[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 122 (Monday, September 9, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HONORING UKRAINE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 1996

  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our friend and 
ally, Ukraine, as it heads into its sixth year of self-rule. On August 
23, the people of Kiev (Kyiv) and their countrymen throughout Ukraine 
celebrated independence with parades and festivals. They were joined by 
thousands of Americans and Canadians of Ukrainian descent, from Chicago 
to Calgary, who expressed their unyielding support for their ancestral 
homeland and the hope that democracy and freedom will continue to 
prosper there.
  On this fifth anniversary of Ukrainian independence, I believe the 
Ukrainian people have much to celebrate. While Ukraine is still 
adjusting from economic centralization and control to a more 
liberalized market system, economic growth has been gradually 
improving. Democratic institutions and traditions are slowly taking 
root in this land.
  The critics who predicated the collapse of the Ukrainian economy in 
the early 1990's and a return to authoritarian rule and a centrally 
controlled economy, have been proven wrong. This alone is reason to 
celebrate, for surmounting the numerous obstacles faced by the 
Ukrainian people in the first year of their independence was no easy 
task.
  I believe that the United States must maintain its strong financial 
commitment to aid Ukraine in its continued transition to a market-based 
economy. We must assist the people of Ukraine in shutting down the 
Chernobyl nuclear plant and other similarly constructed plants. We 
should also aid Ukraine in the development of alternative energy 
sources by the end of the decade.
  In addition, I feel strongly that we must continue to work with 
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who has advocated for greater market 
reforms, respect for human rights and the expansion of civil freedoms 
on a par with Western standards. Ukraine's participation in the 
Partnership for Peace [PFP] and the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia are 
also evidence of the commitment of President Kuchma and the Ukrainian 
people to peace in Eastern Europe and alliance within the Atlantic 
community.
  So, as we commemorate 5 years of Ukrainian self-rule, let us also 
recognize the role the United States can play in furthering market 
reforms and democracy in Ukraine.
  I wish the people of the Ukraine and the thousands of Americans of 
Ukrainian descent, in particular the Ukrainian-American community in 
Chicago, another year of progress, prosperity and friendship.

                          ____________________