Senate Appropriations Committee votes $180 M for aid to Ukraine (08/05/01)

Senate Appropriations Committee votes $180 M for aid to Ukraine

by Michael Sawkiw Jr.
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate's Appropriations Committee on July 26, voted to pass the $15.5 billion foreign operations spending bill, including $180 million in foreign aid to Ukraine.

The Senate bill surpassed the president's request by $342 million; the total amount of funding in the bill is equal to that provided in a version of the bill passed a few days earlier by the House of Representatives.

It was expected that the entire Senate would vote on the bill before the August recess on August 3. Conferees of the House of Representatives and Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittees will then meet to resolve the differences between their respective versions of the bill after Congress resumes its work in September.

The Senate voted to increase the level of assistance to Ukraine to $180 million - $11 million above the amount requested by President George W. Bush and $55 million above the amount voted by the House of Representatives.

The report language attached to the bill noted: "the committee firmly believes that the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine is of crucial strategic importance to the United States and stability in Europe."

The Senate Appropriations Committee also called upon the U.S. Department of State to promote programs to overhaul the commercial law code in Ukraine, strengthen business development and "help develop the non-governmental sector of Ukrainian society." The Senate report language also focused on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine, which can determine the future development of that country.

The general level of spending for the Independent States (IS) of the former Soviet Union amounts to $800 million. Of that amount, $180 million is designated for Ukraine and $90 million each for Armenia and Georgia.

The Senate Appropriations Committee version of the bill curtails assistance to the Russian Federation until the president certifies that Russia no longer has any nuclear involvement with Iran and that international relief organizations have access to Chechnya.

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