[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 654 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 654

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 22, 2009.
Whereas the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and subsequent agreements and the work of 
        the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well 
        as its Parliamentary Assembly and affiliated institutions, encompass 
        what is referred to as the Helsinki Process;
Whereas the 1975 Helsinki Final Act included a specific section on ``Questions 
        relating to Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean'' in 
        recognition of the interrelation between security in Europe and security 
        in the Mediterranean region;
Whereas the long-standing relationship between the participating states of the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the 
        Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation, currently Algeria, Egypt, 
        Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, dates back to the origins of the 
        Helsinki Process and is rooted in the important geographical, 
        historical, cultural, economic, and political links between them and the 
        states of the Mediterranean region;
Whereas the OSCE participating states have declared their intention to promote 
        the development of cooperative relations with the Mediterranean Partners 
        and to encourage the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in 
        various fields of economic activity and have sought to increase mutual 
        confidence so as to promote security and stability in the Mediterranean 
        region as a whole;
Whereas, since its establishment by the 1990 Charter of Paris, the Parliamentary 
        Assembly of the OSCE has called for enhanced engagement with the 
        Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation and their constituent assemblies 
        in the pursuit of improved economic cooperation, and security and 
        stability in the Mediterranean region;
Whereas in the 1992 Helsinki Document, the leaders of the OSCE participating 
        states committed to widening cooperation and increasing dialogue with 
        the Mediterranean Partners as a means to promote social and economic 
        development in order to narrow the prosperity gap between Europe and its 
        Mediterranean neighbors and to protect the Mediterranean ecosystems;
Whereas in the 1999 Istanbul Document, the OSCE participating states encouraged 
        the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation to draw on the expertise of 
        the participating states in setting up structures and mechanisms in the 
        Mediterranean region for early warning, preventive diplomacy, and 
        conflict prevention;
Whereas the 2003 Maastricht Ministerial recognized that threats originating or 
        evolving in adjacent regions are of increasing importance, and therefore 
        the OSCE will intensify its cooperation with its Mediterranean and Asian 
        Partners for Cooperation, and also encouraged the Partners for 
        Cooperation to embrace the principles and commitments of the OSCE;
Whereas the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation participate as observers in 
        the annual meetings of the OSCE Ministerial Council as well as the 
        regular meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council and Forum for Security 
        Cooperation;
Whereas, the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation actively participate in the 
        work of the Contact Group within the Permanent Council, as well as OSCE 
        yearly events, including the Annual Security Review Conference, the 
        Economic Forum, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, and the 
        Annual, Fall and Winter Sessions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly;
Whereas since 1995, the OSCE and the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation have 
        organized annual Mediterranean Conferences to provide the opportunity 
        for the OSCE participating states and the Mediterranean Partners to 
        exchange views on matters of mutual interest and to strengthen their 
        cooperative relationship;
Whereas in 2001, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly appointed the 
        first Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs, Mr. Michel Voisin 
        of France, in order to enhance engagement of members of parliament from 
        the 56 participating states of the OSCE with members of parliament from 
        the Mediterranean Partner states;
Whereas since 2001, successive OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special 
        Representatives on Mediterranean Affairs have been appointed by former 
        Assembly Presidents, Mr. Bruce George of the United Kingdom, and Mr. 
        Goran Lennmarker of Sweden, as well as by current President, Mr. Joao 
        Soares of Portugal, reaffirming the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's 
        commitment to the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation;
Whereas, under the leadership of then-President of the OSCE Parliamentary 
        Assembly, Mr. Bruce George of the United Kingdom, the Parliamentary 
        Assembly convened its first conference dedicated to ensuring peace, 
        democracy, and prosperity in the region of the Mediterranean in Madrid 
        in 2002; and
Whereas the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has convened Mediterranean Seminars at 
        its fall meetings since 2003, with the active participation of members 
        of parliament representing the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Arab 
        Republic of Egypt, the State of Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 
        the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Tunisian Republic for their 
        participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
        (OSCE) as Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation;
            (2) welcomes the representatives of the OSCE Mediterranean Partners 
        for Cooperation to Washington, DC, on the occasion of the Commission on 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe Seminar on OSCE Mediterranean Partner 
        Engagement, July 22-23, 2009;
            (3) encourages the OSCE to re-evaluate its past practices and 
        ongoing activities in the Mediterranean dimension in order to further 
        empower the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation in the work of 
        the OSCE, and to support the Partners' leadership on matters which 
        impact their citizens, their governments, and the region; and
            (4) encourages the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation to 
        continue to work with the OSCE participating states to enhance trade, 
        economic development, security, and stability in the Mediterranean 
        region, and to embrace existing OSCE commitments, including those in the 
        Human Dimension.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.