[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 100 (Thursday, July 15, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8624-S8626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     OSCE PA DELEGATION TRIP REPORT

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to provide a 
report to my colleagues on the successful congressional delegate trip 
last week to St. Petersburg, Russia, to participate in the Eighth 
Annual Parliamentary Assembly Session of the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe, known as the OSCE PA. As Co-chairman of the 
Helsinki Commission, I headed the Senate delegation in coordination 
with the Commission Chairman, Congressman Chris Smith.


                       the parliamentary assembly

  This year's congressional delegation of 17 members was the largest 
representation by any country at the proceedings and was welcomed as a 
demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to security in Europe. 
Approximately 300 parliamentarians from 52 OSCE participating states 
took part in this year's meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
  My objectives in St. Petersburg were to advance American interests in 
a region of vital security and economic importance to the United 
States; to elevate the issues of crime and corruption among the 54 OSCE 
countries; to develop new linkages for my home state of Colorado; and 
to identify concrete ways to help American businesses.


                          crime and corruption

  The three General Committees focused on a central theme: ``Common 
Security and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century.'' I served on the 
Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment Committee 
which took up the issue of corruption and its impact on business and 
the rule of law. I sponsored two amendments that highlighted the 
importance of combating corruption and organized crime, offering 
concrete proposals for the establishment of high-level inter-agency 
mechanisms to fight corruption in each of the OSCE participating 
states. My amendments also called for the convening of a ministerial 
meeting to promote cooperation among these states to combat corruption 
and organized crime.
  My anti-corruption amendment was based on the premise that corruption 
has a negative impact on foreign investment, on human rights, on 
democracy building and on the rule of law. Any investor nation should 
have the right to expect anti-corruption practices in those countries 
in which they seek to invest.
  Significant progress has been made with the ratification of the new 
OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in 
International Business Transactions. Under the OECD Convention, 
companies from the leading exporting nations will have to comply with 
certain ethical standards in their business dealings with foreign 
public officials. And, last July, the OSCE and the OECD held a joint 
conference to assess ways to combat corruption and organized crime 
within the OSCE region. I believe we must build on this initiative, and 
offered my amendment to urge the convening of a ministerial meeting 
with the goal of making specific recommendations to the member states 
about steps which can be taken to eliminate this primary threat to 
economic stability and security and major obstacle to U.S. businesses 
seeking to invest and operate abroad.
  My anti-crime amendment was intended to address the negative impact 
that crime has on our countries and our citizens. Violent crime, 
international crime, organized crime and drug trafficking all undermine 
the rule of law, a healthy business climate and democracy building.
  This amendment was based on my personal experiences as one of the 
only members of the United States Senate with a law enforcement 
background and on congressional testimony that we are witnessing an 
increase in the incidence of international crime, and we are seeing a 
type of crime which our countries have not dealt with before.
  During the opening Plenary Session on July 6, we heard from the 
Governor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Yakolev, about how the use of 
drugs is on the rise in Russia and how more needs to be done to help 
our youth.
  On July 7, I had the opportunity to visit the Russian Police Training 
Academy at St. Petersburg University and met with General Victor 
Salnikov, the Chief of the University. I was impressed with the 
General's accomplishments and how many senior Russian officials who are 
graduates of the university, including the Prime Minister, governors, 
and members of the Duma.
  General Salnikov and I discussed the OSCE's work on crime and drugs, 
and he urged us to act. The General stressed that this affects all of 
civilized society and all countries must do everything they can to 
reduce drug trafficking and crime.
  After committee consideration and adoption of my amendments, I was 
approached by Senator Jerry Grafstein from Canada who indicated how 
important it was to elevate the issues of

[[Page S8625]]

crime and corruption in the OSCE framework. I look forward to working 
with Senator Grafstein and other parliamentarians on these important 
issues at future multi-lateral meetings.


                    cultural linkages with colorado

  St. Petersburg is rich in culture and educational resources. This 
grand city is home to 1,270 public, private and educational libraries; 
181 museums of art, nature, history and culture; 106 theaters; 52 
palaces; and 417 cultural organizations. Our delegation visit provided 
an excellent opportunity to explore linkages between some of these 
resources with the many museums and performing arts centers in 
Colorado.
  On Thursday, July 8, I met with Tatyana Kuzmina, the Executive 
Director for the St. Petersburg Association for International 
Cooperation, and Natalia Koltomova, Senior Development Officer for the 
State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. We learned that museums 
and the orchestras have exchanges in New York, Michigan and California. 
Ms. Kuzmina was enthusiastic about exploring cultural exchanges with 
Denver and other communities in Colorado. I look toward to following up 
with her, the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, and leaders in the 
Colorado fine arts community to help make such cultural exchanges a 
reality.
  As proof that the world is getting smaller all the time, I was 
pleasantly surprised to encounter a group of 20 Coloradans on tour. In 
fact, there were so many from Grand Junction alone, we could have held 
a Town Meeting right there in St. Petersburg! In our conversations, it 
was clear we shared the same impressions of the significant potential 
that that city has to offer in future linkages with Colorado. I ask 
unanimous consent that a list of the Coloradans whom I met be printed 
in the Record following my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)


                      helping american businesses

  Mr. CAMPBELL. In the last Congress, I introduced the International 
Anti-Corruption Act of 1997 (S. 1200) which would tie U.S. foreign aid 
to how conducive foreign countries are to American businesses and 
investment. As I prepare to reintroduce this bill in the 106th Congress 
and to work on combating crime and corruption within the OSCE 
framework, I participated in a meeting of U.S. business representatives 
on Friday, July 9, convened by the Russian-American Chamber of 
Commerce, headquartered in Denver. We were joined by my colleagues, 
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator George Voinovich and my fellow 
Coloradan, Congressman Tom Tancredo.
  We heard first-hand about the challenges of doing business in Russia 
from representatives of U.S. companies, including Lockheed Martin 
Astronautics, PepsiCo, the Gillette Company, Coudert Brothers, and 
Colliers HIB St. Petersburg. Some issues, such as export licensing, 
counterfeiting and corruption are being addressed in the Senate. But, 
many issues these companies face are integral to the Russian business 
culture, such as taxation, the devaluation of the rouble, and lack of 
infrastructure. My colleagues and I will be following up on ways to 
assist U.S. businesses and investment abroad.
  In addition, on Wednesday, July 7, I participated in a meeting at the 
St. Petersburg Investment Center. The main focus of the meeting was the 
presentation of a replica of Fort Ross in California, the first Russian 
outpost in the United States, to the Acting U.S. Consul General on 
behalf of the Governor of California. We heard from Anatoly Razdoglin 
and Valentin Makarov of the St. Petersburg Administration; Slava 
Bychkov, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, St. Petersburg 
Chapter; Valentin Mishanov, Russian State Marine Archive; and Vitaly 
Dozenko, Marine Academy. The discussion ranged from U.S. investment in 
St. Petersburg and the many redevelopment projects which are planned or 
underway in the city.


                            Crime and Drugs

  As I mentioned, on Wednesday, July 7, I toured the Russia Police 
Training Academy at St. Petersburg University and met with General 
Victor Salnikov, the Chief of the University. This facility is the 
largest organization in Russia which prepares law enforcement officers 
and is the largest law institute in the country. The University has 
35,000 students and 5,000 instructors. Among the law enforcement 
candidates, approximately 30 percent are women.
  The Police Training Academy has close contacts with a number of 
countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, the United Kingdom, 
Finland, Israel and others. Areas of cooperation include police 
training, counterfeiting, computer crimes, and programs to combat drug 
trafficking.
  I was informed that the Academy did not have a formal working 
relationship with the National Institute of Justice, the research and 
development arm of the U.S. Department of Justice which operates an 
extensive international information-sharing program. I intend to call 
for this bilateral linkage to facilitate collaboration and the exchange 
of information, research and publications which will benefit law 
enforcement in both countries fight crime and drugs.


                         U.S.-Russia Relations

  In addition to the discussions in the plenary sessions of the OSCE 
Parliamentary Assembly, we had the opportunity to raise issues of 
importance in a special bilateral meeting between the U.S. and Russia 
delegations on Thursday morning, July 8. Members of our delegation 
raised issues including anti-Semitism in the Duma, developments in 
Kosovo, the case of environmental activist Aleksandr Nikitin, the 
assassination of Russian Parliamentarian Galina Starovoitova, and the 
trafficking of women and children.
  As the author of the Senate Resolution condemning anti-Semitism in 
the Duma (S. Con. Res. 19), I took the opportunity of this bilateral 
session to let the Russian delegation, including the Speaker of the 
State Duma, know how seriously we in the United States feel about the 
importance of having a governmental policy against anti-Semitism. We 
also stressed that anti-Semitic remarks by their Duma members are 
intolerable. I look forward to working with Senator Helms to move S. 
Con. Res. 19 through the Foreign Relations Committee to underscore the 
strong message we delivered to the Russians in St. Petersburg.

  We had the opportunity to discuss the prevalence of anti-Semitism and 
the difficulties which minority religious organizations face in Russia 
at a gathering of approximately 100 non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs), religious leaders and business representatives, hosted by the 
U.S. Delegation on Friday, July 9. We heard about the restrictions 
placed on religious freedoms and how helpful many American non-profit 
organizations are in supporting the NGO's efforts.
  I am pleased to report that the U.S. Delegation had a significant and 
positive impact in advancing U.S. interests during the Eighth OSCE 
Parliamentary Assembly Session in St. Petersburg. To provide my 
colleagues with additional information, I ask unanimous consent that my 
formal report to Majority Leader Lott be printed in the Record 
following my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 2.)
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                             Exhibit No. 1

                  Coloradans in St. Petersburg, Russia

       Iva Allen, Grand Junction.
       Kay Coulson, Grand Junction.
       Inez Dodson, Grand Junction.
       Isabel Downing, Grand Junction.
       Terry Eakle, Greeley.
       Betty Elliott, Grand Junction.
       Dorothy Evans, Grand Junction.
       Kay Hamilton, Grand Junction.
       Helen Kauffman, Grand Junction.
       Nancy Koos, Denver.
       Dick and Jay McElroy, Grand Junction.
       Lyla Michaels, Glenwood Springs.
       Carol Mitchell, Grand Junction.
       Neal and Sonya Morris, Grand Junction.
       Pat Oates, Grand Junction.
       Kawna Safford, Grand Junction.
       Phyllis Safford , Grand Junction.
       Dorothy Smith, Grand Junction.
       Irene Stark, Montrose.

                             Exhibit No. 2

                                            Commission on Security


                                    and Cooperation in Europe,

                                    Washington, DC, July 14, 1999.
     Hon. Trent Lott,
     Majority Leader, United States Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Lott: I am pleased to report to you on the 
     work of the bipartisan congressional delegation which I co-
     chaired that participated in the Eighth Annual Session of the 
     Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), hosted by the Russian 
     Parliament, the Federation Council and the

[[Page S8626]]

     State Duma, in St. Petersburg, July 6-10, 1999. Other 
     participants from the United States Senate were Senator 
     Hutchison of Texas and Senator Voinovich. We were joined by 
     14 Members of the House: Rep. Smith, Rep. Hoyer, Rep. Sabo, 
     Rep. Kaptur, Rep. Cardin, Rep. Sawyer, Rep. Slaughter, Rep. 
     Stearns, Rep. Tanner, Rep. Danner, Rep. Hastings of Florida, 
     Rep. Salmon, Rep. Cooksey, and Rep. Tancredo. The combined 
     U.S. delegation of 17, the largest representation by any 
     country in St. Petersburg was welcomed by others as a 
     demonstration of the continued commitment of the United 
     States, and the U.S. Congress, to Europe.
       This year's Assembly brought together nearly 300 
     parliamentarians from 52 OSCE participating States. Seven 
     countries, including the Russian Federation, were represented 
     at the level of Speaker of Parliament or President of the 
     Senate. The Assembly continued to recognize the 
     democratically elected parliament of Belarus which President 
     Lukashenka dissolved following his illegal power grab in 
     1996.
       The inaugural ceremony included a welcoming addresses by 
     the Speaker of the State Duma, Gennady Seleznev, and the 
     Governor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Yakovlev. The President 
     of the Assembly, Ms. Helle Degn of Denmark, presided. The 
     theme for the St. Petersburg Assembly was ``Common Security 
     and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century.''
       Foreign Minister Knut Vollenback of Norway addressed the 
     Assembly in his capacity of OSCE Chairman-in-Office to report 
     on the organization's activities, particularly those relating 
     to post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction in Kosovo. 
     Vollenbaek urged the Parliamentary Assembly and its members 
     to play an active role in promoting human rights, democracy, 
     and the rule of law in Kosovo. Considerable attention was 
     given to the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe 
     throughout the discussions on Kosovo.
       Members of the U.S. delegation actively participated in a 
     special plenary session on Kosovo and contributed to a draft 
     resolution concerning the situation in Kosovo. The delegation 
     was successful in securing adoption of several amendments; 
     underscoring the legal obligation of State to cooperate with 
     the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; 
     granting access to all prisoners by the International 
     Committee on the Red Cross; extending humanitarian assistance 
     to other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; and 
     supporting democracy in Serbia and Montenegro. Senator 
     Voinovich introduced a separate resolution stressing the 
     urgent need to support infrastructure projects which would 
     benefit neighboring countries in the Balkans region. This 
     resolution was widely supported and adopted unanimously.
       Work in the Assembly's three General Committee--Political 
     Affairs and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, Technology 
     and Environment; and Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian 
     Questions--focused on the central theme: ``Common Security 
     and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century.''
       During discussion in the General Committee on Political 
     Affairs and Security, the U.S. pressed for greater 
     transparency with respect to OSCE activities in Vienna, 
     urging that meetings of the Permanent Council be open to the 
     public and media. Considerable discussion focused on the 
     Assembly's long-standing recommendation to modify the 
     consensus rule that governs all decisions taken by the OSCE. 
     During the closing session Rep. Hastings was unanimously 
     elected committee Vice Chairman.
       Members offered several amendment to the draft resolution 
     considered by the General Committee on Economic Affairs, 
     Science, Technology and Environment. Two amendments that I 
     sponsored focused on the importance of combating corruption 
     and organized crime, offering concrete proposals for the 
     establishment of high-level inter-agency corruption-fighting 
     mechanisms in each of the OSCE participating States as well 
     as the convening of a ministerial meeting to promote 
     cooperation among these States to combat corruption and 
     organized crime. Other amendments offered by the delegation, 
     and adopted, highlighted the importance of reform of the 
     agricultural sector, bolstering food security in the context 
     of sustainable development, and regulation of capital and 
     labor markets by multilateral organizations.
       The Rapporteur's report for the General Committee on 
     Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions focused on 
     the improvement of the human rights situation in the newly 
     independent states. Amendments proposed by the U.S. 
     delegation, and adopted by the Assembly, stressed the need 
     for participating States to fully implement their commitments 
     to prevent discrimination on the grounds of religion or 
     belief and condemned statements by parliamentarians of OSCE 
     participating States promoting or supporting racial or ethnic 
     hatred, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Other U.S. amendments 
     that were adopted advocated the establishment of permanent 
     Central Election Commissions in emerging democracies and 
     emphasized the need for the Governments of the OSCE 
     participating States to act to ensure that refugees and 
     displaced persons have the right to return to their homes and 
     to regain their property or receive compensation.
       Two major U.S. initiatives in St. Petersburg were Chairman 
     Smith's resolution on the trafficking of women and children 
     for the sex trade and Rep. Slaughter's memorial resolution on 
     the assassination of Galina Starovoitova, a Russian 
     parliamentarian and an outspoken advocate of democracy, human 
     rights and the rule of law in Russia who was murdered late 
     last year. The trafficking resolution appeals to 
     participating States to create legal and enforcement 
     mechanisms to punish traffickers while protecting the rights 
     of the trafficking victims. The resolution on the 
     assassination called on the Russian Government to use every 
     appropriate avenue to bring Galina Starovoitova's murders to 
     justice. Both items received overwhelming support and were 
     included in the St. Petersburg Declaration adopted during the 
     closing plenary.
       An ambitious series of bilateral meetings were held between 
     Members of the U.S. delegation and representatives from the 
     Russian Federation, Ukraine, Turkey, France, Romania, 
     Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenian, Canada, and the United 
     Kingdom. While in St. Petersburg, the delegation met with 
     Aleksandr Nikitin, a former Soviet navy captain being 
     prosecuted for his investigative work exposing nuclear 
     storage problems and resulting radioactive contamination in 
     the area around Murmansk. In addition, the delegation hosted 
     a reception for representatives of non-governmental 
     organizations and U.S. businesses active in the Russian 
     Federation.
       Elections for officers of the Assembly were held during the 
     final plenary. As. Helle Degn of Denmark was re-elected 
     President. Mr. Bill Graham of Canada was elected Treasurer. 
     Four of the Assembly's nine Vice-Presidents were elected: Mr. 
     Claude Estier (France), Mr. Bruce George (U.K.), Mr. Ihor 
     Ostach (Ukraine), and Mr. Tiit Kabin (Estonia). Rep Hoyer's 
     current term as Vice-President runs through 2001.
       Enclosed is a copy of the St. Petersburg Declaration 
     adopted by participants at the Assembly's closing session.
       Finally, the Standing Committee agreed that the Ninth 
     Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be 
     held next July in Bucharest, Romania.
           Sincerely,
                                  Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S.S.,
     Co-Chairman.

                          ____________________