Ben Cardin: “first, let me thank Mr. Thomas for the manner in which this legislation has been brought forward, in allowing us to vote…”

“first, let me thank Mr. Thomas for the manner in which this legislation has been brought forward, in allowing us to vote on the permanent normal trade relations with the Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago, in my capacity as ranking member at the U.S.-Helsinki Commission, I traveled to the Ukraine with my colleague and chairman, Congressman Chris Smith. We made our trip shortly after the historic Orange Revolution, and I was impressed by the commitment of the Ukraine's new leaders to consolidate democracy, promote respect for human rights, and modernize the country's economy. {time} 1200 I also was impressed by the leader's commitment to further integrate Ukraine into the European and Euro-Atlantic community. I am not the only one to have been impressed by Ukraine's efforts. International organizations such as Freedom House have acknowledged Ukraine's progress of recent years in protecting the political rights and civil liberties of its citizens. Mr. Speaker, I believe Congress should demonstrate its support for Ukraine's reforms by approving legislation today that would grant Ukraine's permanent normal trade relation status, and, therefore, take it one step closer to becoming a member of the WTO. The passage of PNTR for Ukraine will also show Congress's support for the efforts of the Yushchenko government to ensure that the upcoming March 26 parliamentary elections will be free and fair.…”