Ambassador Herbst Press Conference Remarks
Conference on Freedom of Speech/ Human Rights in Ukraine
National Taras Shevchenko University
Kyiv, Ukraine
September 18-19, 2003

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am very pleased to be here this morning to open this conference on freedom of the media and human rights in Ukraine. It is very fitting that my first public appearance in Ukraine is in support of freedom of speech and human rights because of the important role these values play in the United States and democracies around the world. Freedom of the media and rule of law are essential for the development of democratic and prosperous societies. The European Convention on Human Rights of which Ukraine is a signatory has reaffirmed that these fundamental freedoms are the foundation of peace and justice. Thanks to the commitment of people like those gathered here today future Ukrainians should be able to enjoy the blessings of freedom.

Today's conference is a culmination of almost a year of hard work and collaboration among Ukrainians from all over the country who are committed to advancing human rights. Fifty of today's conference participants represent 42 organizations that won the U.S. Embassy's Media Freedom and Human Rights Grant Competition announced last November by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Steven Pifer. The purpose of the competition was twofold: to promote media freedoms and human rights in Ukraine and to increase the capacity of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations and journalists who are working on these issues. The U.S. Embassy awarded approximately $300,000 in grants to the winners of the competition. The chosen organizations represent every oblast of Ukraine. Half of the projects involved monitoring media freedoms and access to information. The remaining projects focused on human rights in other areas, including access to justice and freedom from torture, cruel and degrading treatment or punishment.

Before the winners began their projects, they took part in training that brought together Ukrainian and international human rights activists, NGO leaders and media outlets. The Helsinki Human Rights Foundation of Warsaw and Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group conducted the training with U.S. Embassy support. Over the past six months, the Embassy and the Kharkiv human rights group have continued to work with these grantees to form a cooperative reporting network.

Today, fifty winners of the competition will report and discuss the results of their work not just among themselves but also with representatives from over forty other Ukrainian NGOs and media outlets that monitor human rights and freedom of speech. Their presence is testimony to the growing vibrancy of civil society in Ukraine. I also am pleased to note that Ukrainian government officials and members of the Verkhovna Rada will be here today. This conference provides an opportunity for all present to learn from each other and to work together to define steps to advance human rights in Ukraine.

To further support the development of civil society and independent media in Ukraine, I would also like to announce the opening of a new grant competition funded by the U.S. Embassy's Media Development Fund: the In-depth Reporting Competition. The purpose of the In-depth Reporting Competition is to encourage in-depth reporting on issues of importance to readers and viewers. All independent Ukrainian media outlets, including regional and student publications, are invited to submit proposals for reporting projects that report deeply and thoroughly on issues of major concern to the applicant's readers or viewers. Applications for the competition can be found on the U.S. Embassy website.

Questions and Answers

Q: UkrPartInform News Agency. Mr. Ambassador, some mass media in Ukraine and abroad have expressed concerns that the experience of deploying U.S. troops in Uzbekistan will be repeated in Ukraine. Could you comment on this?

A: Well, as you know, I have just come from Tashkent. And I worked when I was in Uzbekistan on meeting American strategic interests in Central Asia. And as you know, as a result of the barbarous attack on the Unites States on September 11 we decided to take actions against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. And of course, we threw the Taliban out of power and we scattered al Qaeda. To achieve those objectives we needed proper deployments in Central Asia. And we're grateful to the government of Uzbekistan for permitting us to deploy our troops there. I've spent a little time describing what happened because there were clear reasons for that deployment. And the fact that I happened to be in Uzbekistan when that occurred was the result of particular circumstances at those times. I find it odd that people would infer from the fact that when I was in Uzbekistan American troops were deployed there the notion that when I'm in a new country, in Ukraine, that American troops would be deployed there. Such analysis confuses incidental details with objective factors.

Q: Mykola Siruk, Defense Express Agency. Mr. Ambassador, will the U.S. be supporting Ukraine in its aspirations to implement military and technical cooperation in Iraq, related to the fact that much Soviet equipment was at one time deployed to Iraq and now Ukraine has the capacity to assist in terms of training, etc. And the second question is whether the U.S. will continue financing the project of utilization of solid rocket fuel in accordance with the Collective Threat Reduction Program?

A: We are deeply grateful to the Ukrainian government, to the President, to the Rada, to the people of Ukraine for the decision to deploy first the Chemical and Biological Team to Kuwait, and then peace keepers to Iraq. And we, as you know, have set up a system for granting contracts for reconstruction of Iraq. And we welcome Ukrainian participation in this process. I think you're right to note that there are Ukrainians who are familiar with the infrastructure of Iraq. As for the second question, of course we intend to meet our commitments as regards the cleanup at Pavlohrad.

Q: When will the decision be made to carry on the financing?

A: There are talks about how to proceed with that.

Q: Novy Kanal, Tetyana Vysotska, Mr. Ambassador, today Ukraine is expected to sign the framework agreement on Unified Economic Space membership. Do you think it will damage its relations with other international organizations?

A: The United States fully supports Ukraine's efforts to join the Euro-Atlantic community and to join, if I'd say, the international economic community. We've worked closely with the government here to facilitate entry, for example, into the WTO. Of course, it's the Ukrainian government's decision what it wants to do with this Unified Economic Space agreement. But I think that there needs to be a careful look at the way this agreement fits in with the aspirations of the Ukrainian government to join, again, Euro-Atlantic community and organizations like the World Bank. And I believe that it's in the interests of Ukraine to take no steps that would complicate this integration.

Q: Ruslan Kyrylenko, Information Agency Ukrainski Novyny. Mr. Ambassador, the U.S. has conducted an investigation into the death of Ukrainian journalist Taras Protsiuk in Iraq. Ukraine did not agree with the investigation's results and requested another investigation to be performed. Will the U.S. conduct another investigation or is the recent investigations final? Thank you.

A: We of course regret deeply the death of the journalist in Iraq. We regret the loss of every life due to misdirected fire. It seems that in many cases such as this there are investigations, then concerns about the investigations. I don't think there are any reasons to believe that that fire was directed intentionally at journalists. Any objective analysis of what was happening in Iraq at that time shows that Saddam Hussein's regime had very little time left in power when the accident occurred. But I can understand again why people feel very strongly when an innocent life is lost. And again, we very deeply regret that.

Q: Viktor Sedletsky, Research Editor of Super Volonter magazine. Mr. Ambassador, you have presented your credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. When will you meet the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and why have you not yet met?

A: I think that your question is better asked to the President's office, but I understand that President Kuchma is a very busy man and I have just arrived in Kyiv, and I've not yet gone to Crimea.

Q: Vitaliy Varshavskyi, Forum Internet Newspaper. Mr. Ambassador, what were your relations with the Uzbek opposition when you were the U.S. Ambassador there. The second questions is: your predecessor is known to have been in close contact with the Ukrainian opposition which enjoys wide support by the people of Ukraine and which in fact won the latest Presidential elections. Will you be maintaining contacts with the opposition, particularly taking into account next year's complicated Presidential elections?

A: In Uzbekistan, the American Embassy and I personally were in close contact with human rights figures and leaders of political movements that were not sanctioned by the government. As you may have heard, the United States strongly supports democracy around the world. I intend to maintain the same sort of contacts here. I will not just be in touch with the government, but also with different political parties, all of them. And I also hope to be in close contact with representatives of the human rights community and non-governmental organizations and of course members of the press.

Q: BBC, Oles Bedzyk. Mr. Ambassador, yesterday European Union officials issued a letter concerning the need for a more thorough investigation of the Gongadze case and other cases of violence regarding Ukrainian journalists. What is the U.S. stance concerning the Gongadze case and how are the working conditions of Ukrainian journalists compared to the international standards?

A: There are many unanswered questions regarding the death of Heorgii Gongadze. And we would like to see those questions cleared up;and those who are responsible to be brought to justice. We are also very concerned about assaults on press freedom in Ukraine. It seems that too many people in positions of authority want to act in the old, Soviet way. But this is a new time. And the liveliness of this conference demonstrates that, and there are journalists who think in a new way. It's a great tragedy that some people with access to guns, or access to cars, want to shut those journalists off. And we are very concerned about that. We will support journalists who are exercising their journalistic freedoms.

Q: Natalia Kostina, Ukrinform agency. Mr. Ambassador, you emphasized that the U.S. supports Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. What is your position regarding specifically Ukraine's European integration and EU-Ukraine relations?

A: It has long been our policy to support Ukraine's European aspirations as well. That includes improvement with, and more than improvement with, relations with the EU.

Q: Argumenty i Fakty, Zhanna Shevchenko. Mr. Ambassador, you said that the U.S. is grateful to Ukraine for the participation of the Ukrainian battalion in Iraq. Is the U.S. grateful to such an extent that it forgot that our President permitted the export of Kolchugas? And the second question is this: is appointment to Ukraine a promotion or punishment for an American diplomat?

A: I think that the American Embassy in Kyiv is one of the most important American embassies around the world. The work that is to be done between the United States and Ukraine, particularly at this point in time, is critical for us and we think also for Ukraine. So I consider it a great honor to have been sent to this post by President Bush and State Secretary Powell. And I know the competition for this position was keen.

Q: You talked about the European integration of Ukraine, and this particular moment is an important time in U.S.-Ukraine relations. I am wondering if for Ukraine it is worth joining the CIS, let's say common market, the Unified Economic Space. Do you feel that that will damage US-Ukraine relations?

A: I think that the way to look at this question, the question of the Unified Economic Space, is: does it serve Ukraine's interests? And that question is related to does it help or hurt Ukraine's efforts to join various Western and international organizations. I think we've already heard from senior Europeans regarding that question as it concerns the EU. And I think that if you look carefully at the provisions of the agreement and if you look carefully at the provisions of the WTO, you'll be able to draw fairly clear conclusions.