[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 19 Engrossed Amendment House (EAH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. J. Res. 19
_______________________________________________________________________
AMENDMENT
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
September 6, 2005.
Resolved, That the resolution from the Senate (S. J. Res. 19) entitled
``Joint Resolution calling upon the President to issue a proclamation
recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act'', do pass with the
following
AMENDMENT:
Strike the preamble and insert:
Whereas August 1, 2005, is the 30th 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 (hereafter in
this resolution referred to as the ``Helsinki Final Act'');
Whereas the Helsinki Final Act established a new framework for
relations among countries in Europe and the North Atlantic
region that recognized that respect for human rights is 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 Congress contributed to advancing the aims of the Helsinki
Final Act by creating the Commission 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 in the OSCE (hereafter in this
resolution referred to as the ``participating States'')
declared that ``[h]uman rights and fundamental freedoms are
the birthright of all human beings, are inalienable and are
guaranteed by law'' and that ``[t]heir 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 pro-democracy revolution in Serbia in 2000, the Rose
Revolution in Georgia in 2003, the Orange Revolution in
Ukraine in 2004, and the popular revolution in Kyrgyzstan
in 2005 demonstrate the primacy of popular sovereignty and
the importance of OSCE commitments on free and fair
elections;
Whereas the OSCE and the participating States have undertaken a
series of measures aimed at combating anti-Semitism,
racism, xenophobia, and discrimination and should report on
related progress during the OSCE Conference on anti-
Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance in Cordoba,
Spain, in June 2005;
Whereas the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Charter for European Security and
the November 19, 1999, 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, and commit the participating
States to strengthen efforts to combat corruption,
eradicate torture, and end discrimination against Roma;
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 to prosperity;
Whereas the participating States have committed themselves to
promoting 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 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 awareness of violations of commitments contained in
the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE documents: Now,
therefore, be it
Attest:
Clerk.