For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 26, 2001
Statement by the President
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 Chornobyl Nuclear Plant.
Closing Chornobyl 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 Chornobyl 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 Chornobyl 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 Chornobyl'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 Chornobyl. 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.
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