BRAMA, Jul 28, 2004, 11:00 am ET
Richard Holbrooke meets with one Ukrainian American umbrella organization (UCCA)
Photo by Yaro Bihun
In photo (from left to right): Rev. Taras Lonchyna, pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church; Walter Zaryckyj; Volodymyr Stojko, former editor of The Ukrainian Quarterly; Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President UCCA; Amb. Richard Holbrooke; Eugene Iwanciw, Vice President UNA; Roxolana Lozynskyj, Executive Board UCCA; Tamara Gallo-Olexy, Executive Director UCCA.
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Washington, DC (UNIS/UCCA) - On the initiative of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the McQuireWoods LLP law firm, Amb. Richard Holbrooke met with representatives of the Ukrainian community on Tuesday, July 20th in Washington, DC. Mark Brzezinski, partner at McQuireWoods LLP, welcomed the participants of the meeting and briefly annunciated the ambassador's various governmental positions, most notable of which was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under the Clinton Administration. Following the brief introduction, Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) thanked Mr. Brzezinski and Amb. Holbrooke for this opportunity to discuss the current status of U.S.-Ukrainian relations. "The Ukrainian community welcomes your recent trip to Ukraine," stated Mr. Sawkiw, "especially in light of the important upcoming Ukrainian presidential elections and the need to engage Ukraine is all realms of active participation to bring it closer into western institutions."
Ambassador Holbrooke, who heads three NGOs - the American Academy in Berlin, The Asia Society, and the Global Business Coalition on Aids, began his discussion by stating that during his recent trip to Ukraine he had the opportunity to meet with the President Kuchma and his Administration, members of the opposition, and Ukrainian NGO leaders. As this was the Ambassador's third trip to Ukraine (he previously visited Ukraine in 1983 and 1992), he stated that if you look at Ukraine today it is more open and there is more free press than any other nation of the former Soviet Union (with the exception of the Baltic States) and deserves continued U.S. support. The ambassador declared that in early 1993 in a meeting with senior foreign policy officials from both sides of the aisle, Ukraine was foremost on the policy-thinkers' minds, as they feared Ukraine being reabsorbed into a greater Russian orbit. Amb. Holbrooke noted that the current situation in Ukraine has improved, "though some unresolved issues remain such as NATO, domestic reforms (particularly the elections) and HIV/AIDS." Stressing that all countries must meet parameters to qualify for NATO membership, Amb. Holbrooke also poignantly expressed that, "Russia should not have a veto on anyone's accession to the Alliance."
The presidential elections in Ukraine were a focus of interest in Amb. Holbrooke's various meetings with government and non-governmental officials. Like all western officials, the ambassador accentuated the need for the October 31st elections to be open, free, and fair. "Transparency and the fight against corruption remain obstacles in Ukraine that must be overcome, especially during these elections," stated Amb. Holbrooke. Amb. Holbrooke indicated that he believes entry into NATO for Ukraine could take as little as three to five years, should Ukraine determine that is the course they chose.
In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Holbrooke discussed a topic close to his heart - the issue of AIDS. He stated that there are over 450,000 HIV cases in Ukraine, and that this is a very dangerous situation for the future of Ukraine if nothing is done to curb this problem. He stated that Ukraine has the highest growth rate of AIDS in the world and urged the Ukrainian American community to do all that it can to assist in this epidemic.
After the ambassador's comments, representatives of the Ukrainian community posed questions regarding the perception of a double standard in U.S.-Ukrainian relations, continued support for Ukraine's economic and political reform, as well as the future relations between the United States and Ukraine.
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