U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH HAS ENDED MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF COLD WAR TRADE SANCTIONS AGAINST THE UKRAINE BY SIGNING INTO LAW LEGISLATION TO NORMALIZE TRADE WITH THE FORMER SOVIET STATE. 'TIMES HAVE CHANGED. THE COLD WAR IS OVER, AND A FREE UKRAINE IS A FRIEND TO AMERICA AND AN INSPIRATION TO THOSE WHO LOVE LIBERTY,' BUSH SAID. 'THE BILL I SIGN MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA IN OUR HISTORY WITH UKRAINE.' BUSH SAID EXPANDED TRADE WOULD CREATE NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH THE UKRAINE AND THE UNITED STATES. IN SPECIFIC, THE TRADE BILL REPEALS THE 1974 JACKSON-VANIK AMENDMENT, WHICH PROHIBITED AMERICANS FROM TRADING WITH THE SOVIET UNION BECAUSE THE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT REFUSED TO ALLOW JEWS TO EMIGRATE. THE UNITED STATES LAST MONTH ALSO GAVE ITS SUPPORT TO THE UKRAINE'S BID TO JOIN THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. BUSH SAID DURING THURSDAY'S BILL SIGNING THAT HE ADAMANTLY SUPPORTED THE UKRAINE'S WTO ACCESSION.
