FOR THE RECORD: Powell on developments in Ukraine

Following are excerpts from a joint "press availability" in Washington on March 6 with Sweden's Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Lindh and U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, The text was released by the U.S. Department of State.

Mr. Secretary, the European Union has called for a special effort, with the United States and Canada, to help Ukraine with its economic and political reforms. Can you tell us what concrete steps you're taking in this regard? And also could you comment about recent developments in Ukraine concerning a crackdown on political opponents and reports of corruption and a crackdown on media freedoms?

Secretary Powell: Obviously we are very concerned, and we discussed this during the course of our meeting about the situation in the Ukraine. There has been a crackdown on political opponents and dissidents. There has clearly been a crackdown on the press, in a very horrible, potentially horrible way. And all of this has sidetracked economic reform, it has sidetracked the agenda of the prime minister, and it is a source of considerable concern.

The United States and the EU are standing by wanting to help Ukraine, but they've got to get these kind of political difficulties beyond them and show that they're worthy of that kind of investment. I think the foreign minister might wish to say another word on that.

Minister Lindh: I can just add that we were in Ukraine on a troika visit from the EU two weeks ago, and we could clearly see that there is a very difficult situation. We, of course, discussed the media situation and the Gongadze case, the disappeared murdered journalist. We got no good answers. So obviously they do have a lot of both political and economic problems, but at the same time it's important to continue to cooperate with Ukraine, not to let them fall down even deeper.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 18, 2001, No. 11, Vol. LXIX

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