[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 13 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 13

  Calling upon the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the 
 abiding importance of the Helsinki Final Act and its relevance to the 
                national security of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2017

   Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Rubio, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
   Tillis, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Gardner, and Mr. Udall) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Calling upon the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the 
 abiding importance of the Helsinki Final Act and its relevance to the 
                national security of the United States.

Whereas the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe 
        (CSCE) concluded on August 1, 1975 (in this joint resolution referred to 
        as the ``Helsinki Final Act''), established a comprehensive concept of 
        security that encompasses political-military, environmental and 
        economic, and human rights and humanitarian dimensions;
Whereas the Helsinki Final Act set out a declaration of ten fundamental 
        Principles Guiding Relations Between States, which all participating 
        States committed to respect and put into practice in their relations 
        with each other, that have been the basis of the international order in 
        the OSCE Region since its inception in 1975;
Whereas these Principles, adopted on the basis of consensus by all participating 
        States and reaffirmed through the years, enshrine--

    (1) sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty;

    (2) refraining from the threat or use of force;

    (3) inviolability of frontiers;

    (4) territorial integrity of States;

    (5) peaceful settlement of disputes;

    (6) nonintervention in internal affairs;

    (7) respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the 
freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief;

    (8) equal rights and self-determination of peoples;

    (9) cooperation among States; and

    (10) fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law;

Whereas the Helsinki Final Act, for the first time in the history of 
        international agreements, recognized that respect for, and 
        implementation of, commitments to human rights and fundamental freedoms 
        are integral to stability and security within and among nations;
Whereas, in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the participating States 
        declared, ``Human rights and fundamental freedoms are the birthright of 
        all human beings, are inalienable and are guaranteed by law. Their 
        protection and promotion is the first responsibility of government,'' 
        and committed themselves ``to build, consolidate and strengthen 
        democracy as the only system of government of our nations'';
Whereas, in 1991, participating States met in Moscow and unanimously agreed that 
        ``issues relating to human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and 
        the rule of law are of international concern, as respect for these 
        rights and freedoms constitutes one of the foundations of international 
        order;'' and declared ``categorically and irrevocably . . . that the 
        commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension of the CSCE 
        are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States 
        and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State 
        concerned'';
Whereas the CSCE was renamed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe (OSCE) in January 1995, reaffirming the continued relevance and 
        applicability of previously made principles and provisions in a Europe 
        no longer divided between East and West and as the number of 
        participating States increased from the original 35 to 57 today;
Whereas the Helsinki Final Act, by making respect for human rights and 
        implementation of commitments by participating States a permanent 
        priority in the relations between States, provided an international 
        foundation for the democratic aspirations of peoples throughout Europe 
        and contributed to the peaceful end to the Cold War;
Whereas the seventh Principle confirmed the right of the individual to know and 
        act upon his or her rights, which inspired citizens from the 
        participating States to associate and assemble for the purposes of 
        monitoring and encouraging compliance with the principles and provisions 
        of the Helsinki Final Act and subsequent documents of the CSCE and OSCE;
Whereas, during the Communist era, members of nongovernmental organizations, 
        such as the Helsinki Monitoring Groups in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and 
        Armenia as well as in Lithuania, and similar groups in Czechoslovakia 
        and Poland, sacrificed their personal freedom and even their lives in 
        their courageous and vocal support for the principles enshrined in the 
        Helsinki Final Act;
Whereas members of nongovernmental organizations, civil society, and independent 
        media across the region covered by the OSCE continue to risk their 
        safety to advance the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, 
        often in the face of harassment and threats from their own governments 
        who are OSCE participating States;
Whereas the United States Congress contributed to advancing the aims of the 
        Helsinki Final Act by creating the Commission on Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe to monitor and encourage compliance with its 
        principles and provisions;
Whereas many countries continue to fall significantly short of implementing 
        their OSCE commitments, particularly in the Human Dimension;
Whereas the Russian Federation is responsible for the clear, gross, and 
        uncorrected violation of all ten Principles of the Helsinki Final Act;
Whereas, for many years, the Russian Federation has ignored its OSCE commitments 
        related to the Human Dimension of comprehensive security by cracking 
        down on civil society and independent media through harassment, 
        intimidation, burdensome legal constraints, and violence, undermining 
        the ability of its citizens to freely choose their leaders;
Whereas Russia's internal repression is directly related to its external 
        aggression, including in Ukraine, Georgia, and Syria;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has interfered through 
        information warfare and cyber-intrusions and otherwise engaged in 
        deliberate and malicious efforts to undermine confidence in the 
        democratic institutions and processes of other OSCE participating 
        States;
Whereas the first Principle recognizes the right of each participating State 
        ``to be or not to be a party to bilateral or multilateral treaties 
        including the right to be or not to be a party to treaties of alliance; 
        they also have the right to neutrality'';
Whereas the OSCE's participating States bear primary responsibility for raising 
        violations of the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE documents;
Whereas successive United States Administrations since the Helsinki Final Act 
        was signed in 1975 have made the Act's Principles Guiding Relations 
        Between States a basis for United States policy toward Europe and the 
        OSCE region as a whole; and
Whereas Congress has strongly supported and encouraged the United States to 
        encourage improved compliance with these Principles, including by 
        raising its concerns about noncompliance in a direct and frank manner 
        and continues to do so today: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress calls upon the President to--
            (1) issue a proclamation--
                    (A) reaffirming the United States commitment to the 
                Guiding Principles of the Final Act of the Conference 
                on Security and Cooperation in Europe;
                    (B) reasserting the commitment of the United States 
                to full implementation of the Helsinki Final Act, 
                including respect for human rights and fundamental 
                freedoms, defense of the principles of liberty, and 
                tolerance within societies, all of which are vital to 
                the promotion of democracy;
                    (C) urging all participating States to fully 
                implement their commitments under the Helsinki Final 
                Act;
                    (D) calling upon all participating States to 
                respect each other's sovereign right to join alliances;
                    (E) condemning the clear, gross, and uncorrected 
                violation of all ten core OSCE principles enshrined in 
                the Helsinki Final Act by the Russian Federation with 
                respect to other OSCE participating States, including 
                Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine; and
                    (F) condemning all other violations of the Helsinki 
                Final Act and its fundamental Guiding Principles; and
            (2) conveying to all signatory states of the Helsinki Final 
        Act that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, 
        democratic principles, economic liberty, and the implementation 
        of related commitments continue to be vital elements in 
        promoting a new and lasting era of democracy, peace, and unity 
        in the region covered by the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe.
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