[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14453-14454]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CALLING ON THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER LEADERS TO ENGAGE IN FRANK DIALOGUE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 530, introduced 
earlier today by Senator Biden.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 530) calling on President George W. 
     Bush and other leaders attending the 2006 Group of Eight (G-
     8) Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia to engage in a frank 
     dialogue with the President of Russia concerning actions of 
     the Government of the Russian Federation that appear 
     inconsistent with the Group's objectives of protecting global 
     security, economic stability, and democracy, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in 
the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 530) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 530

       Whereas the leaders of 6 major industrialized democracies 
     including France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United 
     Kingdom, and the United States, gathered in 1975 for a summit 
     meeting in Rambouillet, France and for annual meetings 
     thereafter under a rotating presidency known as the Group of 
     Six (G-6);
       Whereas the G-6 was established based on the mutual 
     interest of its members in promoting economic stability, 
     global security, and democracy;
       Whereas, in 1976, membership of the G-6 was expanded to 
     include Canada;
       Whereas the members of the G-7 share a commitment to 
     promote security, economic stability, and democracy in their 
     respective nations and around the world;
       Whereas Russia was integrated into the Group in 1998 at the 
     behest of President William Jefferson Clinton as a gesture of 
     appreciation to then-President of Russia Boris Yeltsin for 
     pursuing reforms and assuming a neutral position with respect 
     to the eastward expansion of North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO);
       Whereas, in 2002, Russia was selected to hold the rotating 
     presidency of the G-8 and to host the Summit of the G-8 in 
     2006;
       Whereas the official G-8 statement issued on June 26, 2002, 
     in Kananaskis, Canada regarding the selection of Russia as 
     host of the 2006 Summit stated that the decision reflected 
     ``the remarkable economic and democratic transformation that 
     has occurred in Russia in recent years and in particular 
     under the leadership of President Putin'';
       Whereas in the intervening 4 years since Russia was 
     selected to host the 2006 G-8 Summit, the Government of the 
     Russian Federation has pursued policies that raise serious 
     concerns about the commitment of the Government of the 
     Russian Federation to upholding democratic values both at 
     home and abroad;
       Whereas the United States Department of State 2005 Country 
     Report on Human Rights Practices noted that trends in Russia, 
     including the ``centralization of power in the executive 
     branch . . . continuing corruption and selectivity in 
     enforcement of the law, political pressure on the judiciary, 
     and harassment of some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
     [have] resulted in an erosion of the accountability of 
     government leaders to the people'' in Russia;
       Whereas, in 2005, the independent non-governmental 
     organization Freedom House reclassified Russia from ``partly 
     free'' to ``not free'' in its global survey of political 
     rights and civil liberties;
       Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has placed 
     onerous restrictions and monitoring requirements on non-
     profit organizations operating in Russia that limit the 
     ability of both Russians and non-Russians to create a vibrant 
     civil society in the country;
       Whereas the freedom of the media in Russia has been 
     seriously compromised due to the Government of the Russian 
     Federation's continuing control and censorship of major mass 
     media outlets and efforts to obstruct the reporting of 
     independent journalists;
       Whereas regulators from the Ministry of Culture of the 
     Government of the Russian Federation have reportedly 
     threatened radio stations with revocation of their broadcast 
     licenses if they continue airing material from the Voice of 
     America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), 
     thereby precipitating the largest decrease in the number of 
     outlets for VOA and RFE/RL reporting since the end of the 
     Cold War;
       Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has sought 
     to interfere in the electoral processes and democratic 
     governance of neighboring countries including Georgia and 
     Ukraine;
       Whereas Russia was the only member of the G-8 to applaud 
     the outcome of fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus 
     that were characterized by the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe as evidencing ``a disregard for the 
     basic rights of freedom of assembly, association, and 
     expression'';
       Whereas the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom and other monitoring organizations have 
     reported increased evidence of racism, anti-Semitism, 
     nationalism, and xenophobia among segments of Russian 
     society;
       Whereas, in late 2005, Gazprom, a company majority owned 
     and operated by the Government of the Russian Federation, 
     insisted on a more than four-fold increase in the price 
     charged for natural gas sold to Ukraine and subsequently shut 
     off gas supplies to Ukraine, causing cascading energy 
     shortages in many countries throughout Europe;
       Whereas there have been interruptions in the supply by 
     Russia of energy to Georgia and Moldova;
       Whereas the March 2006 report from of the Independent Task 
     Force on Russia of the Council on Foreign Relations stated 
     that ``to protect the credibility of the G-8 at a time when 
     many are questioning Russia's chairmanship, the United States 
     should make clear that this role does not exempt Russian 
     policies and actions from critical scrutiny'';
       Whereas the United States recognizes and applauds the proud 
     history of achievement, creativity, and sacrifice of the 
     people of Russia;
       Whereas the United States seeks the development of Russia 
     as a strong, responsible, democratic partner in promoting 
     global peace and security; and
       Whereas the United States believes that both the people of 
     Russia and the Government of the Russian Federation will be 
     shackled in their efforts to build a strong society 
     domestically and contribute to the work of the international 
     community so long as the Government of the Russian Federation 
     fails to fully embrace the values of democracy: Now, 
     therefore, be it
         Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
         (1) in order to preserve the integrity of the G-8 as a 
     forum of the leading industrialized democracies of the world, 
     President George W. Bush and other heads of state attending 
     the G-8 Summit should explicitly, frankly, and honestly 
     engage Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in a 
     dialogue about the anti-democratic behavior of the Government 
     of the Russian Federation;
         (2) the United States and other democratic countries 
     should reaffirm their support for civic and non-governmental 
     organizations working to promote democracy and the rule of 
     law in Russia;
         (3) the Government of the Russian Federation should take 
     action to ensure that it guarantees the full range of civil 
     and political rights to its citizens, as it is obligated to 
     do under the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights;
         (4) consistent with its obligations under the 
     International Covenant, the Government of the Russian 
     Federation should take steps to cease its interference with 
     foreign news organizations, including the Voice of America 
     and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty;

[[Page 14454]]

         (5) the Government of the Russian Federation should take 
     action to combat rising racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia 
     in Russian society; and
         (6) the United States and countries of the G-8 should 
     reaffirm their support for new democracies on the borders of 
     Russia and, where applicable, expedite their integration into 
     Euro-Atlantic institutions to provide a bulwark for democracy 
     in eastern Europe and the Caucuses.

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