Members of Congress join Ukrainians in commemorating Independence Day (09/27/98)

Members of Congress join Ukrainians in commemorating Independence Day

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - Members of the U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian American community joined in observing the seventh anniversary of Ukraine's independence at a reception in the U.S. Capitol here on September 16.

The event - held three weeks after the date because of Congress' summer recess - was sponsored by the 23 members and 12 supporting members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (CUC) along with the two Ukrainian-American umbrella organizations, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC).

Despite the legislative body's preoccupation with affairs dealing with the possible impeachment of the president, two senators and seven representatives came to express their best wishes to Ukraine on its anniversary, as did a number of members of their staffs, Clinton administration officials, Ambassador Yuri Shcherbak and his colleagues from the Embassy of Ukraine, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Green Miller, diplomats from the Polish, Belarusian and Croatian embassies, and representatives of the Ukrainian American community.

In addition to their greetings, the evening's program, chaired by Ukrainian National Information Service Director Michael Sawkiw, Jr., included a letter from President Bill Clinton.

The speeches, for the most part, focused on Ukraine's accomplishments, the growth of the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship and the positive role the Ukrainian American diaspora has played in its development. Some speakers - Orest Baranyk of the UCCA and Ihor Gawdiak of the UACC, among them - also focused on Ukraine's major problems and shortcomings, with Mr. Baranyk lamenting the fact that Ukraine today is being run by the same "partocrats" who ruled Ukraine before independence.

In his introductory remarks Mr. Sawkiw noted that as most Americans remember where they were and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963, most Ukrainians around the world similarly remember August 24, 1991, when Ukraine regained its independence.

In a written greeting, President Clinton said that Ukraine's anniversary "is an occasion for celebration for all peoples who love freedom."

"It reminds us of Ukraine's steadfast commitment to democracy and to continuing its political, social and economic evolution," the president said in a letter read by Donald Pressley, director of the Europe and New Independent States Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Ukraine has much to offer the emerging new global community, President Clinton said. He commended the Ukrainian people "for working to build a more peaceful and prosperous future for us all."

Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), chairman of the International Relations Committee and member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, pointed out that consolidating Ukraine's independence remains "a struggle ... Much has been accomplished, but much remains to be done."

He stressed the importance of ensuring that Ukraine succeeds in building a "strong democracy and a prosperous economy." In this, he said, the United States has helped Ukraine in the past and will continue to help in the future.

Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.) praised the long and hard work of the Ukrainian American community on behalf of Ukraine and the United States.

"We are all better off because of this community's contribution to our own country and to liberty, democracy and human rights abroad," he said. Its dedication during the "dark days" of the Soviet Union helped keep the spirit of freedom alive for those struggling for change from within, he said, and "made sure its elected representatives in the Congress understood what the issue was."

With the end of the Cold War, he added, "the same dedication and determination is vital to address a new set of challenges" resulting from the international economic crisis.

"It's my every expectation and, certainly, my own strong commitment that we should sustain this high level of support to the U.S.-Ukrainian partnership and support these efforts that will make a significant and visible difference in the lives of the people of Ukraine," Sen. Sarbanes said.

"We want this to be a successful independence," he stressed.

CUC Co-Chairman Jon D. Fox (R-Pa.) noted that this year also marks the 65th anniversary of the Soviet man-made famine in Ukraine, which, he said, should strengthen "our resolve to make sure that (Ukraine) remains free and independent."

He said there was "much good news" coming out of Ukraine this year - the second democratic parliamentary election, U.S. certification of its progress in resolving U.S. investor problems, the successful Gore-Kuchma Commission meeting in Kyiv, continuing economic reforms, and the $2.2 billion credit package from the International Monetary Fund.

Rep. Fox reaffirmed the CUC's commitment to work with the Ukrainian American community to foster the continued economic and democratic development of Ukraine, continued U.S. assistance, and to make sure that Ukraine's democratic reforms become "a model for the world."

Another CUC co-chairman, Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), praised UNIS Director Sawkiw for being "very present on Capitol Hill." The Ukrainian American presence in Washington is important to ensure that the existing "natural, central focus on Russia ... doesn't swamp an appropriate attention to U.S.-Ukrainian relationships," he said.

Ukraine also is a large and strategically situated country, whose experiment with democracy and a free market cannot be allowed to fail, he said.

"Don't thank us," Rep. Levin told the Ukrainian Americans at the reception. "We should thank you. We're here for the long run to make sure that the relationships between our two countries grow deeper."

Rep. William J. Pascrell Jr., (D-N.J.), a CUC member, also praised the Ukrainian American community. Ukrainian Americans had become not only a crucial part of the American dream, he said, but "a mirror for the Statue of Liberty and what it represents."

"I know how deeply rooted freedom is," he said, noting that the latest issue of The Ukrainian Weekly he received has a picture from the Ukrainian Independence Day ceremony in which he participated at City Hall in Clifton, N.J.

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) dropped by for a brief greeting, in which he hailed Ukraine for ridding itself of its nuclear weapons and developing its important relationship with the United States, and concluded with a heavily accented "Slava Ukraiini!"

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), who traces his roots to Ukraine, recalled his trip there as an election observer a few years ago. "It was a very wonderful experience for me, indeed - for me to see the country of my heritage, the country of my mother's parents, coming to life as a democratic country and to work with the people there who were participating in that process," he said.

"We know that this is not an easy thing," he observed. "And we have to work with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine to make sure that they have every opportunity to have a total and complete democratic country."

Ukraine has not been immune from the world economic crisis, he said. "We need to help them now more than ever to establish a good, solid economy so that democratic principles and democratic traditions can flourish there once they're established."

UCCA Vice-President Baranyk praised Ukraine's many accomplishments since independence - its continuing political and economic reforms, free elections, fight against corruption, increased ties with the West and promotion of foreign investment.

Putting aside his prepared notes, however, Mr. Baranyk added that the Ukrainian American diaspora has tempered its initial euphoric reaction to developments in Ukraine since 1991.

"It has seen that the road to democracy is not easy," he said. "It has seen that, for the most part, most of the people that still control Ukraine are the same people that controlled Ukraine 15 years ago. And that is one of the reasons why we do not see any great movement in Ukraine. That's why we see 'partocrats' riding around in (Mercedes) Benzes, and people hardly surviving, not getting their payments, wages or pensions."

"But the fact that we are here today attributes to the fact that we do believe it will change," Mr. Baranyk said. "Maybe it will take one or two generations of people that will ultimately see that the old system has to be gone for good."

"Part of our job as a diaspora is to work with Congress, the administration, with whatever means we have, to make sure that the land of our ancestors becomes a good place to live in," he said.

Speaking for the other sponsoring organization, the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, was its National Council chairman and Washington Office director, Ihor Gawdiak, who also enumerated Ukraine's many accomplishments since independence.

"For this we salute them," he said, adding, "And, still, sadly enough, today the people of Ukraine are not yet completely free."

They are threatened by those who would restore the Communist totalitarian regime; their health and that of their children is menaced by "environmental degradation of immense proportions"; and, above all, "they are not free from the economic hardships that prevent them from enjoying the full, hoped for, fruits of independence," he said.

Nonetheless, he added, "they remain committed to democracy, the rule of law and a free market economy," he said. "And for this they deserve our admiration and support," he added, calling on Congress to enact the administration's full foreign aid request for Ukraine for 1999.

Ambassador Yuri Shcherbak thanked the members of Congress who supported the certification procedure for Ukraine, the Nunn-Lugar assistance program, and the Freedom Support Act, numerous grants and credits, and expressed his government's gratitude for U.S. support of the $2.2 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility credit package for Ukraine.

Ukraine appreciates the bipartisan support it has in the U.S. Congress, he said, and considers its strategic partnership with the United States "one of our most important achievements in Ukrainian foreign policy."

In solving its many problems, Ukraine will not forego its democratic goals, he stressed. "Ukraine has embarked on a massive program of reforms and the building of a democratic European state," and it will resolve all of its problems "in a civilized manner, honoring all our commitments before partners," he explained.

Ambassador Miller, who represented the United States for more than four years in Kyiv, said that, while these are difficult times for Ukraine, "there's no doubt in my mind that Ukraine, as an independent nation, will make it. It will be a major force in Europe. It will contribute much to the world."

He commended Ambassador Shcherbak for his efforts in Washington and the members of Congress who have supported Ukraine in the past.

"We have to continue that support," he added. "It's important to us as Americans; it's important to Europe; it's important to the security of the world."

Among those attending but not addressing the reception were U.S. Reps. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.) and Bob Schaffer (R-Colo.) and the new Ukraine desk officer at the State Department, Bruce Lowry.

The musical part of the program featured Lviv Opera soprano Oleksandra Hrabova, who sang "Liubit Ukraiinu" (Love Ukraine), for which the poet Volodymyr Sosiura was castigated by Soviet authorities. The Jubilate String Quartet performed the American and Ukrainian national anthems as well as other musical selections during the reception.

The invocation and benediction were delivered by two Washington-area Ukrainian priests, the Rev. Taras Lonchyna, pastor of the Holy Trinity Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church, and the Very Rev. Thaddeus Krawchuk, pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family.

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