Transcript of the Press Conference with Congressional Delegation Kolbe
October 13, 2005
Kyiv, Ukraine

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BRENT BYERS, PRESS ATTACHE, U.S. EMBASSY: I'm Brent Byers the Press Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and I'd like to welcome you today. Today, we are fortunate to have with us a delegation of United States Congressmen led by Congressman Jim Kolbe from Arizona. Congressman Kolbe will make some brief remarks and then he's happy to take your questions.

CONGRESSMAN KOLBE: Thank you very much. As you've heard, my name is Jim Kolbe. I am a Congressman from the State of Arizona and Chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

The Appropriations Committee is responsible for deciding how all of the budget is spent. The Foreign Operations Subcommittee, specifically, provides for the funding of all of our foreign programs, including foreign assistance in a country like Ukraine.

I'm joined by four colleagues, all of them members of the Appropriations Committee: our most senior member Congressman Martin Sabo, Congressman Jim Moran from Virginia, Congressman Dennis Rehberg from Montana, and Congressman John Carter from Texas.

We have had an opportunity today to meet with both the President and the Prime Minister. I think we felt that our discussions were very good.

I might add that my last visit here was on December 26th of last year. I walked from this hotel to Maidan Square and watched with great emotion the celebration that was taking place on the night of that election. In the course of a little bit more than nine months, a great deal of progress has been made here in Ukraine in bringing about economic and political reforms. But I think that we also understand that when something as dramatic and emotional takes place as occurred in December with the change in government, the expectations are very, very high. And when you get down into the dirt -- into the nitty-gritty, I should say -- of making the political decisions, it becomes much tougher to make the reforms work. Nonetheless, what we expressed to the Prime Minister and the President today was our strong, continued support for the reforms that they are undertaking here in Ukraine.

The President, as you know, spoke to a joint session on the United States Congress a few months ago and that is honor that is extended to very few heads of state.

The Prime Minister will be visiting the United States in just a few weeks and he has a very full agenda of issues dealing with the World Trade Organization accession, and other economic issues to bring up with the President, our Secretary of State, and with the Congress. And while there will undoubtedly be disagreements along the way, I think the support of the Congress and the Administration will continue to be very strong for the reforms taking place here.

Let me ask my colleague Mr. Sabo if he would like to make any comments and then we will take your questions.

CONGRESSMAN SABO: Just very quickly, this is my first trip to Ukraine. It is a privilege to travel with Congressman Kolbe who is truly one of our great leaders in the Congress on issues relating to foreign affairs and directing the foreign aid budget for the United States. And it is a privilege to be here and to meet with your leaders and see the incredible effort going on in Ukraine to change your political system to make democracy work and to improve the workings of government. We look forward to your questions.

QUESTION: Tell us please what issues you were discussing during your meeting with the President. And you said that in a few weeks the Prime Minister is planning to visit the United States. Is his visit going to happen in October or November?

CONGRESSMAN KOLBE: On the later, I think the visit is set, but he didn't give us the exact date and so I don't know exactly when his visit is scheduled. Whether it is October or November or December, the President will be there and the Congress, unfortunately, will also have to be there since we will be in session all this time.

Let me just say with regard to the first question that in general we had the opportunity to talk about such economic questions as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the judicial and political reforms being undertaken here and his expectations for having success with the parliament in undertaking those reforms.

Since we just came from Lithuania this morning, we also had the opportunity to talk about democracy in Belarus and the joint efforts of the United States, Lithuania and Ukraine to help promote democracy in that country.

QUESTION: In what way is the United States going to support the reforms in Ukraine? Will it be moral support, financial support or some other form?

CONGRESSMAN KOLBE: Well, it will be both. Moral support is important, but I think it needs to be backed up with financial support. In a supplemental appropriation bill which passed the Congress and was enacted into law after the most recent elections here in Ukraine, we included $60 million for technical assistance for Ukraine. Much of that is in such areas as helping to train the judiciary and to help those particular reforms, administrative reforms within various ministries, and also to help prepare Ukraine for accession to the WTO, in other words various trade, legal changes that have to be made to such things as intellectual property laws in order to be prepared to join the WTO.

Since independence the United States has always had a very strong program of assistance in this country, although during the last few years that program had declined fairly substantially. It is now increasing again with the new government.

QUESTION: First question, how long is your visit to Ukraine? And what is your forecast, because the press in Ukraine is stating that Ukraine is following the schedule, will Ukraine and the United States succeed in signing the bilateral agreement which will make it possible for Ukraine to join the WTO?

CONGRESSMAN KOLBE: Our visit here is for two days. And I am absolutely confident that we will achieve a bilateral agreement that will permit WTO accession. But let me just point out that these negotiations can be very difficult. They are often very technical and it requires more than just friendship in order to achieve a successful conclusion. There are many special interests, both in the U.S. and Ukraine, which either have to be satisfied or their objections overcome in order to achieve the kind of bilateral agreement that is satisfactory to both sides. But Ukraine definitely deserves a place in the WTO and I have no doubt that we will successfully conclude the agreement.

QUESTION: A clarification question. Can we expect that during the Prime Minister's visit to the United States this agreement on market access and services will be signed?

CONGRESSMAN KOLBE: That is a wonderful idea and a great hope, but I don't think that either side is suggesting that there is a time certain for this agreement to be concluded. And I don't think you should lay out a deadline that it has to be done by the conclusion of the Prime Minister's visit. But I am sure that it will be a major part of the Prime Minister's visit and there will be discussion at all levels with the U.S. Trade Representative and the Prime Minster's experts in these fields to try to move the negotiations forward as far as possible.

Thank you very much.

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