[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 336 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 336
Expressing the sense of Congress that the continued participation of
the Russian Federation in the Group of 8 nations should be conditioned
on the Russian Government voluntarily accepting and adhering to the
norms and standards of democracy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 2003
Mr. Lantos (for himself and Mr. Cox) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that the continued participation of
the Russian Federation in the Group of 8 nations should be conditioned
on the Russian Government voluntarily accepting and adhering to the
norms and standards of democracy.
Whereas the countries that comprise the Group of 7 nations are pluralistic
societies with democratic political institutions and practices,
committed to the observance of universally recognized standards of human
rights, respect for individual liberties, and democratic political
practices;
Whereas in 1991 and subsequent years, the leaders of the Group of 7 nations,
heads of the governments of the major free-market economies of the world
who meet annually in a summit meeting, invited then-Russian President
Boris Yeltsin to a post-summit dialogue;
Whereas in 1998, the leaders of the Group of 7 nations formally invited the
president of Russia to participate in an annual gathering that
subsequently was known as the Group of 8 nations, although the Group of
7 nations have continued to hold informal summit meetings and
ministerial meetings that do not include the Russian Federation;
Whereas the invitation to President Yeltsin to participate in the annual summits
was in recognition of the commitment of President Yeltsin to
democratization and economic liberalization, despite the fact that the
Russian economy remained weak and the commitment of the Russian
Government to democratic principles was uncertain;
Whereas under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Government
has attempted to control the activities of independent media
enterprises, nongovernmental organizations, religious organizations, and
other pluralistic elements of Russian society in an attempt to mute
criticism of the government;
Whereas the suppression by the Russian Government of independent media
enterprises has resulted in widespread government control and influence
over the media in Russia, stifling freedom of expression and individual
liberties that are essential to any functioning democracy;
Whereas the arrest and prosecution of prominent Russian business leaders who had
supported the political opposition to President Putin are examples of
selective application of the rule of law for political purposes;
Whereas the courts of Great Britain, Spain, and Greece have consistently ruled
against extradition warrants issued by the Russian Government after
finding that the cases presented by the Prosecutor General of the
Russian Federation have been inherently political in nature;
Whereas Russian military forces continue to commit brutal atrocities against the
civilian population in Chechnya;
Whereas the rise to influence within the Russian Government of unelected
security officials from the KGB of the former Soviet Union is
increasingly undermining the Russian Government's commitment to
democratic principles, accountability, and transparency;
Whereas a wide range of observers at think tanks and nongovernmental
organizations have expressed deep concern that the Russian Federation is
moving away from the political and legal underpinnings of a market
economy; and
Whereas the continued participation of the Russian Federation in the Group of 8
nations, including the Russian Government's opportunity to host the G-8
summit in 2006 as planned, is a privilege that is premised on the
Russian Government voluntarily accepting and adhering to the norms and
standards of democracy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the selective prosecution of political opponents and
the suppression of free media by the Russian Federation, and
the continued commission of widespread atrocities in the
conduct of the brutal war in Chechnya, do not reflect the
minimum standards of civilized nations that characterize every
other member state in the Group of 8;
(2) the continued participation of the Russian Federation
in the Group of 8 nations, including the Russian Government's
opportunity to host the G-8 summit in 2006 as planned, should
be conditioned on the Russian Government voluntarily accepting
and adhering to the norms and standards of free, democratic
societies as generally practiced by every other member nation,
including--
(A) the rule of law, including protection from
selective prosecution and protection from arbitrary
state-directed violence;
(B) a court system free of political influence and
manipulation;
(C) a free and independent media;
(D) a political system open to participation by all
citizens and which protects freedom of expression and
association; and
(E) the protection of universally recognized human
rights; and
(3) the President of the United States and the Secretary of
State should work with the other members of the Group of 7 to
take all necessary steps to suspend the participation of the
Russian Federation in the Group of 8 nations until the
President, after consultation with the other members of the
Group of 7, determines and reports to Congress that the Russian
Government is committed to respecting and upholding the
democratic principles described in paragraph (2).
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