FOR THE RECORD: Senate resolution on Ukraine's 10th anniversary (08/12/01)

FOR THE RECORD

Senate resolution on Ukraine's 10th anniversary

Senate Concurrent Resolution 62, marking the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, was introduced on July 31 by Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.). It was passed by the Senate on August 3 before the U.S. Congress began its August recess.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 62

Congratulating Ukraine on the 10th anniversary of the restoration of its independence and supporting its full integration into the Euro-Atlantic community of democracies.

Whereas August 24, 2001, marks the 10th anniversary of the restoration of independence in Ukraine;

Whereas the United States, having recognized Ukraine as an independent state on December 25, 1991, and having established diplomatic relations with Ukraine on January 2, 1992, recognizes that fulfillment of the vision of a Europe whole, free, and secure requires a strong, stable, democratic Ukraine fully integrated in the Euro-Atlantic community of democracies;

Whereas, during the fifth anniversary commemorating Ukraine's independence, the United States established a strategic partnership with Ukraine to promote the national security interests of the United States in a free, sovereign, and independent Ukrainian state;

Whereas Ukraine is an important European nation, having the second largest territory and sixth largest population in Europe;

Whereas Ukraine is a member of international organizations such as the Council of Europe and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD);

Whereas in July 1994, Ukraine's presidential elections marked the first peaceful and democratic transfer of executive power among the independent states of the former Soviet Union;

Whereas five years ago, on June 28, 1996, Ukraine's Parliament voted to adopt a Ukrainian Constitution, which upholds the values of freedom and democracy, ensures a citizen's right to own private property, and outlines the basis for the rule of law in Ukraine without regard for race, religion, creed or ethnicity;

Whereas Ukraine has been a paragon of inter-ethnic cooperation and harmony as evidenced by the OSCE's and the United States State Department's annual human rights reports and the international community's commendation for Ukraine's peaceful handling of the Crimean secession disputes in 1994;

Whereas Ukraine, through the efforts of its government, has reversed the downward trend in its economy, experiencing the first real economic growth since its independence in fiscal year 2000 and the first quarter of 2001;

Whereas Ukraine furthered the privatization of its economy through the privatization of agricultural land in 2001, when the former collective farms were turned over to corporations, private individuals or cooperatives, thus creating an environment that leads to greater economic independence and prosperity;

Whereas Ukraine has taken major steps to stem world nuclear proliferation by ratifying the START I Treaty on nuclear disarmament and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, subsequently has turned over the last of its Soviet-era nuclear warheads on June 1, 1996, and in 1998 agreed not to assist Iran with the completion of a nuclear power plant in Bushehr thought to be used for the possible production of weapons of mass destruction;

Whereas Ukraine has found many methods to implement military cooperation with its European neighbors, as well as peacekeeping initiatives worldwide, as exhibited by Ukraine's participation in the KFOR and IFOR missions in the former Yugoslavia, and offering up its own forces to be part of the greater United Nations border patrol missions in the Middle East and the African continent;

Whereas Ukraine became a member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), signed a NATO-Ukraine Charter at the Madrid Summit in July 1997, and has been a participant in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program since 1994 with regular training maneuvers at the Yavoriv military base in Ukraine and on Ukraine's southernmost shores of the Black Sea;

Whereas on June 7, 2001, Ukraine signed a charter for the GUUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova) alliance, in hopes of promoting regional interests, increasing cooperation, and building economic stability; and

Whereas 15 years ago, the Soviet-induced nuclear tragedy of Chornobyl gripped Ukrainian lands with insurmountable curies of radiation which will affect generations of Ukraine's inhabitants, and thus, now, Ukraine promotes safety for its citizens and its neighboring countries, as well as concern for the preservation of the environment by closing the last Chornobyl nuclear reactor on December 15, 2000:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring):

SECTION 1.
SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that-

(1) as a leader of the democratic nations of the world, the United States congratulates the people of Ukraine on their 10th anniversary of independence and supports peace, prosperity and democracy in Ukraine;

(2) Ukraine has made significant progress in its political reforms during the first 10 years of its independence, as is evident by the adoption of its Constitution five years ago;

(3) the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine within its existing borders is an important factor of peace and stability in Europe;

(4) the president, the prime minister and Parliament of Ukraine should continue to enact political reforms necessary to ensure that the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government of Ukraine transparently represent the interests of the Ukrainian people;

(5) the government and president of Ukraine should promote fundamental democratic principles of freedom of speech, assembly and a free press;

(6) the government and president of Ukraine should actively pursue in an open and transparent fashion investigations into violence committed against journalists, including the murders of Heorhii Gongadze and Ihor Aleksandrov;

(7) the government of Ukraine (including the president and Parliament of Ukraine) should uphold international standards and procedures of free and fair elections in preparation for its upcoming parliamentary elections in March 2002;

(8) the government of Ukraine (including the president and Parliament of Ukraine) should continue to accelerate its efforts to transform its economy into one founded upon free market principles and governed by the rule of law;

(9) the United States supports all efforts to promote a civil society in Ukraine that features a vibrant community of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and an active, independent and free press;

(10) the government of Ukraine (including the president and Parliament of Ukraine) should follow a westward-leaning foreign policy whose priority is the integration of Ukraine into Euro-Atlantic structures;

(11) the president of the United States should continue to consider the interests and security of Ukraine in reviewing or revising any European military and security arrangements, understandings or treaties; and

(12) the president of the United States should continue to support and encourage Ukraine's role in NATO's Partnership for Peace program and the deepening of Ukraine's relationship with NATO.

SECTION 2.
TRANSMITTAL OF THE RESOLUTION.

The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the president of the United States with the further request that the president transmit such copy to the government of Ukraine.

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