[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[April 24, 1999]
[Pages 626-627]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Ukraine 
Commission
April 24, 1999

    Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General. Like all the NATO leaders, I am very pleased to 
welcome President Kuchma to this first summit 
meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

[[Page 627]]

    When we launched this commission 2 years ago in Madrid, we hoped it 
would lead to a pragmatic and truly distinctive working partnership. 
Ukraine is a nation critical to our vision of an undivided, peaceful, 
democratic Europe.
    The experience of the last 2 years has vindicated our hopes. Our 
Armed Forces are working together well in Bosnia. Ukraine played a vital 
role in Kosovo in the verification mission until it was driven out by 
the regime in Belgrade.
    I appreciate President Kuchma's efforts to 
persuade Mr. Milosevic to end his 
campaign against the Kosovar Albanians so that the Kosovar people can 
come home with security and self-government.
    Ukraine has also proposed an ambitious program of cooperation with 
NATO, and the Alliance has agreed to establish our very first 
Partnership for Peace training center in the Ukrainian town of Yavorov. 
Our nations also will support Ukraine's efforts to reform its economy, 
deepen its democracy, and advance the rule of law, all vital to 
Ukraine's security and the success of our partnership.
    When we act to maintain peace and security in Europe, we will strive 
to do so with our partners, including Ukraine. That is what we hope to 
do with Ukraine and other nations in Kosovo once peace is restored 
there.
    We have taken many practical, good steps toward realizing the 
promise of our partnership. But we should also not lose sight of the 
larger significance of what we are trying to do here, in light of the 
history of Ukraine and the history of Europe, for the people of Ukraine 
have felt the horrors of communism and fascism and famine. At different 
points in this century, the flags of five outside powers have flown over 
Ukrainian territory. Now Ukraine flies its own flag, and it is incumbent 
upon all of us to support Ukraine's transition and what its people have 
called their European choice.
    Ukraine still faces large challenges: political, economic, 
environmental. But now it is free to choose its destiny. And it has used 
that freedom to choose democracy and tolerance and free markets, 
integration, and the choice to dismantle its nuclear arsenal.
    President Kuchma's presence here is a 
reminder that most of Europe is coming together today. Most of Europe 
has rejected the idea that the quest for security is a zero-sum game in 
which one nation's gain is another's loss. So most of all, I want to 
take this opportunity on behalf of the people of the United States to 
express my respect and gratitude to President Kuchma and the people of 
Ukraine for the choices they are making, and to assure them that all of 
us and our partners will stand with them as they work for a better 
future.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 4:28 p.m. at the Mellon 
Auditorium. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary General Javier 
Solana of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; President Leonid 
Kuchma of Ukraine; and President Slobodan Milosevic of the Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). The transcript released 
by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of 
Secretary General Solana and President Kuchma.