[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 123 (Friday, July 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1557-E1558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION IN KAZAKHSTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I hereby submit, for the 
Record, the text of my report to you on the activities of the U.S. 
Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, held in early July in 
Astana, Kazakhstan. I want to thank you for allowing me to serve as the 
head of this delegation, and to express my gratitude to our colleague 
in the other chamber, Senator Ben Cardin, for serving as the deputy 
head of the delegation.
  I will refrain from repeating here the details of our trip, which can 
be found in the report, but I would like to make three brief points.
  First, I want to praise the work of my 10 colleagues who participated 
on the delegation, namely Mr. Aderholt, Mr. McIntyre, Ms. Solis and Mr. 
Butterfield who serve with me on the Helsinki Commission, as well as 
Mr. Wamp, Ms. Loretta Sanchez, Ms. Watson, Ms. Bordallo and Ms. Moore. 
All were active at the meeting, either speaking or introducing 
resolutions on issues of concern or making amendments to the 
initiatives of other delegations. Our colleague Hilda Solis deserves 
special praise for seeking and being elected to chair a committee in 
the OSCE PA this coming year, as does Gwen Moore for her many 
initiatives that kept her busy.
  Second, I want to stress to all my colleagues how useful engagement 
in world affairs is, and the degree to which it advances U.S. interests 
by being out there, ready to discuss, to debate and ultimately to 
cooperate in making this a better world. In the framework of the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation for Europe, or the OSCE as it 
is often known, there is a strong parliamentary dimension that allows 
us to engage our allies and friends in Europe and Canada, and including 
the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. We discuss everything 
from human rights and democracy, to energy and the environment, to 
regional security and terrorism. I invite my colleagues to consider 
joining me for next year's session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 
in Vilnius, Lithuania.
  Third, I want to say a word about Kazakhstan, which served as this 
year's host. Kazakhstan is a large, resource-rich and strategically 
located country, and a country that wishes to play a stronger role in 
the OSCE and in world affairs generally. The U.S. delegation used its 
presence in Astana to welcome that fact, and to express our willingness 
to work with Kazakhstan to that end. At the same time, the Assembly 
meeting provided an opportunity to stress the need for Kazakhstan to 
make greater progress regarding human rights and political reforms, in 
line with its OSCE commitments but also with specific promises its 
leaders made when the OSCE designated Kazakhstan to chair the 
organization in 2010.
  The final declaration of the OSCE PA Annual Session can be found on 
the Assembly's website or by contacting the Helsinki Commission, which 
I chair. Again, thank you Madam Speaker, for giving me the opportunity 
to lead this delegation, which accomplished a great deal.
                                                    July 21, 2008.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Speaker of the House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Madam Speaker: I write to thank you for designating me 
     Head of the U.S. Delegation to the Seventeenth Annual Session 
     of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for 
     Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), and to report 
     to you on the work of our bipartisan delegation. The 
     delegation participated fully in the activity of the 
     Assembly's Standing Committee, the plenary sessions and the 
     Assembly's three General Committees,
       Joining me in leading the delegation was the Helsinki 
     Commission Co-Chairman, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin. Other 
     Helsinki Commissioners who also participated include 
     Representatives Robert B. Aderholt, Mike McIntyre, Hilda L. 
     Solis and G.K. Butterfield. They were joined by 
     Representatives Zach Wamp, Loretta Sanchez, Diane Watson, 
     Madeleine Z. Bordallo and Gwen S. Moore.
       This year's Annual Session, hosted by the Parliament of 
     Kazakhstan from June 29 to July 3, brought together 227 
     parliamentarians from 50 of the 56 OSCE States. The 
     designated theme for this year's gathering was ``Transparency 
     in the OSCE.''
       The Standing Committee, which is the leadership body of the 
     Assembly composed of the Heads of Delegations representing 
     the OSCE participating States and the elected officers, met 
     prior to the Annual Session. Chaired by the OSCE PA 
     President, Swedish parliamentarian Goran Lennmarker, the 
     committee heard reports from the Assembly's Treasurer, German 
     parliamentarian Hans Raidel, and from the Secretary General, 
     R. Spencer Oliver of the United States. The Assembly 
     continues to operate well within its overall budget 
     guidelines and to receive positive assessments from auditors 
     on financial management. The Standing Committee unanimously 
     approved the proposed budget for 2008/2009, which provides 
     for increased expenditures of just under seven percent to 
     cover inflation and a small increase in secretariat staff.
       The Standing Committee also heard reports from the Special 
     Representatives of the OSCE PA on a variety of issues of 
     concern. I presented a summary of my activities as Special 
     Representative on Mediterranean Affairs, which included a 
     recent Commission hearing, a briefing on the plight of Iraqi 
     refugees and my participation on the congressional visit you 
     led to Israel in May, marking that country's 60th 
     anniversary. Similarly, Rep. Solis spoke in her capacity as 
     the Special Representative on Migration, highlighting recent 
     Commission hearings on women migrants and on regional impacts 
     and opportunities for migrants. Rep. Christopher H. Smith, 
     the Special Representative on Human Trafficking Issues, was 
     unable to be present in Astana and asked that his written 
     report be circulated to delegations. It highlights visits to 
     Bosnia, Romania, Russia and Ukraine as well as a recent 
     Commission hearing on combating the sexual exploitation of 
     children. Senator Cardin attended the Standing Committee in 
     his capacity as an OSCE PA Vice President.
       In my capacity as Head of the U.S. Delegation at the 
     Standing Committee, I welcomed the decision of the Assembly 
     to hold an event in Washington on the upcoming U.S. elections 
     immediately following a September meeting of the OSCE PA in 
     Toronto, Canada.
       With the Standing Committee's business concluded, Assembly 
     President Lennmarker opened the Inaugural Plenary Session, 
     noting the importance of holding its first Annual Session in 
     the Central Asian region. The delegates were, in turn, 
     welcomed by Kazakhstan's President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who 
     noted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in democracy-
     building and further humanitarian and legal norms. The two 
     Speakers of the Kazakhstan Parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 
     of the Senate and Aslan Mussin of the Mazhilis, also 
     addressed the delegates. OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin 
     de Brichambaut of France reviewed the work of the OSCE and 
     took questions from the parliamentarians.
       Members of the U.S. Delegation actively participated in the 
     work of the Assembly's three General Committees: Political 
     Affairs and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, Technology 
     and Environment; and Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian 
     Questions. Each committee considered a draft resolution as 
     well as 18 supplementary items circulated by delegates prior 
     to the opening of the Astana meeting. One additional 
     supplementary item was considered during the opening plenary.
       Five of the supplementary items were resolutions proposed 
     by members of the U.S. Delegation: Encouraging Transparency 
     in the Extractive Industries, by Senator Cardin; Recognizing 
     the Economic, Civic and Social Contributions of Mirgrants, by 
     Rep. Solis; Strengthening Efforts to Combat Trafficking in 
     Human Beings and Addressing the Special Needs of Child 
     Victims by Rep. Smith (and, in his absence, Rep. Wamp); 
     Urging Adoption of the Paris Club Commitment Regarding 
     Vulture Funds by Rep. Moore; and my own resolution Expressing 
     Concern Over the Security Environment in Georgia. All were 
     adopted with few if any amendments.
       Parliamentarians from Russia, I should note, very strongly 
     opposed my resolution on Georgia, as did some European 
     parliamentarians, but I remained firm, pointing to the

[[Page E1558]]

     moderately worded text and noting past willingness of U.S. 
     delegates to consider and support as warranted resolutions 
     critical of U.S. policies. Recent Russian action in the 
     Caucasus was of sufficient concern to a majority of the 
     delegates present that the resolution was ultimately adopted.
       U.S. delegates were also instrumental in garnering support 
     for Supplementary items by others, including a Canadian 
     resolution on Afghanistan, a Ukrainian resolution on 
     Holodomor (Ukrainian Famine-Genocide), and a Belgian 
     resolution on Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Children. 
     In addition, the U.S. Delegation introduced 20 amendments to 
     various resolutions, covering issues from pollinator decline 
     to religious freedom. Virtually all of them were adopted, and 
     by dividing our work almost every member of the U.S. 
     Delegation managed at least one resolution or amendment in 
     committee. I would like to particularly note the 
     exceptionally strong effort made by Rep. Moore, who had her 
     own supplementary item and numerous amendments, including 
     those calling for international action to reduce maternal 
     mortality which were agreed to be a basis for a resolution at 
     next year's Annual Session.
       Belgian Senator Anne-Marie Lizin presented a report in 
     committee on her latest activity as the OSCE PA Special 
     Representative on Guantanamo Bay. Rep. Butterfield responded 
     for the U.S. Delegation, expressing appreciation for her work 
     and describing the latest Supreme Court, congressional and 
     non-governmental efforts dealing with this stain on the U.S. 
     human rights record.
       Rep. Solis served as Acting Chair of the General Committee 
     on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions during 
     the Annual Session, and she was subsequently elected to be 
     the committee chair for the coming year. Rep. Solis is the 
     first female Member of the U.S. Congress to hold a leadership 
     position in the OSCE PA.
       The OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues, Tone 
     Tingsgaard (Sweden), hosted a working lunch to discuss gender 
     issues during which she presented her thoughts for future 
     action in the OSCE PA on these issues. The U.S. Delegation 
     was well represented at this event.
       The final Astana Declaration, attached, was adopted by the 
     participants at the Assembly's closing plenary and reflects 
     the initiatives and input of the U.S. Delegation. In line 
     with the theme for the session, it calls for greater 
     transparency in numerous fields, such as political or 
     historical archives and the use of private military 
     contractors, as well as within the OSCE itself. The 
     declaration also calls for concrete steps to address global 
     climate change, improve waste management and prepare for 
     potential nuclear accidents and natural disasters.
       Mr. Joao Soares, a parliamentarian from Portugal, was 
     elected to serve as OSCE PA President for the coming year. 
     Soares brings to the office extensive experience, having been 
     a member of the Portuguese parliament from 1987 to 1990 and 
     again since 2002, formerly a member of the European 
     Parliament and of the Bureau of the European Parliament, and 
     the mayor of Lisbon from 1995 to 2002. The delegates at the 
     Annual Session also re-elected Pia Christmas-Moeller of 
     Denmark, as a Vice president of the Assembly along with three 
     new Vice Presidents: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan; 
     Wolfgang Grossruck of Austria and Oleh Bilorus of Ukraine.
       The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister 
     Alexander Stubb, addressed the delegates during the closing 
     plenary. He urged movement from managing unresolved conflicts 
     in Georgia and Moldova to solving them. He also asked for 
     continued support for OSCE border-management training in 
     Central Asia as well as for bolstering cooperative security 
     in the Euro-Atlantic region.
       While the Delegation's work focused heavily on OSCE PA 
     matters, the venue presented an opportunity to advance U.S. 
     interests and express U.S. concerns with our Kazakhstani 
     hosts. The U.S. Delegation had meetings with President 
     Nursultan Nazarbayev, Prime Minister Karim Masimov and 
     Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev as well as with prominent 
     Kazakh human rights activists and opposition leaders. Members 
     of the delegation also visited Beit Rachel, the largest 
     synagogue in Central Asia, and met with the chief rabbi and 
     the deputy imam from the Islamic community to discuss inter-
     faith tolerance and protection of religious freedom in 
     Kazakhstan, especially for religious minorities.
       The U.S. delegation held a press conference in Astana, 
     during which we conveyed our willingness to work with 
     Kazakhstan throughout its OSCE chairmanship in 2010. We 
     strongly urged, however, greater progress regarding human 
     rights and political reforms in keeping with the commitments 
     Kazakhstan made at the Madrid OSCE Ministerial in November 
     2007, where the decision on the 2010 chairmanship was made.
       Senator Cardin also used the visit to Kazakhstan as an 
     opportunity to visit nearby Pakistan. He was joined by fellow 
     Commissioners McIntyre and Aderholt as well as 
     Representatives Wamp and Sanchez. The delegation met with 
     President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza 
     Gillani, and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson. 
     During the meetings, the delegation focused on U.S.-Pakistan 
     relations, regional security, as well as human rights and 
     democratic development.
       I hope this summary of the U.S. Delegation's activity is 
     useful to you, and let me thank you and your staff again for 
     making this trip possible. The Eighteenth Annual Session of 
     the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be held early next July 
     in Vilnius, Lithuania, and I hope we can count on your 
     continued support in ensuring that U.S. interests abroad are 
     advanced through active congressional participation in the 
     OSCE PA.
           Sincerely,
                                                Alcee L. Hastings,
     Chairman.

                          ____________________