Clinton re-election hailed in Ukraine (11/17/96)

Clinton re-election hailed in Ukraine

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - It wasn't difficult to figure out that most Ukrainian politicians were hoping for a Clinton victory in the now completed 1996 presidential elections. After all, under the Clinton administration, Ukraine has become the third largest recipient of United States foreign aid. And whether it is due to the president's initiatives or that of the Republicans in Congress, Ukraine wants little to change at the top echelon of the U.S. government.

Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma fired off a letter congratulating Mr. Clinton on his victory soon after the U.S. leader's resounding defeat of former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole at the polls. He wished the president well and expressed his hope for continued strong ties between Ukraine and the U.S. that would lead to "a truly remarkable breakthrough."

Yevhen Chernenko of the presidential administration press service said of the re-election of the man from Little Rock: "Of course this will only help to further the already warm relations between Ukraine and the U.S."

The leader of the Rukh faction in Parliament, Vyacheslav Chornovil was a bit more diplomatic. He said it was a positive result because of the stable relations that had developed between the two countries during President Clinton's first term. Then he added, "But the National Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) will continue to work closely with the Republican Party as well as with the president."

Another political party in the Parliament was not as quick to support the re-election of Mr. Clinton. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko said he was "not ready to answer such a question."

But Ivan Bilas of the Reform faction of the Parliament was ready and gave a salute to democracy as well. "He was chosen by the people, and the people are never mistaken. As for our relations, they are good and will continue to deepen," said Mr. Bilas.

Expatriates have opinions as well

The Ukrainian American expatriate community in Kyiv also gave a solid show of support for Mr. Clinton. Their reasons are obvious as well. Many of the jobs here are financed by the United States through grants-in-aid, grants to NGOs, financial incentives for business investment, much of which was initiated in Mr. Clinton's first term. But their reasons for voting for him varied.

Following are four reasons given by expatriates living in Kyiv for why they voted for Mr. Clinton.

Mary Mycio, New York, freelance correspondent for The Los Angeles Times: I think that it is good that Clinton was re-elected for two reasons. Relations between the two countries first got good during the Clinton administration in terms of financial aid.
In the Republican Party there are isolationist tendencies that might have changed relations between the U.S. and Ukraine with the election of Dole.

Luba Gawur, Cleveland, senior research fellow with the Council of Advisors to the Parliament of Ukraine: It is a positive thing. The U.S. seems to have wisened up in terms of Ukraine. The Kuchma-Gore initiative seems like a good idea.
Clinton was president at the time relations expanded. But I must say that I am against the way financial aid is given here because I think the money is diverted to other sources.

Peter Bejger, New York, Burson Marsteller: I think that Clinton has been a good friend to Ukraine as has been the Democratic Party. I am a registered Democrat. I understand that many Ukrainian Americans are Republicans, but they must understand that when it came to crunch time, the Democrats proved better.
Reagan was good with the "evil empire" thing. But look at Bush and the "Chicken Kiev" speech. The impression was always that the Democrats were soft on Communism.
The Republicans have talked a good game but the Democrats delivered the goods.

Sonya Soutus, Pittsburgh, Coca-Cola Co.: We have seen in the last few years the improvement of relations. But it's difficult to look into a crystal ball and predict whether a Republican or a Democratic administration would've been more helpful [to Ukraine]. Everything will be fine as long as the Democrats continue to help Ukraine to achieve economic recovery.