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IRELAND’S CHAIRMANSHIP 

OF THE OSCE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND 

COOPERATION IN EUROPE 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

FEBRUARY 8, 2012 

Printed for the use of the 

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 

[CSCE 112–2–3] 

( 

Available via http://www.csce.gov 
COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE 

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS 

HOUSE SENATE 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, 

Chairman 

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania 

ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, Alabama 

PHIL GINGREY, Georgia 

MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas 

ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida 

LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER, 

New York 

MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina 

STEVE COHEN, Tennessee 

BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland, 

Co-Chairman 

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico 

JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire 

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi 

SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia 

MARCO RUBIO, Florida 

KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS 

MICHAEL H. POSNER, Department of State 

MICHAEL C. CAMUN ̃ EZ, Department of Commerce 

ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, Department of Defense 

[II] 
IRELAND’S CHAIRMANSHIP 

OF THE OSCE 

FEBRUARY 8, 2012 

COMMISSIONER 

Page 

Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe .............................................. 1 

WITNESS 

Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Ireland .......................... 4 

APPENDICES 

Prepared statement of Hon. Christopher H. Smith ................. 20 

Prepared statement of Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin .................... 21 

[III] 

(1) 

IRELAND’S CHAIRMANSHIP 

OF THE OSCE 

February 8, 2012 

COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

WASHINGTON, DC 

The hearing was held at 11:30 a.m. in room B-318, Rayburn 

House Office Building, Washington, DC, Hon. Christopher H. 

Smith, Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, presiding. 

Commissioner present: Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, 

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

Witness present: Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister and 

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Ireland. 

HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON 

SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE 

Good morning. And we know that some members of the Commission are en route, so I don’t want to delay you, Mr. Foreign Minister, so we will start but they will be here shortly. 

I want to welcome everyone joining us this morning, especially 

Minister Gilmore, the Foreign Minister of Ireland and Chair-in-Office for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

It is a privilege to have you testify before the Helsinki Commission today, Mr. Minister, on Ireland’s leadership of the OSCE. You 

are continuing a tradition that we have followed for more than a 

decade of hearing directly from the country holding the chairmanship of the OSCE. 

While today many countries in Europe are inwardly focused on 

economic crises—and that goes for the U.S. as well—the world still 

cries out for global leadership, and Ireland has stepped up to the 

plate, accepting the 2012 chairmanship of Europe’s largest regional 

security organization, the OSCE, which does its best work in promoting human rights, democracy, the rule of law and free elections. 

Ireland has, for a long time, been one of the most constructive 

countries within the OSCE, enhancing the credibility of the organization it now leads. Mr. Minister, I thank you and your government for taking on the responsibility—and it’s a huge responsibility—to lead the OSCE. 

Mr. Minister, the Helsinki Commission has a long history of engaging with the OSCE, both through and in cooperation with the 

U.S. Department of State, and independently. And, as Chairman, 

I am very happy with the priorities you have set for the Irish chair-
2 

manship, particularly the emphasis on Internet freedom and your 

plans to hold a meeting this year on that issue. 

I’ve recently introduced and am preparing to mark up a bill in 

my subcommittee, the Global Health, Global Human Rights and 

Africa Subcommittee, known as the Global Online Freedom Act, 

which counteracts the efforts of many governments, including some 

in the OSCE, to purchase U.S. technology to transform the Internet 

into a tool of censorship and surveillance. 

Earlier versions of this legislation were also introduced in the 

European Parliament, so I look forward to working with you on 

this issue, and I think we now have the best draft ever, that really 

and very incisively goes after this witting or unwitting cooperation 

with dictatorships in finding, apprehending and putting into prison 

dissidents and people who are seeking democracy. 

Your ideas for drawing on Ireland’s experience in Northern Ireland’s peace process in reference to protracted conflicts elsewhere 

in the OSCE region also connects a long-standing Commission priority. 

Since the mid-1990s we have held, either in this Commission or 

in my subcommittee—I chaired those hearings—13 hearings on 

Northern Ireland’s peace process, keeping a special focus on the police reform. And the problem of policing, if it went unaddressed, 

would have probably unraveled the entire peace process and the 

Good Friday Agreement. 

Perhaps the key issue the Commission will be pursuing in the 

OSCE this year is international parental child abduction. Last year 

the Parliamentary Assembly passed a resolution urging the OSCE 

to take up the issue of international parental child abduction, and 

urging a ministerial decision on that issue. 

I believe the U.S. government agrees that this is an issue which 

could benefit from a ministerial decision this year. That is, the benefit would go to the children, who suffer greatly. ‘‘Parental alienation’’ is the term of art given to us by the experts in psychology. 

It is a very real and a very significant form of child abuse. And 

governments and national courts need to do more to live up to their 

obligations under The Hague Convention. 

Another important issue will continue to be the fight against 

anti-Semitism, which, following a Commission hearing in May of 

2002, we worked to get the issue of anti-Semitism as a front-burner 

issue, resulting in a series of high-level and ministerial conferences 

on anti-Semitism and a ministerial declaration on combating antiSemitism, the implementation of which has been sadly lacking. 

Many countries have been very, very infirm in terms of their response, even to the chronicling of this horrific millenniums-old 

abuse. 

The work of battling anti-Semitism is now being led by the Personal Representative Rabbi Andy Baker, and I can’t emphasize too 

strongly how important it is to support his work, and I know you 

do, and the work of the other personal representatives to do—and 

to do otherwise by any of us would be a tragic step backwards. 

I know Rabbi Baker personally. I’ve known him for many years. 

He was instrumental in helping us craft the Berlin language. I remember when certain impasses were being reached as to what the 

actual text ought to look like. Now, he was, you know, brilliant in 
3 

coming up with the language that really made all the difference in 

bringing that consensus to bear on combating anti-Semitism, which 

is only getting worse, as we all know. 

I plan on chairing a hearing on UNRWA very shortly, and the 

textbook issue. I’ve done it before. We’ll be doing it again, which, 

sadly, in the Palestinian refugee camps where the textbooks are 

rife with anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli and anti-American rhetoric. And 

even when Fatah was in charge of the PLO, they too allowed 

Hamas—or Hamas had control of education. And if you train kids 

to hate—remember that famous song in ‘‘South Pacific’’? You must 

be taught about hatred being passed on generation to generation. 

I’ve read the textbooks, of course the English translations, and they 

are true and authentic. We even had a witness right here, standing 

where Mr. Glynn is standing, who brought textbooks with him and 

read from them, and they were rife with anti-Semitic hatred. 

And if you tell 12-year-olds and 8-year-olds and hold pep rallies 

about how blowing oneself up is in the interest of the Palestinians 

and the interest of Islam, you will get radical child soldiers, as 

we’ve seen with Joseph Kony’s group in Uganda and elsewhere, the 

Lord’s Resistance Army. They get radicalized. 

So we will be focusing on that further in our Commission with 

a hearing that’s set—Mark, do we have a date for that? 

Mr. MILOSCH. We have early March. 

Mr. SMITH. Early March for that hearing. So it’s something I 

think we all need to be looking at. 

Anti-Semitism is an aspect of larger problems of religious freedom in the OSCE region today. A recent example of intolerance 

took place in Macedonia. I met with a number of parliamentarians 

from Macedonia just last week, where a local Muslim set fire to a 

local church, reportedly in response to the mocking of their own 

faith by other locals. 

We’re all against the mocking of anyone’s faith, but setting fire 

to a church, that is outrageous. It takes the evil to a whole new 

level, and I note with sadness how few political leaders outside of 

Macedonia responded by condemning this violence against a Christian church. 

I’m particularly concerned about the Coptic minority in Egypt. As 

the largest and one of the oldest minorities, they’re suffering portends suffering throughout the region. And make no mistake about 

it, they are suffering. Coptic women and girls, some as young as 

adolescents, are being systematically lured from their families or 

kidnapped off the street corners and forced to change their religion 

and forced to marry outside of their community. 

They frequently suffer physical and psychological abuse, including rape, beatings, forced isolation, and lack of personal freedom, 

both before and after their so-called marriage/conversion. The drugging of victims appears to be commonplace. 

Michele Clark, who is well-known in OSCE circles for the great 

work she did at ODIHR, working on human trafficking—she is an 

internationally recognized anti-trafficking expert and advocate on 

behalf of vulnerable women—estimates that this happens to thousands—thousands of Coptic women and girls each year. And we believe it is getting worse with the rise of Islamist groups, particularly now after the elections in Egypt. 
4 

We know of no instance where the government has prosecuted 

anyone connected with disappearances. And of course Egypt is part 

of our Mediterranean partnership and hopefully a real focus will be 

placed there. 

Punitive tax on Copts was commonplace under Mubarak, and I 

and many colleagues have raised that with Mubarak both in Cairo, 

on trips there, and every year when he made his trip here, but now 

it’s becoming the hallmark of the new regime. We had hoped for 

better. We still hope. And we have tied Egypt’s 1.3 billion [dollars] 

in aid to its treatment of religious minorities. 

There are a number of conditionality clauses in the most recently 

enacted foreign ops bill. One of them is that there be no abrogation 

of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. Another is religious freedom 

and especially the focus on religious minorities. We expect attacks 

to be prosecuted and attackers to spend significant time in jail. 

Mr. Minister, one of the reasons the United States so values the 

OSCE is that its work touches on so many human rights issues. 

And I believe it’s why you and the Irish Government, which certainly values human rights just as highly as the U.S. government— 

you are truly a beacon—will find your work this year rewarding. 

And I look forward to your presentation. 

I would like to note, in the audience—I’m very pleased to note 

that the Minister is joined here today by David Donoghue, political 

director of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs; Brian Glynn, 

the deputy head of Ireland’s OSCE task force. 

And we are also joined by Ian Kelly, Ambassador Kelly, the head 

of the U.S. mission to the OSCE. Ambassador Kelly, thank you for 

the good work you are doing on behalf of the United States. And, 

as always, you are welcome and considered a great friend of this 

Commission. 

Foreign Minister Gilmore, please proceed. 

EAMON GILMORE, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER 

OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 

Chairman Smith, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen. Thank 

you, Chairman, and thank you for your introduction and for your 

opening statement. 

I’m delighted to be here today as Chairperson-in-Office of the 

OSCE. The Helsinki Commission has made a hugely important 

contribution to the work of the OSCE throughout the years, and I 

wish to pay tribute to the dedication of the Commission and all of 

its staff who have participated in these efforts. 

The United States is a crucial player within the OSCE, and I 

know I can rely on its support during our chairmanship. It is of 

course always a pleasure for me to visit Washington, given the special ties which link our two countries. And I will particularly like 

to thank you, Chairman Smith, long-time friend of Ireland, champion of human rights in Northern Ireland and around the globe, for 

your kind invitation to me to join you today. 

This is Ireland’s first time to chair the OSCE. We view the task 

as a unique opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the promotion of European peace and security. 

In 1975, the Helsinki Final Act heralded a new vision in European security, pledging to end East-West divisions and to build a 
5 

more secure Europe. I think we can all agree that that vision has 

largely been realized. The cooperative and inclusive nature of the 

OSCE is its best asset, and it continues to play a significant role 

in conflict resolution and in the promotion of peace, security and 

respect for human rights and the rule of law. 

That being said, there is no room for complacency. The need for 

effective multilateralism is as compelling today as it was all those 

decades ago, particularly now as we faced the most challenging political and economic crisis of recent times. 

As we look towards the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final 

Act in 2015, we have an opportunity to reflect on the contribution 

which the OSCE can make in tackling these global challenges and 

in ensuring its continuing effectiveness. 

Mr. Chairman, I want to turn to some of the priorities of the 

Irish chairmanship. We will be ambitious in progressing work 

across all three dimensions, and we will strive to achieve concrete 

results and to deliver tangible benefits through a small and balanced package of decisions and declarations for adoption at the 

Dublin Ministerial Council in December. 

Ireland has always attached a particular importance to the 

human dimension, and we will aim to make progress in this field. 

Of course, the Helsinki Commission has made a hugely important 

contribution in this area. 

The continuing threat to fundamental freedoms and human 

rights in a number of OSCE participating states is a cause of real 

concern. You have mentioned some of the issues of greatest concern. I can assure you that the Irish chairmanship is committed to 

addressing specific instances where OSCE human dimension commitments are not being met, working closely with the relevant 

OSCE institutions. 

As you know, in Astana, participating states reaffirmed categorically the human dimension commitments are of direct and legitimate concern to all participating states and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of states. 

Our key priority in this dimension will be Internet freedom. As 

in other parts of the world, the threat to freedom of expression online is ever-present in the OSCE region and regrettably appears to 

be growing. 

Our intention is to highlight the simple fact that human rights 

and fundamental freedoms do not change with new technologies 

but extend into the digital age. We will work to ensure that existing OSCE commitments in relation to freedom of expression and 

freedom of the media apply to all forms and means through which 

they are exercised. 

As part of these efforts, we intend to organize a human dimension meeting in Dublin in June, with involvement of key stakeholders such as civil society and ICT companies. I do not think it 

is an exaggeration to say that many governments, including my 

own, are still grappling with the implications of rampant technological change. We can all benefit from an in-depth discussion of 

this kind. 

Human dimension meetings are also planned on a range of other 

topics. I believe that there will be particular interest in our proposal to focus on racism, discrimination, and intolerance in sport, 
6 

in view of the European soccer championships in Poland and 

Ukraine this year, and the Olympic Games in London. 

We are all too familiar with the manifestations of racism and 

other forms of discrimination and intolerance against sportsmen 

and -women. The risk that younger sports fans may inherit prejudices or have them reinforced by their role models is all too evident. 

Nor is this problem restricted to the sports field. We should work 

harder to address racism, intolerance and discrimination in coaching, management, and other areas in the sporting world. Happily, 

sport lends itself to bringing forward good practices, and we aim 

to highlight some of these practices. 

We don’t need to look very far for good examples. A very good 

one is the work of Ambassador Dan Rooney, the United States ambassador to Ireland, who, in introducing the Rooney Rule in the 

NFL helped to achieve a large increase in the number of AfricanAmerican coaches. 

As chairmanship, we will also continue to prioritize the OSCE’s 

efforts to fight intolerance and discrimination based on religion or 

belief, a subject which you addressed comprehensively in your 

opening remarks. 

One of the first decisions I made in January was to appoint three 

personal representatives to deal inter alia with intolerance and discrimination against Jews, Muslims, Christians and members of 

other religions. 

I am very pleased that Rabbi Andrew Baker of the United States 

agreed to continue his excellent work in combating anti-Semitism 

alongside Senator Akhmetov of Kazakhstan, and Mrs. Justice 

Catherine McGuinness, a retired judge of the Irish Supreme Court. 

I was also delighted to appoint a special representative on gender 

issues, Ms. June Zeitlin. Ms. Zeitlin, who currently works at the 

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights here in Washington, DC, has been a leader on women’s issues for more than 30 

years, with extensive public policy experience in the United States 

and globally. We look forward to her work in the year ahead to promote women’s rights and gender equality in the OSCE region, 

working together with the Gender Section in the OSCE Secretariat 

and the gender advisor in ODIHR. 

Our other human dimension priorities include trafficking in 

human beings, freedom of association and assembly, professional 

and ethical standards in democratic life, and freedom of religion or 

belief. It is my hope that an early agreement can be reached on the 

package of meetings so that detailed planning for the individual 

events can begin as soon as possible. 

Ireland is also committed to taking forward, in parallel, the process of review of human dimension meetings, which was begun 

under the Lithuanian chairmanship. We will provide a space for 

discussion of all proposals aimed at improving the functioning of 

human dimension meetings, with a view to concluding these discussions in the second half of 2012. 

The chairmanship is conscious that hard choices may have to be 

made and that delegations will be called upon to show flexibility 

and a spirit of compromise. We hope that you will put your trust 

in the chairmanship. 
7 

I should like to mention just one more area of work in this dimension that is so crucial to the OSCE’s work as a community of 

states committed to respect for human rights, democracy and the 

rule of law. 

Ireland will strive to provide all necessary support to ODIHR 

and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in the crucial area 

of election observation. As has been the case to date, we hope that 

states holding elections in 2012 will issue timely invitations to 

ODIHR to organize election missions. Of course, the United States 

itself holds elections later this year, and we trust that the U.S. authorities will meet their OSCE commitments in this regard. We 

will also work to ensure appropriate followup to recommendations 

made in election observation mission reports. 

Mr. Chairman, the confidence and security-building measures 

adopted within the political-military dimension remain central to 

the enhancement of security in the OSCE region. Our collective 

goal, as agreed in Astana, is to work towards a genuine security 

community. 

To help us to reach that goal, we will call on participating states 

to reflect on the building blocks available to us in the areas of arms 

control, conflict prevention and resolution, and transnational 

threats. This will be the theme for the Annual Security Review 

Conference in June. 

We will also continue the good work carried out last year in updating the Vienna Document, and we’ll work with the 2012 FSC 

chairs in this regard. We will take forward work on tackling 

transnational threats such as organized crime, cyber threats, 

drugs, terrorism and trafficking, challenges which we face in all of 

our societies. 

The economic and environmental dimension has a particular resonance today, given the global economic and environmental challenges with which we are all confronted. Our central theme for the 

economic and environmental forum will be the promotion of security and stability through good governance. There will be a particular focus on measures to counter corruption, money laundering, 

and terrorist financing. 

The first preparatory conference took place in Vienna earlier this 

week, entitled ‘‘Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism.’’ The next will be held in Dublin in April. We 

will also initiate a review of the 2003 Maastricht Strategy Document to ascertain whether it needs to be adopted, and to take into 

account evolving economic and environmental challenges. 

Conflict resolution remains at the core of the OSCE’s mandate, 

a fact which was highlighted by the agreement of the conflict cycle 

decision in Vilnius. We will take forward the implementation of 

this decision, which will assist the OSCE to deepen its involvement 

in all phases of the conflict cycle, and to strengthen its capacity to 

tackle conflict, from prevention to resolution. 

As Chairperson-in-Office, I will seek to make progress towards 

lasting settlements of a number of conflicts in the OSCE area. I 

have nominated two special representatives, Ambassador Pa`draig 

Murphy and Ambassador Erwan Foue`re`, to assist and advise me 

on these issues. They are cooperating with international actors on 

the ground, as well as maintaining close contact with the parties. 
8 

The chairmanship will seek in particular to promote confidencebuilding measures and to address humanitarian needs. 

As regards Moldova and Transnistria, we look forward to welcoming the participants in the 5-plus-2 talks to Dublin later this 

month. We stand ready to build on the momentum created following the successful resumption of official talks at the end of last 

year. 

Ireland strongly supports the Geneva discussions as the best 

forum for facilitating engagement and providing a way forward in 

relation to the situation in Georgia. The first discussion under our 

chairmanship will take place next month. 

We also commend the continuing work of the Minsk Group cochairs in addressing the long-running dispute over NagornoKarabakh. I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Bob 

Bradtke and the other co-chairs and members of Minsk Group 

throughout my term in office. 

Mr. Chairman, as you well know, we in Ireland can empathize 

only too well with those who are engaged in seemingly intractable 

conflicts. In Northern Ireland, the courage of leaders on both sides 

to negotiate and make compromises in the interests of peace, together with the perseverance of the Irish and British Governments, 

as well as international support, in particular from the United 

States, has resulted in a lasting settlement. 

While each conflict situation is different, I believe that sharing 

this experience can support and encourage efforts to resolve conflicts in the OSCE region. With this in mind, I will host a conference in Dublin on the 27th of April, which would present aspects 

of the Northern Ireland example as a case study. I will be joined 

at the conference by the deputy first ministers of Northern Ireland, 

and I am pleased that Senator George Mitchell will also share his 

experience with us. 

Mr. Chairman, I will now turn to some current issues within the 

OSCE region. As I stated earlier, I am committed to addressing 

specific instances where OSCE commitments are not being met, 

and we will work closely with all participating states to ensure that 

their commitments are being fulfilled. 

I would like to mention briefly the situation in Belarus. Continuing erosion of human rights in Belarus is a cause for concern. 

By prosecuting human rights defenders and limiting freedom of association, Belarus is regrettably falling short of its OSCE commitments. 

There is no doubt that a reinstatement of an OSCE presence in 

Belarus in some form will be an important step in the right direction and will send a positive signal to the international community. 

I will maintain an open channel to the Belarus authorities throughout our chairmanship. 

Turning to our wider neighborhood, we can see the changes that 

are underway in the Southern Mediterranean. The OSCE stands 

ready to share its experience with democratic transitions, where 

sought, and through a partnership approach. I welcome the positive 

Ministerial Council decision on Mongolia’s application to become a 

participating state, and we will aim to move this forward during 

our chairmanship. 
9 

As we approach 2014, the OSCE will have an increasing role to 

play in providing assistance to Afghanistan, building on the work 

achieved to date. We will work to implement the decision on expanding the OSCE’s engagement with Afghanistan through concrete projects across all three dimensions, and in close cooperation 

with other international actors and organizations in the region. 

As I said at the beginning, the cooperative and inclusive nature 

of the OSCE means that it is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in building a comprehensive security community. A busy 

year lies in store, both for the OSCE and the chairmanship, and 

I will be in New York tomorrow to present our program to the 

United Nations Security Council. 

I am confident that through effective cooperation with all relevant actors, we can achieve good progress during 2012. Thank you 

for your attention. 

Mr. SMITH. Chairman Gilmore, thank you very much for your excellent statement—very comprehensive. And I know my colleagues 

and I are all looking forward to your leadership. We know it will 

be robust and very effective. Just a couple of questions, if I could, 

on some specific issues. 

You mentioned Belarus, and Belarus has been the subject of not 

only hearings but trips on our behalf. I and some 11 other members were in Belarus a couple of years ago—met with Lukashenko. 

It was a very disappointing, to say the least, meeting. It was more 

of a he spoke, he expected us just to listen. And it was more of a 

diatribe rather than a discussion. 

But, that said, you know, last year 14 OSCE states invoked the 

Moscow Mechanism. And I’m wondering if there’s any indication 

that Belarusian authorities have acted upon any of the reports, recommendations. 

And, secondly, just good news. On January 3rd, the Belarus Democracy Act—and I am the sponsor of that legislation—was signed 

into law by President Obama. It reiterates, strengthens a number 

of provisions of our original law that we passed in 2004. 

And the fact that both the Europeans and the United States 

have lists of abusers that are denied visas, I think it makes it very 

clear that we’re not kidding, that Lukashenko increasingly is isolated. And obviously many of your friends and mine today are languishing in Lukashenko’s prisons. 

We had a hearing a few months ago, and one of the presidential 

candidates testified, and he talked about how he was stripped virtually every day, humiliated and degraded by the KGB, and talked 

about just the awful treatment that he and other political dissidents—candidates, men and women who just simply sought to 

leave their country because of that—found themselves in prison. 

He was one of the lucky ones who got out. There were many others who received long prison sentences. So maybe if you could 

spend a little time on the mechanism, the report, and what you 

think we can do even further to promote democracy and respect for 

human rights in Belarus. 

And I’d just say, parenthetically, I have applied for a visa. I’ve 

been denied. I would love to go and meet with Lukashenko again— 

I’ll give him a copy of our bill—and bring some focus, if you will, 
10 

and Congress’ angst to his ongoing persecutions of people simply 

because they disagree with his dictatorship. 

Sir. 

Mr. GILMORE. Thank you. I thank the Chairman. 

I want to address first of all an issue which you raised in your 

opening statement, and that is the issue of international parental 

child abductions. 

As a party to the Hague Convention, Ireland shares concerns 

about international parental child abduction, and we are keen to 

use the chairmanship to raise awareness of the Hague Convention 

and to highlight the importance of ratification and implementation 

of the convention by all OSCE participating states. 

Regarding the possibility of us seeking a Ministerial Council decision in Dublin, we need to assess whether it will be possible to 

build the necessary consensus. Obviously, to move forward without 

the strong possibility of securing agreement could be counterproductive, and we’re encouraging participating states who wish to 

see ministerial decisions on specific topics adopted at Dublin to 

work closely with other member states—participating states in the 

year ahead to build support. 

With regard to Belarus, there is no doubt that the situation with 

regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus has 

continued to deteriorate since the presidential election in 2010. The 

Moscow Mechanism, as you have said, has been invoked, but the 

Belarus authorities have not acted on the recommendations that 

have been made. 

The election observation mission, which is organized by the 

OSCE’s office, ODIHR, was extremely critical of the presidential 

election, which was characterized by fraudulent activities. Many 

opposition figures and human rights activists were arrested after 

the election. 

Since then, the environment for the opposition has become more 

difficult, with legislation adopted on the legal requirements for 

gatherings and the prohibition on political parties and NGOs from 

keeping assets abroad. This has been accompanied by increased 

harassment of human rights defenders. 

I recently issued a statement expressing concern about the case 

of the human rights defender, Ales Bialiaski, whose appeal against 

his conviction for tax evasion on charges that were almost certainly 

politically motivated was rejected. Bialiaski is now serving a sentence of four and a half years in a prison camp. 

Ireland condemns the harassment of opposition and human 

rights organizations in Belarus. I regret that the situation in 

Belarus has deteriorated. Nevertheless, as OSCE Chair-in-Office, I 

have to keep a channel open to the Belarus authorities. 

And I might add that the situation in Belarus is discussed regularly at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council, of which obviously I’m a member state, and sanctions have been considered 

there; indeed, decisions made in relation to sanctions. 

And, obviously, in our capacity as a member state of the European Union, we identify and support with those. But in my capacity as Chair-in-Office of the OSCE, I think it’s important that we 

keep the channel open to Belarus, maintain that communication 

and hope that we can use our good offices—because at the end of 
11 

the day, what we are talking about, our standards which have been 

agreed by all participating—including Belarus. 

The OSCE—what has been agreed by the OSCE, agreed by consensus—it’s right across the board—and the obligation is on 

Belarus to comply with those standards. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you for that excellent answer. 

Let me ask you, with regards to—and I thank you for your comment on international child abduction. In 2000 I actually wrote a 

law on international child abduction. I and many members of Congress thought that, you know, with the Hague convention it was 

largely taken care of, that the issue, you know, had a mechanism— 

while not enforceable, it binded countries that signed it. 

And I got my big education on a case that arose out of New Jersey. A man by the name of David Goldman was not even allowed 

to see his own abducted son. His wife had passed away. A man, not 

the father, had custody. And an expert on the Hague Convention 

in Rio actually used his knowledge of the Hague Convention to the 

detriment of all attempts to get his son back—David Goldman. 

I traveled with him several times. I met with members of the supreme court. There were some very good jurists in both Brasilia 

and in the supreme court and in Rio de Janeiro. But at the end 

of the day, where there was a determined abducting party, they 

were able to use—and this happens all over the world, as you 

know—appeal after appeal until the child ages out and then there’s 

almost no chance, other than a voluntary reuniting, to get that son 

or daughter or siblings back. 

I found, to my shock and dismay, that we had very few tools in 

the U.S. Government to—other than jawboning and pretty much 

pleading, to say please send our kids back—we’ve got about 2,500 

children—Japan never sends anybody back. There was a recent 

case but it was filled with extenuating circumstances. But once 

those kids get there, they don’t come back. And Japan obviously is 

not a signatory. 

In two weeks I’m marking up a bill—maybe it will be three— 

again, International Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2012. It 

was my lessons learned and my staff’s lessons learned from what 

we can’t do as a government to try to effectuate the return of these 

children. 

And as I said earlier, it is under-appreciated just how bad parental alienation is, the poisoning of that child’s mind vis-a`-vis the 

left-behind parent. And so it’s been a wakeup call to me and I 

think many of my colleagues. 

Our embassy did a great job with welfare and whereabouts. 

They’re totally empathetic to the left-behind parent. The bottom 

line is I know that—and, you know, Ambassador Kelly is working 

hard. It would be very important if that could be a ministerial decision, because we need to relook at this. 

The Hague Convention reads beautifully, but how do you enforce 

it? We’re going to take some of our penalties that we learned work 

on religious freedom and in the area of trafficking—and I wrote the 

trafficking laws for the U.S., and I know they’re working—to try 

to get states to realize it’s a government-to-government fight. Otherwise if it’s left-behind parent versus government indifference or 

complicity, they lose. They lose almost every time. 
12 

So I would ask you and appeal to you—and I know you’re empathetic—do everything you can to get that on the docket because 

these kids are being hurt. It is child abuse in plain sight. That if 

we do more in the OSCE—who better than the OSCE to do so? So 

that’s pretty much an appeal as well as a question. 

Internet freedom, if I could. I know that you’re very strong on 

that issue. I know Russia blocked the ministerial decision on this 

subject in Vilnius last December. If you might want to speak to 

that further because obviously we have a Global Online Freedom 

Act that we will mark up in a few weeks as well. 

I’m the one who chaired the hearings that had Google, Microsoft, 

Cisco and Yahoo all taking the oath. And most of it was focused 

on China, but we know that Belarus—we know that many countries are using the Internet increasingly to completely stop dissidents and human rights activists, and to find and put them into 

prison as a result of what they post online or what their emails 

might contain. 

So that’s a very important issue, and I would hope that at the 

meeting that will be held on the Internet, there will be a focus on 

anti-Semitic hate and some of the other issues that continue to exacerbate that problem. If you just want to comment or—— 

Mr. GILMORE. Well, thank you, Chairman. 

First of all, in relation to the issue of child abduction—and you 

have, I think, described very well what can happen and what is 

happening in practice and how courts are used in different countries. The time elapses and the child grows up and alienation from 

parents is exacerbated. 

I have some experience of this as foreign minister of my country 

where our consular services are called upon. And this is something 

of course—we’re dealing with this in, I suppose, a more modern 

and sometimes more complex set of circumstances where people’s 

parentage of children of different countries—parents from different 

countries, family arrangements, are somewhat more complex; in 

some cases perhaps sometimes less stable than had traditionally 

been the case. Very, very complex sets of circumstances arising and 

ending up in the courts, and very real human problems associated 

with it. 

Can we get a decision in relation to child abduction issues 

through the OSCE again? We operate on the basis of consensus, 

and if there’s a willingness obviously on the part of participating 

states to work towards a decision on this, then certainly as chairin-office I will be happy to work with that and to facilitate that. 

So it is an area that we have to keep under review. 

You raised the wider issue of human trafficking, and I referred 

to that in my contribution. I know that all of our OSCE partners 

are unanimous in the view that it is vital that the public is made 

aware, first of all, of the existence of this terrible crime, and that 

national authorities take the necessary step, legislatively and operationally, to deal with the perpetrators. 

Ireland has made significant progress in fighting this crime, 

which knows no boundaries. Our intention would be to organize a 

human dimension meeting during 2012, focused on labor trafficking, which is really a modern-day form of slavery. 
13 

And in this regard, it’s vitally important to highlight that perpetrators are not limited to those involved in the physical transfer 

of victims from one country to another, but includes those who recruit them, those who employ them, and those who exploit them in 

many other ways. 

In relation to the issue of Internet freedom and our intention to 

hold a conference on Internet freedom, I’m sure you regret that it 

wasn’t possible to get agreement on this issue in Vilnius. The conference on Internet freedom which we planned to hold is scheduled 

to take place in Dublin in June. 

Our intention is to bring together experts from OSCE states from 

industry, from civil society, and to look at how the OSCE commitments, in relation to freedom of expression and freedom of the 

media, are being applied to the online world. 

Now, we’re not seeking to agree to new commitments, but to ensure that the existing commitments apply seamlessly between offline and online worlds. The intention is to shine a spotlight on particular issues which might need more attention, such as the need 

for greater transparency by states in their request to—the various 

requests that they make to Internet companies for data. 

But I think the general principles that we’ve got to apply here 

are the principles in relation to freedom of expression or freedom 

of the media, which have already been agreed and accepted by the 

OSCE, and to look at how that can be applied to online media. 

Mr. SMITH. OK. Part of what we’re going to be doing in our Global Online Freedom Act is to focus on the censorship issue, but even 

more so on the selling of those capabilities by U.S. companies, and 

what due diligence, or lack of it, those who list on the U.S. Stock 

Exchange are doing relative to surveillance capabilities, to dictatorships and countries that really are using that capability just as 

they would use any other weapon to undermine or arrest and jail 

people who are just calling out for freedom of religion and democracy. 

On trafficking, if I could share a best practice which I’m sure 

you’re familiar with but ask you if, during you chair in office, you 

could put some additional push behind it. At the parliamentary assemblies I’ve raised the issue repeatedly, as the OSCE special rep 

for trafficking, of what is a high-impact, low-cost effort to train 

flight attendants and others as to how to spot, whether it be labor 

or sex trafficking, while it’s happening. 

And some outstanding flight attendants have actually saved people en route. One case was from Moscow to New York, where they 

noticed six women who were with one man, and it just looked 

awful and suspicious. En route, while the ladies were using the 

restroom, struck up a conversation, was sufficiently suspicious that 

they had the pilot call upon offloading. They interviewed and found 

out that all six were being trafficked. 

That has morphed into a very, very robust effort of training by 

Delta Airlines. Carlson, Hilton, Global Exchange Tours, others are 

all doing it. We’ve had some hearings here where we’ve heard just 

how—you know, situational awareness, how well it is working. 

Now the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has come up 

with a very fine training package which should be shared, I think, 

with all the OSCE countries, every country in the world. In talking 
14 

to our friends in the Netherlands, some of our Parliamentary Assembly friends have brought that. And KLM is now doing it, or 

have made commitments to do so, as have a few other countries. 

So, you know, it’s something Aer Lingus, all of us should be 

doing. And I think, you know, just perhaps having something— 

we’ll give you all the information, as well as the new initiative by 

the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is outstanding. 

And it works. Eyes and ears—you know, close out the number of 

places. And they’ve got to transport them. 

You mentioned the labor trafficking, which is equally covered by 

U.S. legislation and Palermo protocol as well. When Rabbi Baker 

and I and Ambassador Kelly were in Prague for a very important 

summit on public discourse and anti-Semitism, I learned while I 

was there that there were a number of Vietnamese laborers of 

questionable origin in terms of how they got there. 

And I would note I’ve had two hearings on human rights in Vietnam. And Vietnam, like China, is now becoming one of the worst 

violators of labor trafficking and are sending people all over the 

world—mostly in Asia, mostly in Taiwan, but also, we believe, to 

Europe. 

And when I learned that—I have a bill up in two hours called 

the Human Rights in Vietnam Act, and it focuses on trafficking 

and the fact that we need to do much more to find out who these 

people are, how they got there. 

And we think there’s a suspicion—we haven’t been able to prove 

it—that many of those people in Prague, in and around obviously 

in the Czech Republic—may have been trafficked, because labor 

trafficking has become an extremely lucrative endeavor for the Vietnamese government. 

They’re selling their people all over the world. And the first case 

prosecuted my law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, 

was a case involving Vietnam and American Samoa—labor trafficking, ultra-big sweatshop. So we know they’re doing it, and they 

have not abated. They’re getting worse. 

So if you could look into that, I’d appreciate that. But the airlines 

issue, it’s camera-ready. It’s all ready to be just rolled out, and that 

training can be extremely useful to everyone. 

Mr. GILMORE. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Chairman. 

And, first of all, can I agree with you about the fine work that 

the Parliamentary Assembly is doing. And I think this is a very important dimension of the OSCE’s work that the Parliamentary Assembly—which elected representatives of the people like you and I 

touch the concerns that people have. And that brings a particular 

perspective and a real focus to the work of the OSCE. 

It certainly is my intention to work closely with the Parliamentary Assembly during this year. And only last week we had president and the secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly with 

us in Dublin and had very good discussions with them. 

I think in particular, and I think in relation to human trafficking, I think it is important that we use the best practice which 

is available, and I very much welcome the initiatives that are being 

taken on airlines, in training of flight attendants and so on to be 

on the lookout for the trafficking of people. 
15 

Of course, not all of the trafficking is by air. You know, it may 

not be as easily detected. But it is difficult to travel from one end 

of a continent to another—one end of a land mass to another, however one does it, by road or rail or air, without somebody being 

aware that something is going on. And I think you’re absolutely 

right that we do need to develop a best practice sense in that area. 

On the labor trafficking area, as I’ve indicated, this is an area 

where we intend to hold an event or a meeting on labor trafficking 

particularly. And, again, I think it’s important that we look here 

at—that there is the trafficking, the actual trafficking aspect of the 

problem, where those who are directly involved in the trafficking 

per se. But I think there are issues here which we can address 

about the employment of people who are trafficked. 

People—individuals, households, companies, organizations who 

employ people who they know are from overseas, whom they know 

are in difficult circumstances and who employ them very often in 

pay and conditions which are significantly less than applied generally in the local economy, they must know that they are dealing 

with people who—I believe that they know that they are exploiting 

those people, and they must have doubts as to how those people 

came to be in the country in the first place. 

And I think that, you know, we need to put some focus on the 

employment side of labor trafficking. People, for example, who end 

up in domestic service in the homes of some of the great and the 

good sometimes, we need to—we need to sharpen our focus on that 

and to deal with that problem at source, at the point of employment. 

So I think there are obligations on participating states of the 

OSCE, who in many cases have minimum legal standards of labor 

protection to ensure that those are applied in a way that people 

who are trafficked are not—[inaudible]. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Let me just ask one final question on the Ukraine, and with regards to former Prime Minister Tymoshenko’s arrest. And with the 

upcoming October elections, can the Ukrainians meet a free and 

fair standard if that incarceration—or that disqualification, if you 

will, from even participating is not reversed? 

And, you know, your thoughts on that, because we’re very concerned about the trend line, and I’m sure you are as well, in 

Ukraine. Freedom House has downgraded Ukraine from free to 

partly free because of this deterioration, and it seems to me that, 

you know, all of us are in favor of a free and democratic Ukraine 

and don’t like the trend lines. Your thoughts? 

Mr. GILMORE. Well, thank you. I’m deeply concerned about the 

case of the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. 

And these concerns relate to the outcome and conduct of her trial 

as well as the outcome of the appeal that concluded in December. 

Concerns have also been widely expressed about reports of the conditions of her detention, and I continue to encourage the Ukrainian 

authorities to address and to resolve these concerns. 

And I’m conscious of the fact that Ukraine will succeed Ireland 

as the Chair-in-Office of the OSCE. I believe that Ukraine’s role in 

the OSCE is important, and I hope that in preparing for this role, 
16 

the authorities in Kyiv will appreciate the need to address the significant concerns that have been widely expressed. 

There is, as you know, a proposal for an association agreement 

between Ukraine and the European Union that’s currently awaiting initialing. I have long favored bringing the EU and Ukraine 

closer together. I think that’s a sentiment shared by the great majority of the Ukrainian people. 

But this, however, is not an uncritical engagement, and the 

Ukraine-EU summit which took place in December was the occasion for some strong messages from the EU side, including some 

strong messages on the issue of Ms. Tymoshenko’s case. It is an 

issue, certainly, that we’re going to give very much to the fore or 

our talks and our discussions. 

Mr. SMITH. Again, in closing, if I could just reiterate that strongest appeal to—and I know you will do this, so I’m talking to the 

choir but, to the greatest extent, backing the three religious freedom representatives. Many of us who follow religious freedom—and 

I’ve been in Congress now 32 years—I think it is getting worse, 

and demonstrably worse everywhere. 

You know, the number of anti-Semitic acts that are occurring in 

the U.S., particularly on our college campuses, is rising. And, you 

know, it’s worth noting that—you know, sometimes people say, 

well, why the emphasis on anti-Semitic hate? In the United 

States—and you probably know this—the FBI tracks these acts of 

hate, and in their annual report, traditionally just under 75-or-so 

percent of all the incidents are directed against Jews, and under 

10 percent directed against Christians, and under 10 percent 

against Muslims. 

And when you look at the disproportionality of the number of 

Jews that actually live in the U.S., the number far exceeds—any 

way you look at it, the focus is there, and we’re seeing a rise in 

it. And you know as well in Europe it’s the same. 

A few years ago we had a hearing with Natan Sharansky, the 

great leader, obviously, who was finally let out—and you know this; 

everyone knows it—by the KGB, did this zigzag because he just 

wouldn’t follow orders that the Soviet Communists imposed upon 

him. 

Well, he came here twice and testified, and he brought with him 

a soap opera clip, two of them. And seeing is believing. I had never 

seen this before. And, as a matter of fact, I actually went to Perm 

Camp 35 where he was in the 1980s, right after he got out, and 

to see what this man had endured, the torture and the isolation, 

and to see how he never once wavered in his commitment to freedom. 

Well, he showed this video that is being now broadcast throughout Europe through satellite television, and all the modern means 

of communications. And he said, this is what they feed on—‘‘they’’ 

being many people in the Muslim world—and this gross, grotesque 

caricature of Jews that is painted. 

And they actually showed this little boy named Christopher having his throat slit and the blood pouring into matzoh. And he 

talked about blood libel and the other outrages committed against 

the Jewish people. This is Sharanksy. And he said, then they turn 

it into humor and they turn it into documentaries. And he said, 
17 

this is what they feed on. And you wonder why these kids are so 

filled with hatreds towards Jews. 

And even Ahmadinejad’s most recent statement, and the Great 

Leaders website, which I went and checked out, which talked about 

the justification for the destruction of Israel because Israel is an 

impediment to Islam, and all of this—you know, this hatred giving 

some kind of religious basis. 

You know, more than ever we need to be backing—and we certainly do in the United States—Rabbi Baker’s mission, as well as 

the other two, which I’m so glad you have picked people who will 

really do the work. But this Commission remains absolutely committed in a bipartisan way to pushing these issues, because they 

are getting demonstrably worse. 

As I said before, we will be holding a hearing in March on the 

textbooks and the anti-Semitism that is rife in UNRWA camps, 

which, again, feeds into this whole combustible stew of hatred that 

is just exploding. 

So I thank you so much for your leadership. And we look forward 

to working with you. Any final thoughts before we conclude? 

Mr. GILMORE. Well, thank you. Thank you very much, Chairman. 

It’s been a great privilege to have the opportunity of exchanging 

questions and answers—— 

Mr. SMITH. Yeah. 

Mr. GILMORE. ——and thoughts with you. 

I think that we have to work through 2012 and beyond to ensure 

that the commitments which have been entered into by the OSCE 

participating states are honored by all participating states, and 

that we deepen those where we can and that—I think we also, I 

think, as we approach the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final 

Act, I think it is worth reflecting on the huge contribution that the 

OSCE has made to peace and security in Europe and in that whole 

region, from—as we say, from Vancouver to Vladivostok. 

You think of the—when the Helsinki Final Act was concluded, 

the state of tension that there was between two superpowers and 

all of the attendant issues that surrounded that, and the progress 

that has been made over that period of time. 

We have the continuing conflicts, the protracted nature of those 

conflicts. We still have to deal with them and make a contribution 

to that this year. But we also have to deal with the new issues 

which are emerging, some of which we touched on today. And I 

think we have to work to find practical solutions to those. 

And I think some of the talks that we’ve exchanged here today 

and some of the suggestions that you have made, Chairman, I 

think will be extremely useful to us in carrying that work forward. 

So, again, I thank you for—— 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Mr. GILMORE. ——the huge interest that you have taken and 

that you are taking, and the work of the OSCE, and finally, in particular, the interest that you have taken over many years in our 

issues and affairs in Ireland. And it’s great to be here among 

friends. Thank you. 

Mr. SMITH. That’s great. And I would like to thank you for Michael Collins, your ambassador. Again, I’ve been here over three 

decades, interfaced with ambassadors and people representing 
18 

their countries. Nobody does it with greater professionalism and integrity than he does. He has been a joy to work with. And I know 

members on both side of the aisle feel that way. So, thank you so 

much for Michael Collins. 

The hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 1:30 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.] 
(19) 

A P P E N D I X 
20 

PREPARED STATEMENTS

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON

SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

Good morning and welcome to everyone joining us this morning, especially Minister Gilmore, the Foreign Minister of Ireland and Chair in Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

It is a privilege to have you testify before us today, Mr. Minister, on Ireland’s 

leadership of the OSCE. You are continuing a tradition that we have followed for 

more than a decade of hearing directly from the country holding the chairmanship 

of the OSCE. 

While today many countries in Europe are inwardly focused on economic crises, 

the world still cries out for global leadership. And Ireland has stepped up to the 

plate, accepting the 2012 chairmanship of Europe’s largest regional security organization, the OSCE, which does its best work in promoting human rights, democracy, 

the rule of law, and free elections. 

Ireland has for a long time been one of the most constructive countries in the 

OSCE, enhancing the credibility of the organization it now leads. Mr. Minister, I 

thank you and your government for taking on the responsibility to lead the OSCE. 

Mr. Minister, the Helsinki Commission has a long history of engaging with the 

OSCE, both through and in cooperation with the State Department and independently, and as Chairman I am very happy with the priorities you have set for the 

Irish chairmanship—particularly the emphasis on Internet freedom and your plans 

to hold a meeting this year on that issue. I have recently introduced and am preparing to mark up a bill on this issue, the Global Online Freedom Act, which counteracts the efforts of many governments, including some in the OSCE, to purchase 

U.S. technology to transform the Internet into a tool of censorship and surveillance. 

Earlier versions of this legislation were also introduced in the European parliament. 

So I look forward to working with you on this issue. 

Your ideas for drawing on Ireland’s experiences in the Northern Ireland peace 

process in reference to protracted conflicts elsewhere in the OSCE region also connects to a long-standing Commission priority—since the mid-1990s we have held 13 

hearings on Northern Ireland and the peace process, keeping the issue of police reform on our government’s and the British government’s agenda. 

Perhaps the key issue the Commission will be pursuing in the OSCE this year 

is international parental child abduction. Last year the Parliamentary Assembly 

passed my resolution urging the ‘‘OSCE to take up the issue of international parental child abduction,’’ and urging a ministerial decision on the issue. I believe the 

U.S. government agrees that this is an issue which could benefit from a ministerial 

decision this year—that is, the benefit would go to the children, who suffer as the 

number of international parental abductions continues to climb, while governments 

and national courts do not always live up their obligations under the Hague convention. 

Another important issue will continue to be the fight against anti-Semitism, 

which, following a Commission hearing in May 2002, I and a number of other commissioners, including Co-Chairman Cardin, worked successfully to put on the front 

burner of the OSCE—resulting in a series of high-level and ministerial conferences 

on anti-Semitism and in a ministerial declaration on combating anti-Semitism—the 

implementation of which has been sadly lacking. 

The work of battling anti-Semitism is now being led by the Personal Representative, Rabbi Andy Baker, and I can’t emphasize too strongly how important it is to 

support his work and the work of the other Personal Representatives—to do otherwise would be a tragic step backward. 

Mr. Minister, one of the reasons the United States so values the OSCE is that 

its work touches on so many human rights issues—I believe this is why you and 

the Irish Government, which certainly values human rights just as highly as the 

U.S. Government, will find your work this year rewarding. I look forward to hearing 

your presentation. 
21 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, CO-CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION

ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

I welcome today’s Helsinki Commission hearing with Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, His Excellency Eamon Gilmore, currently serving as the 

Chair-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 

Ireland assumes this important leadership role amid numerous challenges, especially in the human dimension. Like other members of the Commission, I am grateful that the OSCE will benefit from clear-headed Irish leadership amidst this host 

of trials. These include the ongoing crackdown in Belarus and lingering, unresolved 

issues stemming from the outbreak of conflict in Kyrgyzstan in 2010. The unsettled 

political situation in Russia, with presidential elections set for March, also warrants 

our close attention. 

The recent shooting of protesters by security forces in Kazakhstan may mean that 

Kazakhstan’s repressive government is not or is no longer as stable as it has long 

claimed, and human rights violations may contribute to instability there. I want to 

express agreement here with the U.S. Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Ian 

Kelly, who last year called 2010 a year of missed opportunities for reform in 

Kazakhstan—reform that could have put the country on a more secure and democratic footing today. 

I am also concerned about some of the areas that are not necessarily on the front 

pages right now. I have visited many of the countries in the Balkans in recent 

years, including Serbia last July. The OSCE has done so much to foster peace, security, and human rights in this part of the OSCE region—we must not leave business 

in the Balkans unfinished now. Bosnia and Kosovo are of particular concern to 

many of us right now. 

And while I am greatly interested in exploring ways to transfer lessons learned 

in the OSCE region to other areas, particularly in Mediterranean Partners, where 

the prospect of meaningful democratic reform is now before us, we must not overlook serious human rights problems that remain in some participating States. 

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan remain the most repressive countries in the region, 

and their egregious human rights records deserve more attention. 

Even countries that have already achieved great accomplishments in advancing 

democracy and human rights can sometimes experience backsliding—as the United 

States knows all too well. In its most recent annual report on Freedom in the World, 

Freedom House voiced particular concern about backsliding in Hungary, Ukraine, 

and Turkey, warning that ‘‘the democratic credentials of each is coming under question.’’ Clearly, more must be done to ensure not only democracy’s advancement, but 

to prevent it from slipping away. Like the United States, the European Union must 

openly address the situation in countries among its ranks if it hopes to be a credible 

voice for change in other OSCE participating States. 

I believe the OSCE has the potential to make significant contributions in all these 

areas, and I support the Irish Chairmanship as it seeks to maximize this potential. 

As Ireland takes on this task, I urge you to work with—and protect the independence of—your partners in this endeavor: the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the Office for Democratic 

Institutions and Human Rights. Each of these institutions are making important 

contributions every day, from the High Commissioner’s Bolzano Recommendations 

on Inter-State Relations, to the ODIHR’s on-going implementation of the EU grant 

for Roma integration in the Balkans, to the Representative on Freedom of the Media’s tireless reporting on the day-to-day threats to journalists and free speech. 

Field Missions need to be given similar independence if they are to address the 

real challenges of post-conflict recovery and democratic development, including respect for the rule of law. 

I welcome the reappointment of the Personal Representatives focused on combating anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. The OSCE has developed a singular body of commitments in this area, but concrete implementation of them needs 

improvement. I am encouraged by Ireland’s intention to continue work toward that 

goal. 

Finally, this year I am concluding my second three-year term as a Vice President 

of the Parliamentary Assembly. Before taking this position, I also served as a Committee Officer for several years. I have enjoyed this active engagement in the OSCE 

process and believe that parliamentarians and diplomats are both essential to its 

success. I hope you agree, Mr. Minister, and will strive to maximize the impact of 

both. 

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