Clinton to address Kyivans; Chornobyl shutdown high on agenda of bilateral meetings in Kyiv (06/04/00)

Clinton to address Kyivans

Chornobyl shutdown high on agenda of bilateral meetings in Kyiv

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - U.S. President Bill Clinton will speak to an expected 100,000 Kyivans on Mykhailivsky Square on June 5 as the highlight of his one-day visit to Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy announced on May 29.

The U.S. president's trip to Kyiv will be the final leg of a four-nation tour of Europe, which began on May 31 with a stop in Lisbon, Portugal, and continues with visits to Berlin and Moscow. Originally Mr. Clinton was to spend two days in Kyiv, but his stay was shortened to make time for an unexpected trip to Tokyo.

In Kyiv, Mr. Clinton will meet with President Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko to discuss the shutdown of the Chornobyl nuclear energy complex, intellectual property rights and Ukraine's extensive illegal music and video pirating industries, as well as to appraise the state of economic reforms currently under way in the country, said U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer.

The main focus of the visit, however, is to address the Ukrainian nation and lay out Mr. Clinton's vision on Ukraine's future. Ambassador Pifer said that a concert of Ukrainian popular and traditional music would precede the public event.

Ambassador Pifer said that in his meetings with Ukraine's president Mr. Clinton is planning to outline a U.S. government plan on the Chornobyl closure that would provide the ability for Ukraine to complete reactors at the Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power facilities, energy to offset power which will be lost when Chornobyl goes off line. One element of the plan is to develop a new agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for credits needed to finish the reactor projects.

Mr. Pifer also said that the United States is preparing to make a substantial contribution during the international donor conference scheduled for Berlin on July 5, during which Kyiv is hoping to raise some $350 million in international grants. The Ukrainian government has established that it needs some $750 million to reconstruct the sarcophagus over the reactor that went into a partial meltdown in April 1986. The current covering, which was hastily built by Soviet official in the days after the accident, is quickly deteriorating.

In addition, Ambassador Pifer urged Ukraine to announce a specific date for the closure of Chornobyl. He explained that the sooner Ukraine sets it, the easier it will be to raise funds for the sarcophagus.

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