[Ohio UZO News] Note; NYT; FT

[Deychak, Orest]

Note to Americans on this list:

Please take a few minutes and contact YOUR Congressperson as soon as
possible and ask him or her to cosponsor H. Res. 713 congratulating the
Ukrainian people for holding free, fair, open and transparent elections
on September 30 and expressing Congressional support for Ukraine.  It's
not that hard to do. We need additional cosponsors if this resolution is
to be adopted in the House of Representatives.  See list of the current
18 cosponsors below. Click on the following link for information on how
to very easily contact (e-mail, call) your Representative -- even if you
do not know his or her name: http://www.house.gov/writerep
<http://www.house.gov/writerep> .  There are Representatives with
significant numbers of Ukrainian-Americans in their districts who are
not yet cosponsors.

 

Orest Deychakiwsky

 

 

H. Res.713

Sponsor:  Alcee Hastings (D-FL)  Cosponsors:  Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD),
Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Joseph R.
Pitts (R-PA), Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), G.K Butterfield (D-NC), Hilda
L. Solis(D-CA) , Marcy Kaptur(D-OH), Donald M. Payne (D-NJ), Carolyn C.
Kilpatrick (D-MI), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Sander
Levin (D-MI), Corinne Brown (D-FL), Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), Robert
Wexler(D-FL), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Gregory Meeks(D-NY)

 

 

October 16, 2007

 

SUPPORT H. RES. 713

 

Congratulating the people of Ukraine for holding free, fair, and
transparent parliamentary elections on September 30, 2007

Cosponsors:  Steny H. Hoyer, Christopher H. Smith, Louise McIntosh
Slaughter, Joseph R. Pitts, Robert B. Aderholt, G.K Butterfield, Hilda
L. Solis, Marcy Kaptur, Donald M. Payne, Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Doris O.
Matsui, Gwen Moore, Sander Levin, Corinne Brown, Allyson Schwartz,
Robert Wexler, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Gregory Meeks

 

Dear Colleague:

 

Please join me in supporting democratic processes and the rule of law in
Ukraine by cosponsoring H. Res. 713, congratulating the Ukrainian people
for holding free, fair and transparent elections on September 30. This
resolution is a demonstration of Congress' interest, concern, and
support for Ukraine as that strategically important country perseveres
towards full democracy and the rule of law. 

 

A political dispute between Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko and
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich -- rooted in weak constitutional
delineations of their powers -- resulted in a political crisis in April
and May.  After weeks of tense standoff, Yushchenko, Yanukovich and
Parliamentary Speaker Oleksandr Moroz reached an agreement calling for
early elections to be held on September 30.  

 

Ukraine has made important progress since the 2004 Orange Revolution,
but its democratic institutions and the rule of law are still emerging
and lack in their ability to safeguard democratic gains.  Thus, it is
very significant that the September 30 elections were conducted in a
peaceful, orderly manner and in an open and competitive environment
consistent with Ukraine's commitments as a participating State of the
OSCE. While democratic elections will not, in and of themselves, resolve
all of the challenges facing Ukraine in strengthening the rule of law
and delineating power among branches of government, they are a critical
stepping-stone in Ukraine's democratic development.  

 

Democratic consolidation and the rule of law will enhance Ukraine's
aspirations for full integration with the West and, importantly, serve
as a positive model for other former Soviet countries, many of whom are
in the grip of authoritarianism.    

 

Please have your staff contact Orest Deychakiwsky at the Helsinki
Commission at 5-1901 or e-mail orest.deychak at mail.house.gov regarding
co-sponsorship.

 

Below please find the text of the resolution.  

 

Sincerely,

 /s/

Alcee L. Hastings, M.C.

Chairman

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

 


H.RES.713


Whereas the International Election Observation Mission led by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (`OSCE'), led by
parliamentarians of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,... (Introduced in
House)

HRES 713 IH 

110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 713

Congratulating the Ukrainian people for the holding of free, fair, open
and transparent parliamentary elections on September 30, 2007, in a
peaceful manner consistent with Ukraine's democratic values and national
interest, in keeping with its commitments as a participating State of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


October 4, 2007


Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself, Mr. HOYER, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr.
SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. ADERHOLT, Ms.
KAPTUR, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. PAYNE,
and Mr. PITTS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

________________________________

RESOLUTION

Congratulating the Ukrainian people for the holding of free, fair, open
and transparent parliamentary elections on September 30, 2007, in a
peaceful manner consistent with Ukraine's democratic values and national
interest, in keeping with its commitments as a participating State of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

Whereas the International Election Observation Mission led by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (`OSCE'), led by
parliamentarians of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, declared the
September 30 2007 pre-term parliamentary elections in Ukraine were
conducted mostly in line with OSCE commitments and other international
standards for democratic elections and in an open and competitive
environment; 

Whereas voting was conducted in an orderly and transparent manner and
International Election Observation Mission observers assessed the voting
process as good or very good in 98 percent of the nearly 3,000 polling
stations visited, notwithstanding some shortcomings, notably with
respect to the quality of voter lists; 

Whereas the vote count was assessed as good or very good in 94 percent
of the International Election Observation Mission reports; 

Whereas the Ukrainian people, most spectacularly during the Orange
Revolution of 2004, demonstrated their ability to resolve political
differences through nonviolent protest and in a manner consistent with
democratic principles; 

Whereas, despite the real democratic gains made by the Ukrainian people
since the Orange Revolution, serious political disputes between
President Victor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich, rooted
in weak constitutional delineations of their powers, resulted in a
political crisis earlier this year; 

Whereas after weeks of tense standoff, agreement was reached on May 27,
2007 among the President, Prime Minister and parliamentary chairman
stipulating new parliamentary elections for September 30; 

Whereas the United States Congressional delegation to the 16th annual
session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Kyiv received assurances
from President Yushchenko and other prominent Ukrainian officials that
Ukraine would not backtrack on the path to political reform and good
governance; and 

Whereas the United States Congress has consistently demonstrated strong
bipartisan support for an independent, democratic Ukraine: Now,
therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) congratulates the people of Ukraine for holding free, fair, open and
transparent parliamentary elections on September 30, 2007, in a peaceful
manner consistent with Ukraine's democratic values and national
interest, in keeping OSCE standards on democratic elections;

(2) welcomes the strong relationship formed between the United States
and Ukraine since the restoration of Ukraine's independence in 1991 and
especially following the 2004 Orange Revolution;

(3) expresses strong and continuing support for the efforts of the
Ukrainian people to build upon the democratic gains of the Orange
Revolution by strengthening respect for human rights and the rule of
law, including an independent judiciary;

(4) recognizes that the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law,
and combating corruption, in Ukraine will further strengthen its
independence and sovereignty, enhancing Ukraine's aspirations for full
integration with the West and serving as a positive role model for other
post-Soviet countries;

(5) calls for the timely formation of a government that reflects the
will of Ukrainian voters and advances political stability and democratic
development, with a special focus on the constitutional framework, in
order to address the important issues facing Ukraine; and

(6) pledges its continued assistance to the further development of a
free and transparent democratic system in Ukraine based on the rule of
law, a free market economy and consolidation of Ukraine's security and
sovereignty.


 

 

New York Times

October 16, 2007


Orange Revolution Parties Will Share Power in Ukraine 


By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/clifford_j
_levy/index.html?inline=nyt-per> 

MOSCOW, Oct. 15 - The two pro-Western political parties in Ukraine
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritorie
s/ukraine/index.html?inline=nyt-geo>  that united in triumph in the
Orange Revolution of 2004, but then quarreled and lost control of
Parliament, reached a coalition agreement on Monday to retake power.

Hours after the official results of last month's parliamentary balloting
were announced, the two parties declared they had enough votes to ensure
that Yulia V. Tymoshenko
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/yulia_v_ty
moshenko/index.html?inline=nyt-per> , a former prime minister, would
again assume the post with the backing of her sometime ally and rival,
President Viktor A. Yushchenko
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/y/viktor_a_y
ushchenko/index.html?inline=nyt-per> .

Ms. Tymoshenko, who has vowed to move Ukraine closer to the European
Union
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/eur
opean_union/index.html?inline=nyt-org>  and further from Moscow's orbit,
seemed to acknowledge on Monday that her earlier, brief tenure as prime
minister had been troubled.

"We have drawn conclusions about what happened in previous years," she
said. "We firmly know what to do, we firmly know how to do it and with
which team."

Mr. Yushchenko, the hero of the Orange Revolution who has suffered a
stark decline in popularity because of political instability, issued a
statement calling on all the major political parties to work together.

"This will give the country an opportunity to get out of the bewitched
circle of crises and conflicts in the power structures, and open a path
for progress," he said.

The agreement is tentative, because Ms. Tymoshenko will not formally
become prime minister until the new Parliament meets in coming weeks.
The two leaders have a history of reaching deals that quickly collapse,
but their aides insisted that this one would last.

For now, the pact represents a political resurrection for Ms.
Tymoshenko, whose spirited speeches made her a symbol of the Orange
Revolution and one of the best-known politicians in Eastern Europe. 

The revolution erupted after Mr. Yushchenko lost a presidential election
that was deemed to have been stolen by supporters of his opponent,
Viktor F. Yanukovich
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/y/viktor_f_y
anukovich/index.html?inline=nyt-per> , who was strongly backed by the
Kremlin.

Last year, Mr. Yanukovich took advantage of feuding between the
president and Ms. Tymoshenko to mount a strong showing in elections and
return to power as prime minister. 

He was still overtaken this year, though, despite his efforts to
moderate his apparatchik image with the help of an American political
consultant. 

While the president sought reconciliation, Mr. Yanukovich issued a
statement in which he did not mention Ms. Tymoshenko by name but
attacked how the campaign had been conducted and criticized politicians
"who put their ambitions and interests over the national interests."

Mr. Yanukovich notwithstanding, it is the prickly relationship between
Mr. Yushchenko and Ms. Tymoshenko that will now once again take center
stage. Their coalition has only a small edge in Parliament, and
defections could cause more political disorder.

Final election tallies released Monday showed that Mr. Yanukovich's
Party of Regions won the most seats in Parliament, with 175, followed by
Ms. Tymoshenko's party, Bloc Tymoshenko, with 156, and Mr. Yushchenko's
party, Our Ukraine, with 72.

Parliament has 450 seats, and the two pro-Western parties will have 228
seats. The coalition could still attract 20 more seats from one of the
smaller parties.

Financial Times

Yushchenko hurries allies into power

By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev 

Published: October 16 2007 03:00 

Viktor Yushchenko, the Ukrainian president, yesterday reaffirmed his
backing for a western-leaning coalition government led by his orange
revolution ally Yulia Tymoshenko, after results from a snap
parliamentary poll were officially declared.

In a statement issued late yesterday, after meeting Ms Tymoshenko and
political allies from his Our Ukraine party, Mr Yushchenko urged them to
form a new government swiftly.

"There is no time for delays," the president said, pointing to the need
to pass a budget for next year and raise living standards for citizens
toiling with high inflation.

With official election results announced, the two parties adopted a
coalition agreement which they intend to sign at the first session of
the new Parliament.

Due to a surprisingly strong result by her BYuT bloc, Ms Tymoshenko
stood out as the likely next prime minister, but political insiders
warned of hurdles ahead.

Mr Yushchenko dissolved parliament this spring in a bid to punish what
he claimed was political corruption and prevent the usurpation of power
by the governing coalition of Viktor Yanukovich, the outgoing,
Moscow-friendly premier.

Ms Tymoshenko's strong showing helped secure a bitter-sweet victory for
Mr Yushchenko. A key backer of his 2004 presidential candidacy, she was
fired as prime minister in 2005 after falling out with Mr Yushchenko,
and she is expected to challenge for the presidency in 2009.

Reunited for now, the orange revolution allies mustered a razor-thin
majority in parliament, just enough to oust Mr Yanukovich's coalition.
But their victory is not expected to ease the political paralysis that
has plagued Kiev's politics.

Insiders questioned whether Our Ukraine will support Ms Tymoshenko's
candidacy unanimously. The stability of a Tymoshenko-led coalition,
backed by a narrow three-seat majority, is also doubtful.

Mr Yushchenko has called for a power-sharing pact with Mr Yanukovich's
Regions party, which leads a formidable opposition. Ms Tymoshenko has
courted Mr Yanukovich, offering low-level positions in government and
oversight committees in parliament, but a deal has yet to be struck.

Members of the president's bloc have also called for the coalition to be
strengthened by bringing in a third partner, the bloc of former speaker
Volodymyr Lytvyn. Talks have so far been fruitless. A report by
Kiev-based investment bank Dragon Capital commented: "Given their
fragile majority and the still unclear position of the Lytvyn bloc, BYuT
and Our Ukraine will have to reach a compromise with Regions not to risk
another early election."

The return of Ms Tymoshenko is expected to strain relations with Moscow,
which relies on Ukraine's vast pipelines to supply Europe with oil and
natural gas.

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://clevelanduzo.org/pipermail/uzonews_clevelanduzo.org/attachments/20071016/4b60f4b2/attachment.html