UCCA New York hosts meeting with Reps. Crowley and Hastings (03/26/06)

UCCA New York hosts meeting with Reps. Crowley and Hastings

by Tamara Gallo Olexy
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America

NEW YORK - The New York City branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on February 13 hosted a Town Hall meeting with Congressmen Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Alcee Hastings (Florida) to discuss democratization and the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine. Despite the record-breaking snow storm a day earlier, over 25 people, including Ukraine's new consul general in New York, Mykola Kyrychenko, attended the event.

In keeping with the traditional town hall meeting format, the congressmen provided remarks and then entertained questions from the audience.

Presenting his personal views and not those of the U.S. government, Rep. Hastings, who has been involved in election monitoring, stated that "an election does not a democracy make." Elaborating on this point, he stated that the brave people in Ukraine took the proper steps, but an independent and strong judiciary is extremely important for the advancement of democracy.

Commenting on the first and second rounds of the 2004 presidential elections, Rep. Hastings stated they did not meet international standards due to poor registration lists, ballot stuffing and intimidation. He emphasized that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine will be pivotal. He warned against romanticizing President Viktor Yushchenko and noted that a significant number of people in eastern Ukraine are Russian and, therefore, President Yushchenko is unable to be completely nationalist or supra-nationalist. Ukraine will have to develop a variety of vectors, including one toward Russia, he added.

Later, elaborating on how he envisioned a vector toward Russia, Rep. Hastings underscored that President Vladimir Putin is one of the world's "craftiest politicians" who recognizes the significance of the Russian population in Ukraine. He added that the Ukrainian leadership has to deal with that fact. "Russia has also not gotten over losing the near abroad," and Ukraine can expect that Russia will continue to manipulate that situation, Rep. Hastings said, emphasizing that the relationship is complicated and sustained work is needed.

Rep. Crowley added that whichever vector Ukraine chooses, what is most important is transparency in foreign relations.

Rep. Hastings, who hails from Florida, concluded that he is looking for the same standards in the United States - fairness in the vote count and no stuffing of ballots - and would call everything the way he sees it when monitoring the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

Rep. Crowley, whose congressional district includes Queens and the Bronx, is a member of the House Committee on International Relations and an active member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus.

Rep. Hastings is a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the president of the Parliamentary Assembly, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In this role, the congressman will lead the U.S. delegation to observe the upcoming Ukrainian elections, serve as the parliamentarian in charge of all international observers and have the important duty of announcing the final conclusion on behalf of the international community.

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