[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16727-16728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HELSINKI FINAL ACT

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 697, 
S.J. Res. 48.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 48) calling upon the 
     President to issue a proclamation recognizing the 25th 
     anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. I ask unanimous consent that the joint 
resolution be read the third time and passed, the preamble be agreed 
to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements 
related to this resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 48) was read the third time and 
passed.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 48

       Whereas August 1, 2000, is the 25th anniversary of the 
     Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in 
     Europe (CSCE), renamed the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in January 1995 (in this joint 
     resolution referred to as the ``Helsinki Final Act'');
       Whereas the Helsinki Final Act, for the first time in the 
     history of international agreements, accorded human rights 
     the status of a fundamental principle in regulating 
     international relations;
       Whereas during the Communist era, members of 
     nongovernmental organizations, such as the Helsinki 
     Monitoring Groups in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, and 
     Armenia 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 the United States Congress contributed to advancing 
     the aims of the Helsinki Final Act by creating the Commission

[[Page 16728]]

     on Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor and 
     encourage compliance with provisions of the Helsinki Final 
     Act;
       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'';
       Whereas in the 1991 Document of the Moscow Meeting of the 
     Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE, the 
     participating states ``categorically and irrevocably 
     declare[d] 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 in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the 
     participating states committed themselves ``to build, 
     consolidate and strengthen democracy as the only system of 
     government of our nations'';
       Whereas the 1999 Istanbul Charter for European Security and 
     Istanbul Summit Declaration note the particular challenges of 
     ending violence against women and children as well as sexual 
     exploitation and all forms of trafficking in human beings, 
     strengthening efforts to combat corruption, eradicating 
     torture, reinforcing efforts to end discrimination against 
     Roma and Sinti, and promoting democracy and respect for human 
     rights in Serbia;
       Whereas the main challenge facing the participating states 
     remains the implementation of the principles and commitments 
     contained in the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE documents 
     adopted on the basis of consensus;
       Whereas the participating states have recognized that 
     economic liberty, social justice, and environmental 
     responsibility are indispensable for prosperity;
       Whereas the participating states have committed themselves 
     to promote economic reforms through enhanced transparency for 
     economic activity with the aim of advancing the principles of 
     market economies;
       Whereas the participating states have stressed the 
     importance of respect for the rule of law and of vigorous 
     efforts to fight organized crime and corruption, which 
     constitute a great threat to economic reform and prosperity;
       Whereas OSCE has expanded the scope and substance of its 
     efforts, undertaking a variety of preventive diplomacy 
     initiatives designed to prevent, manage, and resolve conflict 
     within and among the participating states;
       Whereas the politico-military aspects of security remain 
     vital to the interests of the participating states and 
     constitute a core element of OSCE's concept of comprehensive 
     security;
       Whereas the OSCE has played an increasingly active role in 
     civilian police-related activities, including training, as an 
     integral part of OSCE's efforts in conflict prevention, 
     crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation; and
       Whereas the participating states bear primary 
     responsibility for raising violations of the Helsinki Final 
     Act and other OSCE documents: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress 
     calls upon the President to--
       (1) issue a proclamation--
       (A) recognizing the 25th anniversary of the signing 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;
       (C) urging all signatory states to abide by their 
     obligations under the Helsinki Final Act; and
       (D) encouraging the people of the United States to join the 
     President and the Congress in observance of this anniversary 
     with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities; and
       (2) convey 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 era of democracy, peace, and 
     unity in the region covered by the Organization for Security 
     and Cooperation in Europe.

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