By BRAMA.COM, New York, NY, March 4, 2004

Nearly thirteen years after declaring its independence, Ukraine has arrived at a critical juncture in determining its path into the future: continue moving towards democracy or reverse course and backtrack to authoritarianism. This was the underlying theme of a round table discussion held on February 17, 2004, in Washington, DC. The meeting, titled "Ukraine at the Crossroads," took place at the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family and was sponsored by Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka and the Action Ukraine Coalition.

The Coalition, which includes the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC), the Ukrainian Federation of America, and the US-Ukraine Foundation, has been cooperating on a variety of projects since 1999. Mr. Ihor Gawdiak, President of the UACC, chaired the meeting.

A panel of experts presented their views of Ukraine's current state of affairs and offered solutions for the question of the night: What can Ukrainian Americans and the United States do to help Ukraine achieve its stated goals of freedom and democracy? The main speakers were: U.S. Judge Bohdan Futey; Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William G. Miller; Dr. Nadia Diuk of the National Endowment of Democracy; Mr. Orest Deychakiwsky, staff advisor to the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commisssion); former members of Congress Bob Schaffer and Charles Dougherty. Interested observers and participants in the discussion afterwards included representatives from several Ukrainian American organizations as well as media companies (see side panel).

Briefly, the opinions expressed by the panelists ranged from cautious optimism to unambiguous criticism. Uppermost on everyone's minds were two critical issues that have dominated the news lately, the recent 'reforms' to Ukraine's constitution and the crackdown on the media. Both will have a direct affect on the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections.

Tackling the former head-on Judge Futey described some of the worrisome changes that have been made to Ukraine's constitution and the dangers that they pose. Ambassador Miller cautioned that Ukraine should follow the example of one of its neighbors - the Czech Republic - whose unfaltering democratic path has made it a model for transition in that part of the world.

Dr. Diuk offered a comparative survey of several former Soviet states and observed that the restrictions on the press have had a perceptibly negative impact on Ukraine's situation. Mr. Deychakiwsky is convinced that external pressure on Ukraine's regime is one of the best ways to put the country back on a democratic track. Former Congressmen Bob Schaffer and Charles Dougherty both felt that the U.S. and the Ukrainian American community should build stronger relationships with members of Congress and that they should demand higher standards from Ukraine's leadership.

Each speaker's presentation is summarized in greater detail below.

"---------------------------------------------------------"