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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 278 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 278

 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the announcement of the 
     Russian Federation of its suspension of implementation of the 
              Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 24, 2007

   Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Smith, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. 
 DeMint) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the announcement of the 
     Russian Federation of its suspension of implementation of the 
              Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty.

Whereas the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed at Paris 
        November 19, 1990 (``the CFE Treaty''), was agreed upon and signed by 22 
        States Parties in order to establish predictability, transparency, and 
        stability in the balance of conventional military forces and equipment 
        in an area of Europe stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural 
        Mountains;
Whereas there are now 30 States Parties to the CFE Treaty, including Armenia, 
        Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, 
        France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, 
        Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the 
        Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United 
        Kingdom, and the United States;
Whereas the CFE Treaty is recognized as one of the most successful arms control 
        treaties of the modern era and has served as a cornerstone of European 
        security as the continent emerged from the shadows of the Cold War;
Whereas the CFE Treaty facilitated the destruction or conversion of over 52,000 
        battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat 
        aircraft, and attack helicopters;
Whereas the CFE Treaty continues to enable an unprecedented level of 
        transparency into military equipment holdings and troop deployments in 
        Europe, including over 4,000 on-site inspections of military units and 
        installations implemented since the entry into force of the Treaty;
Whereas, on November 19, 1999, at the Organization for Security and Co-operation 
        in Europe Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, the parties to the CFE Treaty 
        signed an Adaptation Agreement to reflect the dissolution of the Warsaw 
        Pact, the expansion of membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (``NATO''), and other changes in the European geopolitical 
        environment;
Whereas, at the time of the signing of the Adaptation Agreement, the Russian 
        Federation made a series of pledges, known as the Istanbul Commitments, 
        to withdraw its remaining military forces and equipment from the 
        territory of Georgia and Moldova or otherwise negotiate consensual 
        agreements on their continued presence;
Whereas while the Government of the Russian Federation has taken initial steps 
        towards fulfilling the Istanbul Commitments, it continues to maintain 
        troops and associated equipment in both Georgia and Moldova without the 
        express sovereign consent of the governments of either of those 
        countries, and the United States and other parties to the CFE Treaty 
        have therefore refrained from taking steps to ratify the Adaptation 
        Agreement;
Whereas, on April 26, 2007, President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, 
        in a speech to the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, 
        announced his intention to initiate an unspecified ``moratorium'' on 
        Russian compliance with the CFE Treaty, citing the refusal of NATO 
        Members to ratify the Adaptation Agreement, concerns over the proposed 
        United States missile defense deployment in Poland and the Czech 
        Republic, and new basing arrangements between the United States 
        Government and the Governments of Bulgaria and Romania as unacceptable 
        encroachments on the security of the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation subsequently requested, as is 
        its right under the CFE Treaty, an Extraordinary Conference to discuss 
        its outstanding concerns, which was held from June 12 to June 15, 2007, 
        in Vienna, Austria;
Whereas, on July 14, 2007, President Putin issued a formal decree announcing the 
        intention of the Russian Federation to suspend compliance with the CFE 
        Treaty after providing 150 days advance notice to the other CFE Treaty 
        signatories;
Whereas President Putin justified his decision on ``extraordinary 
        circumstances'' that ``affect the security of the Russian Federation and 
        require immediate measures'';
Whereas the CFE Treaty provides a formal mechanism for withdrawal of a State 
        Party from the Treaty following 150 days of notice, but does not contain 
        any provision for suspension; and
Whereas the Department of State, in responding to the announcement by the 
        Government of the Russian Federation to suspend compliance with the CFE 
        Treaty, declared, ``The United States is disappointed by the Russian 
        announcement of its intention to suspend implementation of the 
        Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. The United States 
        remains committed to CFE's full implementation. We also remain committed 
        to the ratification and entry into force of the Adapted CFE Treaty. We 
        look forward to continuing to engage with Russia and the other States 
        Parties to the Treaty to create the conditions necessary for 
        ratification by all 30 CFE States.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the Senate that the decision of the 
        Government of the Russian Federation to suspend implementation 
        of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed at 
        Paris November 19, 1990 (``the CFE Treaty''), is a regrettable 
        step that will unnecessarily heighten tensions in Europe;
            (2) the Senate recognizes the enduring value of the CFE 
        Treaty as a cornerstone of European security and affirms its 
        support for the basic principles of transparency, 
        accountability, host country consent for the stationing of 
        foreign military forces, and the rule of law embodied in the 
        CFE Treaty and the 1999 Adaptation Agreement thereto;
            (3) the Senate strongly urges the Government of the Russian 
        Federation to reconsider its suspension of CFE implementation 
        and engage with the other parties to the CFE Treaty to resolve 
        outstanding problems and establish an agreed approach leading 
        to the eventual implementation of the Adaption Agreement to the 
        CFE Treaty;
            (4) the Senate calls on the Russian Federation to fulfill 
        its Istanbul Commitments of 1999 and move speedily to withdraw 
        all remaining forces and military equipment from Georgia and 
        Moldova;
            (5) the Senate encourages all parties to the CFE Treaty to 
        engage the Russian Federation in seeking innovative and 
        constructive mechanisms to fully implement the Istanbul 
        Commitments, consistent with the principles and objectives of 
        the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 
        and making full use of OSCE mechanisms;
            (6) the Senate calls on all States Parties to ensure that 
        the resolution of the current disputes surrounding the CFE 
        Treaty be considered a priority at the highest political 
        levels, recognizing that the CFE Treaty is important both as an 
        arms control treaty and as an essential building block for 
        stable relations between the Russian Federation and neighboring 
        countries in Europe; and
            (7) the Senate encourages officials of the Government of 
        the Russian Federation to refrain from belligerent statements 
        that only further polarize relations and jeopardize security in 
        Europe.
                                 <all>
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