Foreign policy roundtable in D.C. to focus on Ukraine's statehood (09/10/00)

Foreign policy roundtable in D.C. to focus on Ukraine's statehood

WASHINGTON - Building on the increased recognition of Ukraine's privotal role in European and global security and generating further momentum in the exploration of policy alternatives for the United States in the critically important post-Soviet space, a conference titled "Ukraine's Quest for Mature Nation Statehood: A Roundtable" will bring together prominent representatives from academia and the governments of Ukraine and the United States to evaluate the recent realignment of political forces in Ukraine and examine its geo-political/geo-economic implications.

The U.S. Library of Congress and the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington will serve as the venue for the gathering to be held on September 19-20. The target audience is senior policy staff in the House of Representatives, the Senate, the departments of State, Commerce and Defense, the White House, think-tanks and universities. Some 250 participants are expected from these institutions.

The roundtable sponsors are: Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, Embassy of Ukraine, American Foreign Policy Council, U.S. Library of Congress, Freedom House, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, Harriman Institute/Columbia University, Chopivsky Family Foundation, Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine, Ukrainian National Information Service, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and Ukrainian Academic and Professional Association.

The roundtable steeering comittee is chaired by Bohdan Fedorak. Michael Sawkiw is executive coordinator, while Walter Zaryckyj is program coordinator and Borys Potapenko is coordinator.

The published proceedings of the conference will provide an essential cache of information, analysis and insight pertinent to U.S. policy formulation vis-à-vis Ukraine for the administration and Congress following the November 7 elections.

The conference will be carried over the Internet to major universities and other key locations in Ukraine via special chatrooms allowing for real-time interface with the conference. Key segments of the roundtable will be teleconferenced to major universities in the United States. Efforts are still under way to secure teleconferencing with Ukraine. Television broadcast coverage will be provided by C-SPAN II.

The conference will include 10 panels held during the course of four sessions, two working lunches and an evening reception. The gathering will feature 21 panelists and 49 discussants from siverse foreign policy establishments of the United States and Ukraine.

Among the U.S. participants will be: Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security advisor to the president of the United States; Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick, former U.S. representative to the United Nations; Ambassador Paul Wolfowitz, dean of the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; Leon Fuerth, national security advisor to Vice-President Al Gore; Jan Kalicki, co-chairman of the U.S./Ukraine Committee on Trade and Investment, Gore/Kuchma Committee; Mark Medish, special assistant to the president of the United States for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs; Daniel Fried, principal deputy and special advisor to the secretary of state on the new independent states; John Tedstrom, RAND Corp.; Daniel Kaufman, senior advisor, World Bank.

The delegation from Ukraine will include: Borys Tarasyuk, minister for foreign affairs; Ihor Mitiukov, minister of finance; Volodymyr Horbulin, special advisor to the president; Petro Martynenko, justice of the Constitutional Court; Ihor Ostash, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada; National Deputy Mykhailo Ratushnyi; and Vyacheslav Pikhovchek, executive director of the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research.

It is anticipated that the chief of staff of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Lytyn, and the chief of staff of the prime minister of Ukraine, Oleh Rybachuk, will attend the conference as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, speaking at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, identified Ukraine as belonging to an exclusive group of "four key democracies" in the world on which "the United States will be focusing particular attention and resources."

She went on to state that Ukraine is "a country that is key to building a secure and undivided Europe." Pointing out that "the United States has provided Ukraine almost $2 billion in assistance this decade. And this year, we (the U.S.) plan to double our most important programs," she underlined that "Ukraine's transformation into a fully stable democratic European state would assist similar transitions throughout the former Soviet Union. It is in America's national interest that Ukraine succeed."

During his June summit meeting with President Leonid Kuchma in Kyiv, President Bill Clinton stated: "America needs a strong, prosperous and democratic Ukraine as a partner ... America believes Ukraine has a right to a place among the nations of Europe ... We reject the idea that the Eastern border of Europe is the Western border of Ukraine ... America is your friend and your partner ... America will be with you all the way."

The sponsors of the roundtable, therefore, believe that now - as Ukraine approaches its 10th anniversary of independence - is an appropriate time to assess Ukraine's progress in consolidating its national independence and the prospects for further advancement, including fuller integration into Euro-Atlantic community and stronger bilateral relations with the United States.

For further information contact the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), the Washington Office of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, at (202) 547-0018.

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