[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING RONALD McNAMARA'S 25 YEARS OF SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION ON 
                   SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to pay 
tribute to Ron McNamara, and to thank him for 25 years of faithful and 
dedicated service to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in 
Europe, the Helsinki Commission. Ron joined the staff of the Helsinki 
Commission on April 14, 1986, at a time when many OSCE countries 
suffered under Soviet repression and widespread violations of human 
rights and fundamental freedoms.
  Ron's relationship with the Helsinki Commission actually precedes 
1986, having served as the liaison to the Commission for the former 
Senator from New York, Alfonse D'Amato. Perhaps as a result of this 
experience, Ron got up to speed quickly. He was soon negotiating human 
rights and humanitarian issues at the Vienna Follow-Up Meeting of the 
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is today the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE. From late 
1986 to 1989 he was stationed in Vienna and participated in this 
multilateral negotiation--progress in the respect of human rights in 
the Soviet Union and its East European allies had suddenly become 
possible. As part of the team that translated that potentiality into 
reality, Ron stayed on top of ever-changing developments, networked 
with our European allies on strategy, and pressed the one-party 
communist governments to adopt a new set of human rights commitments. 
When the Berlin Wall fell and multi-party elections were scheduled, 
Ron's diplomatic skills helped produce landmark documents which 
solidified democracy as the chosen form of government and clarified the 
understanding that a government's treatment of its citizens is not an 
internal matter but rather a legitimate concern to all. Ron was 
especially instrumental in negotiating new commitments in the area of 
cross-border human contacts, which led to greater freedom of movement 
for those previously denied permission to emigrate to reunite with 
their families or travel to visit family members.
  Throughout the years, he has been deeply involved with preparations 
for the annual sessions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He has 
served as a member of numerous U.S. delegations to various OSCE 
conferences and as an OSCE election observer in Georgia, Belarus, 
Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan. Ron also participated in Commission 
efforts to respond to the genocidal and other atrocities in Bosnia-
Herzegovina. He was particularly active in legislative efforts to lift 
the arms embargo on that country, which had denied it the capacity to 
exercise its rights of self-defense in the face of Bosnian Serb 
aggression. Ron's portfolio has also included work with Turkey, Greece 
and Cyprus, religious liberty issues and combating anti-Semitism. A 
notable result of Ron's work was the willingness of the Turkish 
government to allow a more open dialogue on human rights and civil 
society in return for agreement on holding the 1999 OSCE Summit in 
Istanbul. In addition to his ongoing human rights work, Ron at times 
has had the Commission staff portfolio for security issues and for 
economic cooperation.
  During 2001-2002, Ron served with distinction as Chief of Staff under 
the Chairmanship of Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, and in both 1999-
2000 and 2003-2004 served as Deputy Chief of Staff under my 
Chairmanship. I have often benefited from Ron's counsel and have always 
been impressed by his deep integrity. Since Senator Campbell's 
retirement, he has served in a variety of capacities, including 
International Policy Advisor. His knowledge and insight into the 
workings of the U.S. government and various OSCE institutions has 
proved invaluable to the work of the Commission. He is a man of great 
prudence and justice.
  Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I am very 
pleased to commend and thank Ron McNamara for his faithful, dedicated 
and tireless service to the Helsinki Commission and to the cause of 
human dignity and freedom.

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