[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 62 Referred in House (RFH)]

  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 62


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 5, 2001

          Referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 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 tenth 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 
        southern-most 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), 
That

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 
        tenth anniversary of independence and supports peace, 
        prosperity, and democracy in Ukraine;
            (2) Ukraine has made significant progress in its political 
        reforms during the first ten 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 Heorhiy Gongadze and Ihor Oleksandrov;
            (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 
        nongovernmental 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.

SEC. 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.

            Passed the Senate August 3, 2001.

            Attest:

                                                  JERI THOMSON,

                                                             Secretary.