine has a genuine security problem that will be solved once it gives up its nuclear arsenal.

A few weeks later, Secretary of State Christopher visited Kyyiv and added his voice to the call for disarmament. During his visit, he committed $330 million of assistance for Ukraine, which included the already committed $175 million in Nunn-Lugar money. This left Ukraine with only $155 million of economic assistance despite the legislation that committed "at least $300,000,000" in U.S. assistance. The Department of State defended its interpretation of the law in a December meeting between Ambassador Talbott and leaders of the Ukrainian American community.

On November 18, the Ukrainian Parliament overwhelmingly ratified the START I treaty, but with a series of conditions concerning its national security and financial assistance for the dismantlement of the missiles and warheads. The United States reacted negatively to the conditions and President Clinton, in a phone conversation with President Kravchuk, "expressed his...unhappiness with the Ukrainian parliament's action." In addition, Kyyiv was knocked off Vice-President Al Gore's itinerary for December, and President Clinton's foreign travels in January. Many saw this as just another step in an effort to isolate Ukraine and force unilateral disarmament.

The year ended on a positive note when the East European Coalition in Washington was called to action and expanded to include the Czechs, Slovaks, Romanians and Bulgarians. The group unanimously agreed that Russian aggression and U.S. failure to oppose Russian expansionism were the greatest threat to the peace and stability of Europe. Reacting to concern in all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe about Russian aggression, the group with its membership of 14 national organizations representing 11 ethnic groups initiated a concerted effort to change U.S. policy. Vowing to oppose "Yalta II," the coalition inaugurated a grass-roots effort aimed at the president's mid-January visit to Moscow.

As regards the Ukrainian community in the United States, throughout 1993, organizations continued to support a multitude of programs aiding Ukraine and its people. Diaspora assistance came in various forms, ranging from fund-raising efforts to support of educational exchanges to assembly and delivery of medical and diagnostic equipment in critically short supply in Ukraine. Some highlights of these continuing assistance efforts follow.

The consequences of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster continue taking their deadly toll on the population of Ukraine. One of the largest providers of relief to the victims, the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, continued its relentless efforts in 1993. On June 12-13, this organization, which has airlifted and shipped over 700 tons of medical aid to Ukraine since 1989, held its second convention. Speaking at the gathering, Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), praised the CCRF's work: "This is the kind of work that I believe, in a real sense, is God's work." In addition to shipping aid to Ukraine, the CCRF sponsors a number of hospitals in Ukraine, among them the Lviv Regional Pediatric Center for Chornobyl Problems, which was recently cited as the best-equipped hospital in that city.

One of the most important functions of Ukrainian organizations in the U.S. has been to facilitate the "re-education" of many Ukrainian parliamentarians. Many of Ukraine's current parliamentarians relish the prospect of observing U.S. political processes and bodies in action. The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's parliamentary exchange program has brought over, since 1992, many of Ukraine's better- and less well-known members of Parliament for brief visits to the U.S. Congress and other legislative bodies. In conjunction with Indiana University's School of Public Affairs and the USIA, the program offers the parliamentarians the opportunity to take part in seminars and discussions with U.S. legislators, political analysts and academicians. The high point of this year's program was a Washington seminar on legislative affairs, which included a meeting with Sens. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.). This year's program was especially useful, according to foundation president Nadia McConnell, because of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The foundation has also been active in Ukraine. During the past year it has organized or expanded a number of initiatives there, among them the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy.

Supporting the current Ukrainianization of Ukraine's school system, as well as the expansion of educational opportunities for Ukrainian students, headed the agenda of the Coordinating Committee to Aid Ukraine (CCAU), as it held its second annual convention in East Hanover, N.J., on April 24-25. Among the accomplishments noted were the organization's achievement of tax-exempt status. Dr. Bohdan Burachinsky, president of the CCAU, noted that the organization had grown to include 20 branches and six affiliated groups, and that it had a bright future.

Since September 1992, the Fund to Aid Schools in Ukraine, founded by the CCAU and administered jointly with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education, has collected over $500,000 and targeted these funds towards the publication of new and up-to-date elementary and high school textbooks for Ukraine. Among major contributors to the fund were the Ukrainian American Association of Seniors ($250,000), the "Thoughts of Faith" Lutheran ministry ($100,000) and the Ukrainian National Association ($50,000). In the coming year, the CCAU plans to aid the Ministry of Education start up a series of scholarly journals aimed at Ukrainianizing teachers in post-Soviet Ukraine.

As other organizations have sought to aid institutions in Ukraine by sending assistance there, the Ukrainian American Professionals and Businesspersons Association of New York and New Jersey this year continued its efforts to bring young, successful humanities students to this country. Doors of unprecedented educational opportunity were opened to a small group of highly qualified Ukrainians through the Ps and Bs Scholarship Program. This year, five students selected from a large initial applicant pool attended courses at Harvard University's Ukrainian Summer Institute. Some of these individuals have pursued graduate work at various U.S. and Canadian institutions. Dr. Bohdan Vitvitsky, initiator of the program, noted that, "We have opened for some of Ukraine's best and brightest students the kinds of doors, opportunities and vistas that had been closed for much of this century."

The Foundation in Support of Diplomatic Missions in Ukraine furthered Ukraine's goals of establishing strong diplomatic representation in the U.S. Its fund-raising efforts allowed for the purchase of a building for the General Consulate of Ukraine in New York City. The midtown Manhattan structure, which cost over $1.2 million, is undergoing extensive renovations.

The General Consulate of Ukraine in Chicago was the focus of fund-raising by Club 500. This ad hoc committee's raison d'etre is to enlist 500 "subscribers," who then each contribute $20 per month for a two-year period. The proceeds go towards alleviating operational expenses at the General Consulate, as well as towards the purchase of a permanent site for the Consulate. Club 500 has enlisted a large number of subscribers through concerts and benefit banquet balls, the most successful of which took place on May 1 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Chicago. Among the luminaries present was Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Oleh Bilorus.

1993 was an important year for the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC). The organization, formed in 1981 as a result of a split within the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), held its third quadrennial convention on October 2-3. Greetings were received from President Bill Clinton, Vice-President Al Gore and Bishop Basil Losten, among others. Ulana Diachuk was re-elected president, while John Oleksyn was elected first vice-president of the UACC.

In the past several years, the UACC has met with U.S. government officials on issues of concern to the Ukrainian American community. Together with the UCCA and the UNA Washington Office, the UACC has lobbied both the executive and legislative branches. Most recently, it has actively promoted a better understanding by the U.S. of Ukraine's security, political and economic needs.

The UACC convention passed a number of resolutions, reflecting among other things, the following ideas: Ukrainian diaspora financial institutions should increase their activities in Ukraine; and the U.S. community should work towards creating a unified political representation/lobby in Washington.

In commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-33, many Ukrainian communities held public remembrances. In the New York City area, June 1 was set aside as a day of remembrance. There was a solemn memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in which Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox clergy and laity joined with local Roman Catholics and others in commemorating the genocidal famine. In attendance were members of Ukraine's diplomatic corps, various community leaders and several thousand persons from within and without the Ukrainian community.

In Washington, services were held on September 12, Famine Sunday. At the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine a liturgy and panakhyda were held, with Ambassador Bilorus present. Deacon Theophil Staruch delivered a sermon, in which he stated that Soviet communism collapsed, because it was built on the mass destruction of innocent people and thus went against the very nature of God himself. Following the services, the Ukrainian community delivered a donation of food, in memory of the famine victims, to the Capital Area Community Food Bank.

In Parma, Ohio, at St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, over 600 people gathered on Sunday, October 31, for the blessing of a memorial monument dedicated to the victims of the famine. Archbishop Antony of Washington and New York celebrated the hierarchical liturgy. Vitalyj Sobko, first secretary at Ukraine's Embassy, and members of the parish Famine Committee unveiled the monument. It is 11 feet tall in the form of a tryzub (trident). Its position along State Road ensures that it is viewed by thousands of people every day. In this manner the Ukrainian community in Parma has contributed to raising Americans' awareness of Ukraine's difficult history.

The Ukrainian community in the Chicago area also commemorated the Great Famine, with the dedication of a monument to the Famine victims. On Saturday, December 4, a memorial service was held at St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Bloomingdale, Ill. During the observance, the monument was unveiled. Attendance was high, as over 500 people joined in solemn remembrance of the famine victims. Youth and veteran's organizations were present, as was the Ukrainian Consul General Anatoliy Oliynik. Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, Rep. Henry Hyde, as well as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley sent greetings.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 26, 1993, No. 52, Vol. LXI

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