Honoring the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation and for other purposes.

Eleven.

I thank my good friend and geographic soul mate. Our districts abut each other in South Florida. And I am especially grateful to my good friend from New Jersey for his kind remarks regarding not only the OSCE, but his compliment to me and the work that I've done that could not have been done but for the extraordinary work that he and others that are Members of the CSCE referred to as the Helsinki Commission here in Washington undertake. Chris has been the Special Representative on a subject of vital concern to the world, and that is human trafficking. And he has no peer, not only in this institution, but in the 56 participating states he is fully recognized in that regard.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pleasure to honor the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

My good friend, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and I introduced H. Res. 654 with 16 other colleagues to recognize the contributions of a unique partnership of the OSCE which engages Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia in supporting security and stability in the Mediterranean region.

I would truly like to thank my friends of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, especially Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Subcommittee Chairs Gary Ackerman, Robert Wexler, Donald Payne, Bill Delahunt, and Eni Faleomavaega, as well as Ranking Members Chris Smith and Dana Rohrabacher, who all supported this resolution and demonstrated the pivotal geopolitical importance of positive partnerships with North Africa and the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, it is also my pleasure to welcome representatives of these states to Washington, D.C., for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Seminar on OSCE Mediterranean Partners. As I speak, a reception is ongoing, being hosted by the Speaker of the House for these members who are here for this seminar, and I thank our Speaker as well.

High-level delegations from all of the Mediterranean partner countries are participating in this seminar, along with the president of the OSCE parliamentary assembly, representatives of the Greek chairmanship of the OSCE in office, and other OSCE participating states, including Kazakhstan has representatives here. They're the next chair in office.

Mr. Speaker, for the past several years, I have served as parliamentary assembly special representative for Mediterranean affairs, and it's through this work that I have sought, along with others, to enhance the long-standing relationship between the OSCE participating states and the Mediterranean partners.

In the interest of time, I would put my full statement in as a part of the Record, but I would point out since 1975 much has been accomplished. However, much more needs to be done.

The commission seminar seeks to support these efforts and reprioritize the potential of this essential partnership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends again for their support and urge my colleagues to vote for H. Res. 654 to truly sustain vital diplomatic instruments and partnerships which bring greater stability and prosperity to our world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pleasure to honor the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

My good friend Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and I introduced H. Res. 654 with 16 other colleagues to recognize the contributions of a unique partnership of the OSCE which engages Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, in supporting security and stability in the Mediterranean Region.

I would truly like to thank my friends of the Committee on Foreign Affairs especially Chairman Howard Berman, Ranking Member Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, Subcommittee Chairs Gary Ackerman, Robert Wexler, Donald Payne, Bill Delahunt, Eni Faleomavaega, as well as Ranking Members Chris Smith and Dana Rohrabacher who all supported this resolution and demonstrated the pivotal geopolitical importance of positive partnerships with North Africa and the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, it is also my pleasure to welcome representatives of these States to Washington, DC for the ``Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Seminar on OSCE Mediterranean Partner Engagement,'' which will take place tomorrow and Thursday, here in the Capitol.

High-level delegations from all of the Mediterranean Partner countries will participate in the seminar, along with the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, representatives of the Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE and other OSCE participating States. I invite all of my colleagues to attend and actively participate in the proceedings.

Mr. Speaker, for the past several years, I have served as OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs and it is through this work that I have sought to enhance the long- standing relationship between the OSCE participating States and the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

This relationship dates back to the origins of the Helsinki Process with the signing of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, now the OSCE. The Final Act recognized this unique and important relationship in a specific section on ``Questions relating to Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean.''

In the succeeding decades the OSCE Participating States and their Mediterranean Partners have worked to increase mutual confidence and develop economic and environmental cooperation in order to promote security and stability throughout Europe and the Mediterranean basin. It is through this unique forum that Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia continue to develop their capacity for leadership in the region, all the while exchanging expertise with the OSCE participating States.

Since 1975 much has been accomplished, however, much more needs to be done. The

Commission's seminar seeks to support these efforts and reprioritize the potential of this essential partnership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends again for their support and urge my colleagues to vote for H. Res. 654 to truly sustain vital diplomatic instruments and partnerships, which bring greater stability and prosperity to our world.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 654) honoring the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 654, which honors the Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe for its cooperation with Mediterranean partners. I wish to thank my good friend from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for introducing this resolution. I would also like to commend him for his excellent leadership for many years in the Helsinki Commission, both as past President of the Parliamentary Assembly, and as the current Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs. The important relationship between the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners dates back to the founding of the organization in 1975. The Helsinki Final Act rightly recognized the connection between European and Mediterranean security, as well as the deeply rooted geographical, historical, cultural, economic and political ties between the states in this region. In particular, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia have been active partners in this OSCE partnership.

Since the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was established in 1990, it has called for enhanced collaboration between Members of Parliament from the participating states of the OSCE and Mediterranean legislators in order to promote regional stability and economic cooperation. The House of Representatives is pleased to welcome the representatives of the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation to Washington, D.C. later this week for a seminar on further strengthening ties between OSCE and this region.

In addition to the European Union's Euro-Mediterranean partnership and NATO's Mediterranean dialogue, this OSCE initiative provides another valuable forum in which Israel and its Arab neighbors can discuss issues of common regional concern, both formally and informally. It also gives these Mediterranean and Middle Eastern states an opportunity to learn firsthand about neighboring Europe's ongoing security needs and to benefit, through example, from Europe's hard-won success in establishing viable security structures, looking to the day when a peaceful Middle East will perhaps want to establish its own OSCE-like security architecture.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the OSCE for its efforts to engage more closely with the Mediterranean region and to encourage the Partners for Cooperation to further their efforts to enhance trade, security and economic development. I strongly support this resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman and my good friend from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution today which honors the OSCE's Mediterranean Partners of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. And I do want to express deepest respect and gratitude to Alcee Hastings for his groundbreaking work with each of those six partners. Mr. Hastings is the

former President of the Parliamentary Assembly, and now serves as Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs, and is trying to bring the Helsinki process, the three baskets of the Helsinki Final Act, which emphasize economic issues, human rights issues and security issues and, really, to bring that good, positive process that has worked wonders over the years in election reform. Mr. Hastings has observed--how many is it now, Alcee?

Eleven different elections overseas, usually as the head of the delegation. And we're trying to inculcate those kind of values and to say to our partners, learn from the Helsinki process. It works. It has yielded tremendous results and progress in the area of human rights. And so I want to, again, thank him for his work and again for this resolution.

I'd also like to welcome the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Joao Soares, as well as Goran Lenmarker, who is the immediate past President of the Parliamentary Assembly; Jerry Grafstein, our good friend from Canada, who's also here, who has done yeoman's work again.

Everybody knows about NATO, Mr. Speaker. They don't necessarily, at least in the United States, know about the good work that the OSCE has done all these years. The Parliamentary Assembly was formed in the early 1990s to be, really, the voice of Members of Parliament and Congresses around the 56 countries that make up the OSCE. And we have really become friends. I was Chairman of the Helsinki Commission for 12 years. I've been on it since my second term in 1983, and now serve as ranking member. And Mr. Hastings and Ben Cardin are serving as co- chairs. This is a remarkable organization that, again, far too few people know the contributions that it makes, particularly in the area of human rights.

So again, I want to thank Mr. Hastings and wish him great success with the conference that's underway, but especially for the hard work and very under-appreciated work in reaching out to those partners in the Mediterranean to say, learn from the OSCE and maybe even provides some insights also as to how we can improve our work as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of this resolution, which highlights the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and its Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation. Twenty years ago the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation recognized that, in an increasingly globalized world, the security challenges confronting them in their respective regions were increasingly linked. As a result, they agreed to formalize a diplomatic mechanism to facilitate closer cooperation on a range of issues, including the development of a model strategy to address 21st century security threats and improve stability in the Mediterranean region. The efforts toward this cooperation have already borne fruit, with the Partnership addressing issues such as migration and integration and exchanging information on ``best practices'' in order to develop strategies which reduce feelings of exclusion and estrangement among immigrant populations which, as we've all seen, can contain the potential to motivate some individuals to embrace extremist ideologies.

I note that representatives of the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners will meet in Washington this week to discuss further expansion of relations and to hold a dialogue on shared concerns. Dialogue on these complex but critical issues is a meaningful way to enhance the stability and economic growth of both the OSCE member-states and the countries of the Mediterranean region. I support the resolution which underlines the worthy endeavors being undertaken by the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Mr. Smith from New Jersey may manage the rest of this resolution and the remainder of the Foreign Affairs resolutions.

Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida. There are two distinguished gentlemen from Florida, the manager of this particular legislation, H. Res. 654, and my dear friend who has been leading the Organization for Security and Cooperation for a number of years.

I rise to support this resolution in honor of the efforts by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation because I believe, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the efforts of collaboration that we have addressing the questions of peace and security are crucial.

I'd like to acknowledge some of the aspects of the OSCE's work. The 1999 Istanbul document, the OSCE participating states encourage the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation to draw on the expertise of the participating states in setting up structures and mechanisms in the Mediterranean region. As well, you can also believe or manage to see that the OSCE provides the kind of bridge of cooperation that is very, very important. We welcome the representatives of OSCE that are here. I want to thank Mr. Hastings for his great leadership in this effort.