BRAMA, August 21, 2001, 9am ET

Leading Ukrainian Diplomats, Other Top Government Officials To Address Washington Conference

"Ukraine’s Quest for Mature National Statehood — Roundtable II:
Taking Measure of a U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership"

September 20-21, 2001, Washington, DC

WARREN, MI — Three Ministers of Foreign Affairs of independent Ukraine as well as other current and past Ukrainian government officials will analyze Ukraine’s strategic role in world and regional affairs at an international conference in the nation’s capital, titled: "Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood: Roundtable II — Taking Measure of a U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoliy Zlenko will be joined at the two-day conference by former Ministers of Foreign Affairs Hennadiy Udovenko and Borys Tararsyuk. In the decade since Ukraine declared its independent statehood, these three Ukrainian foreign-policy experts forged a balanced foreign policy that has sought to maintain regional stability while seeking integration into Euro-Atlantic political and economic structures.

Foreign Minister Zlenko, a lifelong diplomat, had headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at the time independence was declared 1991. Zlenko also served as Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and Ambassador to France before being reappointed Foreign Minister in 2000.

Foreign Minister Udovenko, considered the Dean of the U.N. Diplomatic Corps, was Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations when independence was declared. After being rotated back to Ukraine, Mr. Udovenko was appointed Ambassador to Poland before being named Foreign Minister. He also served as President of the 51^st General Assembly session of the United Nations. Today Mr. Udovenko is chairman of one faction of the National Movement of Ukraine: "Rukh," is a Member of Parliament and is the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.

Foreign Minister Tarasyuk, also a career diplomat, worked his way up the ranks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine up to the rank of Foreign Minister. Mr. Tarasyuk’s term was marked by his determination to hasten Ukraine’s inclusion in all Euro-Atlantic structures. It is widely believed that this assertiveness led to his downfall in Kyiv in 2000.

Furthermore, former Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Stelmakh, chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, are also slated to appear. Mr. Yushchenko, regarded by Western political observers as the leading reformer in Ukraine, and his government were brought down last spring by a coalition of communists and other leftwing parliamentarians. He is currently heading a centrist-rightwing political coalition in anticipation of his bid for the Presidency of Ukraine.

This year’s gathering, the second such successful conclave in two years, will be held at the U.S. Congress, Thursday, September 20, and Friday, September 21. According to the conference’s main organizer, the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine, the roster of speakers will include government officials from Ukraine, the United States and Eastern European countries, as well as prominent leaders from multilateral financial institutions, research centers and academia.

The conference will feature 13 panels, divided among four principal sessions, two working lunches, two focus sessions and an evening reception. Organizers said that 73 speakers, 24 of whom are expected to be from Ukraine, would be featured at the conference.

The year’s conference is being held on the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of Ukraine’s restored independence, which should figure prominently in the participants’ analyses.

For attendance information, contact the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine at (810) 757-7910.

ORGANIZER:
Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine
26601 Ryan Road
Warren, MI 48091
Tel.: (810) 757-8684
www.FourFreedoms.net

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