[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 17 (Monday, April 30, 2001)]
[Page 672]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Anniversary of Ukraine's Closing of the Chernobyl 
Nuclear Plant

April 26, 2001

    Last year on December 15, Ukraine ended one of the darkest chapters 
of the Soviet legacy and opened a new stage in Ukraine's evolution into 
a modern European state when it permanently closed the Chernobyl nuclear 
plant.
    Closing Chernobyl created the circumstances for a safer and more 
prosperous Ukraine for future generations. We are reminded of this today 
on the 15th anniversary of the terrible accident at Chernobyl and are 
again grateful that an environmental threat has been removed from the 
central European landscape.
    Today's anniversary is an occasion for the global community to pause 
and reflect on the lessons provided by this disaster, to recall the 
valor and dignity that the people of Ukraine displayed in the face of 
adversity, and to acknowledge the suffering that many victims of 
Chernobyl continue to endure throughout the region.
    I am proud of the American people's role in helping to alleviate 
this suffering--at the time of the tragedy and continuing through today. 
I am proud of our continued efforts to work with Ukraine to improve 
nuclear safety and mitigate the harsh social impact of Chernobyl's 
closure on the local population.
    Much work remains to be done in Ukraine's transition to a modern 
European state. This work will require strong and courageous leadership 
over the coming months and years. It will require real support for 
democracy and difficult but necessary reforms. Last year strong 
Ukrainian leadership and committed international assistance achieved 
great results in Chernobyl. I urge Ukraine to stay on the path of reform 
it set out upon last year. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt once 
noted that ``it is only through strife, through hard and dangerous 
endeavor, that we shall ultimately win the goal of true national 
greatness.''
    I firmly believe that Ukraine's national greatness rests in Europe 
and in its transatlantic and global ties. The United States stands ready 
to work with Ukraine as it undertakes the political and economic reforms 
necessary to build these ties that are so vital to the brighter future 
Ukrainians seek for themselves and their children.