[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR PRESIDENT, VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON LEWIS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2005

  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the 
Ukrainian people and their President, Viktor Yushchenko. President 
Yushchenko's election last fall marked a powerful triumph of popular 
will over the forces of fraud and repression. Mr. Yushchenko's vision 
of the Ukraine, shared in his address to Congress this week, is an 
inspiration to freedom loving men and women in Eastern Europe and 
across the globe.
  Through the power of peaceful protest, the government of the Ukraine 
embraced the forces of freedom last fall, conducting free elections for 
the first time in over eight decades. The world watched as nearly 80 
percent of eligible Ukrainian voters turned out to cast ballots on 
December 26, 2004. This remarkable participation is a measure of the 
collective courage of the Ukraine people, many of whom voted despite 
threats to their personal safety and employment.
  President Yushchenko himself carries visual scars, a tangible badge 
of his own strength and resolute determination in the struggle for 
freedom. He has demonstrated enormous grace and selflessness in his 
perseverance. He is well known as a man of high integrity who surely, 
with the cooperation of global allies, will work hard to reject the 
corrupt political forces that sought to block him from public office.
  We in this Chamber have pledged our support for the Ukraine through 
resolutions, words, and deeds. It is an honor to welcome President 
Yushchenko to the United States. I look forward to working with him and 
the good people of the Ukraine during this exciting moment in their 
nation's history.

                          ____________________