Pascual awaits action by Senate (08/13/00)

Pascual awaits action by Senate

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The U.S. Senate has delayed a vote on final approval of Carlos Pascual as the new ambassador to Ukraine until after its summer recess due to a dispute with the White House over Russian debt to the United States.

Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, fulfilled a threat to block the release of the nomination of Mr. Pascual and 13 other ambassadorial candidates to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote after the White House announced that it would allow Russia to postpone a $485 million debt payment owed the U.S. government.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had approved the appointment of Mr. Pascual, a former national security advisor to President Bill Clinton, on June 28. Mr. Clinton had nominated Mr. Pascual as the next ambassador to Ukraine back in March.

Mr. Pascual's confirmation will be delayed until at least September 6 when senators return from their summer vacations. Even then it is not clear that Sen. Helms will be ready to allow the confirmation process to continue. Mr. Pascual still needs to obtain majority approval by a full vote of the Senate.

The delay leaves the status of the current U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, in limbo. Mr. Pifer, who arrived in Kyiv in January 1998, was scheduled to finish his tour in Ukraine by the end of July. However, with no replacement, he will remain in Ukraine indefinitely.

"The State Department has asked me to stay until the issue is clarified," said Mr. Pifer at a press conference on August 8, which many journalists had expected to be an official farewell to Ukraine. Mr. Pascual is expected to receive Senate confirmation as soon as the latest confrontation between Mr. Helms and the Clinton White House is resolved.

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