[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 603 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 603

      Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the 
    announcement of the Government of the Russian Federation of its 
intention to suspend implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed 
                           Forces in Europe.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2007

 Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the 
    announcement of the Government of the Russian Federation of its 
intention to suspend implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed 
                           Forces in Europe.

Whereas the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed at Paris on 
        November 19, 1990 (the CFE Treaty), was agreed upon and signed by 22 
        countries in order to establish parity, transparency, and stability in 
        the balance of conventional military forces and equipment in an area of 
        Europe stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains;
Whereas there are now 30 countries that are party to the CFE Treaty, including 
        Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, 
        Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, 
        Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, 
        Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, 
        and the United States;
Whereas the CFE Treaty is recognized as one of the most successful arms control 
        agreements of the modern era and has served as a cornerstone of European 
        security as the continent emerged from the shadows of the Cold War;
Whereas the CFE Treaty facilitated the destruction or conversion of over 52,000 
        battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat 
        aircraft, and attack helicopters;
Whereas the CFE Treaty continues to enable an unprecedented level of 
        transparency into military equipment holdings and troop deployments in 
        Europe, including over 4,000 on-site inspections of military units and 
        installations implemented since the entry into force of the Treaty;
Whereas, on November 19, 1999, at the Organization for Security and Co-operation 
        in Europe Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, the parties to the CFE Treaty 
        signed an Adaptation Agreement to account for the demise of the Warsaw 
        Pact, the expansion of membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO), and other changes in the European geopolitical 
        environment;
Whereas, at the time of the signing of the Adaptation Agreement, the Russian 
        Federation made a series of pledges, known as the Istanbul Commitments, 
        to withdraw remaining military forces and equipment from the territory 
        of Georgia and Moldova or to otherwise negotiate consensual agreements 
        on their continued presence;
Whereas, while the Government of the Russian Federation has taken initial steps 
        towards fulfilling the Istanbul Commitments, it continues to maintain 
        troops and associated equipment in both Georgia and Moldova without the 
        express sovereign consent of the government of either of those 
        countries, and the United States and other parties to the CFE Treaty 
        have therefore refrained from taking steps to ratify the Adaptation 
        Agreement;
Whereas, on April 26, 2007, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, 
        on the occasion of his last State of the Union speech, announced an 
        unspecified ``moratorium'' on Russian compliance with the CFE Treaty, 
        citing the refusal of NATO Members to ratify the Adaptation Agreement, 
        concerns over the proposed United States missile defense deployment in 
        Poland and the Czech Republic, and new basing arrangements between the 
        Government of the United States and the Governments of Poland, Bulgaria, 
        and Romania as unacceptable encroachments on the security of Russia;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation subsequently requested, as is 
        its right under the CFE Treaty, an Extraordinary Conference to discuss 
        its outstanding concerns, which was held from June 12 to June 15, 2007;
Whereas, on July 14, 2007, President Putin issued a formal decree announcing the 
        intention of the Russian Federation to suspend compliance with the CFE 
        Treaty after providing 150 days advance notice to the other CFE Treaty 
        signatories;
Whereas President Putin justified the decision of the Government of the Russian 
        Federation on account of ``extraordinary circumstances'' that ``affect 
        the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures'';
Whereas, while the CFE Treaty provides a formal mechanism for withdrawal of a 
        country that is party to the Treaty following 150 days of notice, it 
        does not contain any such provision for suspension; and
Whereas the Department of State, in responding to the announcement by the 
        Government of the Russian Federation to suspend compliance with the CFE 
        Treaty, declared, ``The United States is disappointed by the Russian 
        announcement of its intention to suspend implementation of the 
        Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. The United States 
        remains committed to CFE's full implementation. We also remain committed 
        to the ratification and entry into force of the Adapted CFE Treaty. We 
        look forward to continuing to engage with Russia and the other States 
        Parties to the Treaty to create the conditions necessary for 
        ratification by all 30 CFE States.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
        the announcement of the Government of the Russian Federation of 
        its intention to suspend implementation of the Treaty on 
        Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed at Paris on 
        November 19, 1990 (the CFE Treaty), is a regrettable step and 
        may unnecessarily heighten tensions in Europe; and
            (2) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) recognizes the enduring value of the CFE Treaty 
                as a cornerstone of European security and a force for 
                stability in the transition of Europe from the Cold War 
                to the modern era;
                    (B) strongly urges the Government of the Russian 
                Federation to reconsider its intention to suspend CFE 
                implementation and engage with the other parties to the 
                CFE Treaty in an intensive dialogue to resolve 
                outstanding problems and establish a foundation for the 
                eventual implementation of the Adaption Agreement to 
                the CFE Treaty;
                    (C) calls on the Russian Federation, in accordance 
                with that process, to fulfill the Istanbul Commitments 
                of 1999 and move speedily to withdraw all remaining 
                forces and military equipment from Georgia and Moldova;
                    (D) strongly encourages all parties to the CFE 
                Treaty to engage the Russian Federation in seeking 
                innovative and constructive mechanisms to fully 
                implement the Istanbul Commitments and thus facilitate 
                the rapid entry into force of the Adaptation Agreement; 
                and
                    (E) strongly encourages officials of the Government 
                of the Russian Federation to refrain from belligerent 
                statements and threats that only further polarize 
                relations and jeopardize security in Europe.
                                 <all>