BRAMA, May 19, 2003, 9:00 am ET
Press Release
Ukrainian American Representatives at the White House and Capitol Hill
— By Borys Potapenko
In response to an invitation from the White House, representatives of the Ukrainian American community in Michigan, participated in the NATO expansion ceremony held in the East Room of the White House on May 8, 2003. Bohdan Fedorak, President of the Ukrainian Cultural Center (UCC) in Warren, MI, and past President of the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine (ODFFU), and Borys Potapenko, vice Chairman of the ODFFU and Director of the UCC, as well as Judge Bohdan Futey, from Washington, D.C., were the only Ukrainian American representatives present among the nearly 100 guests.
Ukrainian American civic leaders meet with elected
officials, from left, Bohdan Fedorak, Rep. Sander
Levin (D-MI), Borys Potapenko and George Nesterczuk.
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Among administration officials accompanying President George W. Bush to the event were Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice and General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also present were leaders of both parties in the US Senate: Majority Leader Bill Frist, Chairman Dick Lugar and ranking member Joe Biden of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Carl Levin, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator George Voinovich, other dignitaries and the Foreign Ministers of the seven countries to be admitted into NATO: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
In his address President Bush welcomed the unanimous vote in the Senate, held earlier in the day, to admit the new members into NATO, and added: "These heroic nations have survived tyranny, they have won their liberty and earned their place among free nations. America has always considered them friends, and we will always be proud to call them allies."
President Bush also called for NATO expansion beyond the new members: "Nearly two years ago, in Warsaw, I urged the enlargement of NATO to all of Europe's democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and all that lie between, so that people in those countries would have the same chance for security and freedom enjoyed by Europe's older democracies."
In his Warsaw speech, President Bush made direct reference to Ukraine when he stated: "The Europe we are building must include Ukraine, a nation struggling with the trauma of transition. Some in Kiev speak of their country's European destiny. If this is their aspiration, we should reward it. We must extend our hand to Ukraine, as Poland has already done with such determination."
Significantly, Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an address before the Foreign Affairs Association the night before the White House ceremony on NATO expansion, made direct reference to President Bush's statement the following day in the White House and to Ukraine when he said: "All of Europe's democracies from the Baltic to the Black Sea and all that lie between should have the same chance for security and freedom and the same chance to join the institutions of Europe. … That, too, is part of the transformation of the Alliance. Our vision for Europe encompasses all of NATO's new partners, including Ukraine and countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia."
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the representatives of the Ukrainian American community had the opportunity to briefly speak with Senator Levin and Dr. Rice about the their community's support for the administration's and Congresses' reengagement with Ukraine, especially as this pertains to NATO and democratic and economic reforms.
Borys Potapenko (left) and Bohdan Fedorak meet with
Rep. Candice Miller R-MI).
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While in Washington, Bohdan Fedorak and Borys Potapenko invited George Nesterczuk, Chairman of the Policy Council of the ODFFU and President of Nesterczuk and Associates in Washington, D.C., to join them in meetings with members of the Michigan delegation to Congress. Meetings were held with Congresswoman Candice Miller, Republican 10th District, MI, Congressman Sander Levin, Democrat 12th District, MI, and Senator Carl Levin, Democrat, MI. Among the issues of importance to Ukraine and Ukrainian Americans that were discussed, were NATO/Ukraine relations, prospects for graduating Ukraine from the Jackson/Vanick amendment, the status of the Ukrainian national democratic movement and the impending presidential election in Ukraine.
Although she is a first term member of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Candice Miller is no stranger to the Ukrainian American community in Michigan. In welcoming the community representatives to her new offices, she recalled that in her capacity as Secretary of State in Michigan, she was a frequent visitor to the Ukrainian Cultural Center (UCC) in Warren, MI, and a strong supporter of Ukrainian American issues. In fact, Candice Miller launched her successful election campaign for Secretary of State at the UCC.
In their discussions with Congresswoman Miller and her Chief of Staff Jamie Roe, the three Ukrainian American representatives elaborated on the work of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members dedicated to promoting US/Ukraine relations, and encouraged Congresswoman Miller to join the Caucus. They also briefed Mrs. Miller about the Ukrainian community's support for graduating Ukraine from the Jackson/Vanick amendment, an anachronism of the Cold War era, the principal purpose of which was to facilitate immigration from the USSR, particularly for those of the Jewish faith. Moreover, in light of Congresswoman Miller's membership in the Armed Services Committee in the House, the importance of the successes of US/Ukraine cooperation on defense issues and the significance of the convening of the NATO/Ukraine conference that took place earlier in the week in Washington, D.C., were discussed.
The meeting with Congressman Sander Levin focused on the Jackson/Vanick amendment. Congressman Levin is the ranking Democrat on the Trade Sub-Committee of the House Ways and Means Committee and has been a strong advocate of graduating Ukraine from the amendment. With the support of the Ukrainian American community, he sponsored a bill in the previous session of the House of Representatives to remove Ukraine from the list of countries to which the amendment applies.
It was clear from the discussions that members of Congress are concerned about the impact that graduating Ukraine from the Jackson/Vanick will have on the political situation in Ukraine, particularly in light of the up-coming presidential elections. However, it was not ruled out that graduating Ukraine could still take place this year. Also, in discussing the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2004, Congressman Levin demonstrated his interest in and vast knowledge about the situation in Ukraine and his dedication to facilitating democratic and free market reforms in the country.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) meets with Borys Potapenko,
left, and Bohdan Fedorak.
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Like Congressman Sander Levin in the House of Representatives, his brother, Senator Carl Levin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has for many years been a leader in the Senate on Ukrainian issues, including Ukraine's integration into Euroatlantic defense structures. During his meeting with the community representatives, in which his Chief of Staff David Lyles also participated, he expressed the hope that the NATO/Ukraine conference would further facilitate Ukraine's efforts on military and democratic reforms.
On the Jackson/Vanick amendment, Senator Levin reaffirmed that he too is committed to graduating Ukraine from the amendment and that it is a matter of language and timing as to when it will take place.
In his capacity as a member of the Board of the Library of Congress' "Russian Leadership Program", Senator Levin reaffirmed that the Board had endorsed the creation of a Leadership Program for Ukraine. The Ukrainian Leadership Program, originally proposed to Congress by the ODFFU, will bring government and other representatives from Ukraine for extended visits to the US to work along side their American counterparts in acquainting themselves with government operations and life in America.
Earlier this year, at the urging of the Ukrainian American community in Michigan, Senator Levin met with Victor Yushchenko, former Prime Minister and leader of the Our Ukraine bloc in the Parliament of Ukraine. In this regard as well, Senator Levin expressed a keen interest in next year's presidential election in Ukraine and in assuring that the election campaign process is fair and equitable.
Based on the discussions held on Capitol Hill and in the White House, together with the NATO/Ukraine conference and the statements by President Bush and Secretary of State Powell, it is clear to the participants from the Ukrainian American community that there is renewed focus on and interest in Ukraine and its integration into Euroatlantic defense and economic structures. These developments bode well for renewed momentum in US/Ukraine relations. The organized Ukrainian American community should do all that it can to encourage both governments to build on these successes and to move swiftly and deliberately to strengthen their ties.
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