[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 530 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 530

  Calling on President George W. Bush and other leaders attending the 
 2006 Group of Eight (G-8) Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, to engage 
in a frank dialogue with the President of Russia concerning actions of 
the Government of the Russian Federation that appear inconsistent with 
    the Group's objectives of protecting global security, economic 
           stability, and democracy, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 14, 2006

 Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Kerry, 
and Mr. Frist) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Calling on President George W. Bush and other leaders attending the 
 2006 Group of Eight (G-8) Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, to engage 
in a frank dialogue with the President of Russia concerning actions of 
the Government of the Russian Federation that appear inconsistent with 
    the Group's objectives of protecting global security, economic 
           stability, and democracy, and for other purposes.

Whereas the leaders of 6 major industrialized democracies including France, West 
        Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, 
        gathered in 1975 for a summit meeting in Rambouillet, France, and for 
        annual meetings thereafter under a rotating presidency known as the 
        Group of Six (G-6);
Whereas the G-6 was established based on the mutual interest of its members in 
        promoting economic stability, global security, and democracy;
Whereas, in 1976, membership of the G-6 was expanded to include Canada;
Whereas the members of the G-7 share a commitment to promote security, economic 
        stability, and democracy in their respective nations and around the 
        world;
Whereas Russia was integrated into the Group in 1998 at the behest of President 
        William Jefferson Clinton as a gesture of appreciation to then-President 
        of Russia Boris Yeltsin for pursuing reforms and assuming a neutral 
        position with respect to the eastward expansion of North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO);
Whereas, in 2002, Russia was selected to hold the rotating presidency of the G-8 
        and to host the Summit of the G-8 in 2006;
Whereas the official G-8 statement issued on June 26, 2002, in Kananaskis, 
        Canada regarding the selection of Russia as host of the 2006 Summit 
        stated that the decision reflected ``the remarkable economic and 
        democratic transformation that has occurred in Russia in recent years 
        and in particular under the leadership of President Putin'';
Whereas in the intervening 4 years since Russia was selected to host the 2006 G-
        8 Summit, the Government of the Russian Federation has pursued policies 
        that raise serious concerns about the commitment of the Government of 
        the Russian Federation to upholding democratic values both at home and 
        abroad;
Whereas the United States Department of State 2005 Country Report on Human 
        Rights Practices noted that trends in Russia, including the 
        ``centralization of power in the executive branch . . . continuing 
        corruption and selectivity in enforcement of the law, political pressure 
        on the judiciary, and harassment of some non-governmental organizations 
        (NGOs) [have] resulted in an erosion of the accountability of government 
        leaders to the people'' in Russia;
Whereas, in 2005, the independent non-governmental organization Freedom House 
        reclassified Russia from ``partly free'' to ``not free'' in its global 
        survey of political rights and civil liberties;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has placed onerous restrictions 
        and monitoring requirements on non-profit organizations operating in 
        Russia that limit the ability of both Russians and non-Russians to 
        create a vibrant civil society in the country;
Whereas the freedom of the media in Russia has been seriously compromised due to 
        the Government of the Russian Federation's continuing control and 
        censorship of major mass media outlets and efforts to obstruct the 
        reporting of independent journalists;
Whereas regulators from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Russian 
        Federation have reportedly threatened radio stations with revocation of 
        their broadcast licenses if they continue airing material from the Voice 
        of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), thereby 
        precipitating the largest decrease in the number of outlets for VOA and 
        RFE/RL reporting since the end of the Cold War;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has sought to interfere in the 
        electoral processes and democratic governance of neighboring countries 
        including Georgia and Ukraine;
Whereas Russia was the only member of the G-8 to applaud the outcome of 
        fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus that were characterized by 
        the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as evidencing 
        ``a disregard for the basic rights of freedom of assembly, association, 
        and expression'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and 
        other monitoring organizations have reported increased evidence of 
        racism, anti-Semitism, nationalism, and xenophobia among segments of 
        Russian society;
Whereas, in late 2005, Gazprom, a company majority owned and operated by the 
        Government of the Russian Federation, insisted on a more than four-fold 
        increase in the price charged for natural gas sold to Ukraine and 
        subsequently shut off gas supplies to Ukraine, causing cascading energy 
        shortages in many countries throughout Europe;
Whereas there have been interruptions in the supply by Russia of energy to 
        Georgia and Moldova;
Whereas the March 2006 report of the Independent Task Force on Russia of the 
        Council on Foreign Relations stated that ``to protect the credibility of 
        the G-8 at a time when many are questioning Russia's chairmanship, the 
        United States should make clear that this role does not exempt Russian 
        policies and actions from critical scrutiny'';
Whereas the United States recognizes and applauds the proud history of 
        achievement, creativity, and sacrifice of the people of Russia;
Whereas the United States seeks the development of Russia as a strong, 
        responsible, democratic partner in promoting global peace and security; 
        and
Whereas the United States believes that both the people of Russia and the 
        Government of the Russian Federation will be shackled in their efforts 
        to build a strong society domestically and contribute to the work of the 
        international community so long as the Government of the Russian 
        Federation fails to fully embrace the values of democracy: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) in order to preserve the integrity of the G-8 as a 
        forum of the leading industrialized democracies of the world, 
        President George W. Bush and other heads of state attending the 
        G-8 Summit should explicitly, frankly, and honestly engage 
        Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in a dialogue about 
        the anti-democratic behavior of the Government of the Russian 
        Federation;
            (2) the United States and other democratic countries should 
        reaffirm their support for civic and non-governmental 
        organizations working to promote democracy and the rule of law 
        in Russia;
            (3) the Government of the Russian Federation should take 
        action to ensure that it guarantees the full range of civil and 
        political rights to its citizens, as it is obligated to do 
        under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
            (4) consistent with its obligations under the International 
        Covenant, the Government of the Russian Federation should take 
        steps to cease its interference with foreign news 
        organizations, including the Voice of America and Radio Free 
        Europe/Radio Liberty;
            (5) the Government of the Russian Federation should take 
        action to combat rising racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia 
        in Russian society; and
            (6) the United States and countries of the G-8 should 
        reaffirm their support for new democracies on the borders of 
        Russia and, where applicable, expedite their integration into 
        Euro-Atlantic institutions to provide a bulwark for democracy 
        in eastern Europe and the Caucuses.
                                 <all>