Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov travels to U.S. for meetings with top officials (11/06/05)

Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov travels to U.S. for meetings with top officials

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weeky

WASHINGTON - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov spent the first two days of November in Washington meeting with top Bush administration officials, international financial institutions and business leaders, to discuss Ukraine's entry into the World Trade Organization and other, primarily economic, issues.

It was Mr. Yekhanurov's first visit here since President Viktor Yushchenko disbanded the first government headed by his Orange Revolution co-leader Yulia Tymoshenko and got the Verkhovna Rada to confirm Mr. Yekhanurov as prime minister by cutting a deal with his presidential election rival, Viktor Yanukovych.

Mr. Yekhanurov had talks with Vice-President Richard Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during which - as in other meetings with administration officials, members of Congress, business leaders and policy experts - Ukraine's economic priorities topped the agenda, with particular focus on such issues as getting market-economy status from the U.S., WTO membership and eliminating the Jackson-Vanik Amendment impediments to improving U.S.-Ukraine economic relations.

The Ukrainian Cabinet-level delegation included a number of key ministers: Arsenii Yatseniuk (economy), Ivan Plachkov (energy), Oleksander Baranivskyi (agriculture) and Viktor Bondar (transportation and communications).

Judging by the statements of the principal participants and observers of these meetings, everybody came away feeling upbeat. While Secretary Rice did not speak to the press following their meeting, Prime Minister Yekhanurov said afterwards that she assured him that maintaining a strategic relationship with Ukraine is a priority for the United States, and while Ukraine must adopt appropriate legislation for WTO membership and continue improving its democratic system of governance, the U.S. Congress should eliminate the Jackson Vanik Amendment.

That same morning, November 2, after Mr. Yekhanurov's breakfast meeting with a bipartisan group in Congress, U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), who co-chairs the Ukrainian Congressional Caucus, stressed that it was time for that amendment to be lifted.

During that same press briefing in Congress, Mr. Yekhanurov underscored the importance of Ukraine joining the WTO before Russia: "As far as I know, the Russian Federation can join the World Trade Organization next year," he said. "The Ukrainian government is doing everything possible to join WTO this year. We understand well that if the Russian Federation joins before us, it would make our entry into the WTO practically impossible."

Mr. Yekhanurov did not elaborate, but added that he "made this very clear to the members of Congress."

Mr. Yekhanurov's remarks about Ukraine's and Russia's entries into the WTO got an immediate response from Russia. The ITAR-TASS/Interfax news agency reported on November 3 that Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Moscow was "perplexed" by his comments. Russia has "never set" for itself the goal of hindering Ukraine's membership in the WTO, he said, adding that such an approach "is absolutely unacceptable" to Moscow.

The Ukrainian prime minister began his visit on November 1 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he laid out in detail Ukraine's major economic issues, which include its energy situation and the need to minimize its energy dependence on Russia and to look to the West for its development needs.

Ukraine's energy issues were the primary focus of a daylong "U.S.-Ukraine Energy Dialogue" at the Dirkson Senate Office Building the following day, where Mr. Yekhanurov and his government colleagues gave a methodical presentation of Ukraine's present situation in the area of oil and gas production, which is small at this time; electricity; and the transport of oil and gas through its territory, which has good future potential. They also reported on Russian plans to re-route its oil exports around Ukraine, as well Ukraine's interest in diversifying its now mostly Russian sources of oil and gas to include the Caspian area and even the Near East.

Economic issues were, understandably, also on the agenda during his meeting with American businessmen at the Chamber of Commerce on November 1. Another large joint meeting that day was was organized by the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, at which Mr. Yekhanurov thanked these two American non-governmental organizations for their help in ensuring that last year's presidential elections in Ukraine were ultimately free and fair. He asked that they monitor future elections in Ukraine as well.

Asked about the investigation of the notorious and yet-unsolved killing of journalist Heorhii Gongadze, the prime minister said this is the highest priority of his government - to bring the killers and those who gave orders to justice as quickly as possible.

Mr. Yekhanurov's intense schedule also included talks with World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman, as well as with the leadership of the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which announced a new $100 million investment plan for Ukraine.

Following his meeting with officials of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, Mr. Yekhanurov said that Ukraine would very much like to participate in the U.S. space program, but that would depend on the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement.

On the ceremonial side of the visit, Mr. Yekhanurov laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and at the Taras Shevchenko Monument in Washington.

There was a reception in his honor at the Embassy of Ukraine at the close of the first day. The visiting prime minister did not have time to meet with the many well-wishers who came to greet him, however, except for a brief walk-through one of the reception rooms, on the way from his meeting with leaders of Ukrainian American organizations to another Embassy room, where he met with selected guests.

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