Congressional banquet to commemorate 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence (09/02/01)

Congressional banquet to commemorate 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence

WASHINGTON - The Capitol Hill commemoration of Ukrainian Independence Day is an important tradition in Washington that has even greater meaning on this 10th anniversary of the August 24 declaration of Ukraine's independence.

To appropriately commemorate this momentous occasion, Ukrainian organizations have collaborated to establish a steering committee, the Committee to Commemorate Ukraine's 10th Anniversary of Independence.

A congressional banquet will provide a forum for members of Congress to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian American community.

This year's congressional observance falls in between two major Ukrainian conferences in Washington. The first, a two-day conference titled "U.S.-Ukraine Community Partnership Project," will be held beginning on Thursday, September 13. The second conference, "Ukraine's Quest for Mature Nation Statehood - Roundtable II: Taking Measure of a U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership," will be held on September 20-21. Both will be at the U.S. Congress.

A special congressional banquet will be held on Wednesday evening, September 19, at 6-10 p.m. on Capitol Hill in the Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216, Second and C Streets, NE. Formal evening wear is requested, though considered optional.

Nearly 40 senators and representatives, Ukrainian hierarchs and members of the diplomatic corps have endorsed the congressional banquet by agreeing to serve as members of the honorary committee for the event.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour (cash bar), following which the official program will begin promptly at 7 p.m. Vice President Richard Cheney and Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Anatoli Zlenko have been invited to provide the keynote addresses. Members of Congress will be afforded the opportunity to deliver remarks regarding the anniversary. A cultural program also will be featured. The participation of Ukrainian Americans is encouraged in order to express the community's gratitude to the members of Congress who will join in this celebration of Ukraine's anniversary.

The cost of the banquet is $100; space for the banquet is limited to seating for 175 individuals, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations must be made by September 10, and checks should be made payable to the UCCA and sent to the following address: Ukrainian National Information Service 311 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002.

For further information, contact Serhiy Zhykharev, UNIS director of congressional relations, at (202) 547-0018, or Ihor Gawdiak, president of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, at (301) 680-0415.

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