EDITORIAL: Expressing appreciation (09/29/96)

EDITORIAL

Expressing appreciation

The Capitol Hill celebration of the fifth anniversary of the independence of Ukraine brought home a few salient points. One was that, in the eyes of Washington, Ukraine had made it through its difficult first years as a fledgling independent state and is now a full-fledged player on the international scene. Another - delivered via National Security Council Secretary Volodymyr Horbulin's speech cum "progress report" - was that Ukraine truly is well on its way to reform - political, economic, social, etc.

The reception and other recent developments in Washington reaffirmed also the fact that Ukraine enjoys the support of numerous members of Congress, both on the Senate and House sides, and on both sides of the political aisle.

That message came through loud and clear in the near unanimous passage on September 4 in the House of Representatives of House Concurrent Resolution 120, introduced last December by Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.) and co-sponsored by 17 other representatives. "Supporting the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine and the progress of its political and economic reforms," the resolution was passed two weeks later by the Senate's unanimous consent.

As well, there was movement on the foreign aid bill, as House and Senate conferees on September 17 agreed to $225 million in earmarks, or mandates (including several notable subearmarks) for Ukraine. That achievement was the work of another staunch supporter of Ukraine, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who last year also was the main promoter of such earmarks.

Sen. McConnell, Rep. Gilman and other supporters of Ukraine in Congress were recognized in Mr. Horbulin's independence anniversary address, as he underlined that Ukraine "could hardly be able to achieve" what it has without assistance from the U.S. and other countries. "We appreciate the role the U.S. Congress plays in regard to the development of Ukrainian-American relations," and "are very glad to learn that the leadership in Washington reaffirms support for further development of bilateral relations between our two countries," he said.

We Ukrainian Americans, too, can express our appreciation to members of Congress who support our issues, who work on our behalf. The best way, of course, is for us to support the election campaigns of these leaders and to vote. So, as election season is upon us, we urge our readers to take a close look at the candidates' records and backgrounds. Then go to the voting book and make an informed choice.