IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 161

Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to the St. Petersburg

Declaration of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Parliamentary Assembly.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 20, 1999

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself, Mr. HOYER, Mr. SAWYER, Mr. SALMON, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. SABO, and Ms. DANNER) submitted

the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to the

St. Petersburg Declaration of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly.

Whereas parliamentarians of the participating states of the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) met in St. Petersburg, Russia from July 6 to

10, 1999, in order to assess OSCE activities and deliberate means to further ensure stability and democracy in

Europe;

Whereas the United States delegation consisted of 17 members of Congress, including—

(1) Representative Christopher Smith, Chairman of

the delegation;
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(2) Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Vice Chair of

the delegation;

(3) Representative Steny Hoyer, Vice President of

the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; and

(4) the following members of the Helsinki Commission: Representatives Matt Salmon, Benjamin Cardin,

and Louise Slaughter, and Senator Kay Bailey

Hutchison;

Whereas the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the St.

Petersburg Declaration, which included United Statesdrafted language on the trafficking of women and children, the assassination of Galina Starovoitova, the conflict in Kosovo, and the infrastructure of southeastern

Europe;

Whereas the section entitled ‘‘The Situation in Kosovo’’—

(1) supports the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in its efforts aimed at ensuring peace, security, and construction

of civil society in Kosovo;

(2) urges all parties involved in Kosovo to make the

utmost effort to ensure the safe return and resettlement

of all displaced persons and refugees, regardless of ethnicity or religious belief, and to work towards reconciliation between all sections of society;

(3) calls upon all the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross full, immediate, and ongoing access to all prisoners arrested in relation to the Kosovo

crisis, and to ensure the humane treatment of such prisoners;

(4) urges OSCE participating states to fully assist

the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in

its efforts to provide justice for all peoples of the region
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and to ensure that those indicted for criminal acts will

be brought to justice and receive a fair trial; and

(5) encourages all viable efforts designed to create

regional stability and promote good neighborly relations

for the future in the Balkans;

Whereas the section entitled ‘‘Regional Infrastructure in

South-Eastern Europe,’’ authored by Senator George

Voinovich, calls upon the OSCE participating states to

mobilize the necessary resources to assist the people of

southeastern Europe in their quest to achieve lasting

peace, as well as economic and political stability;

Whereas the section entitled ‘‘Common Security and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century’’—

(1) calls upon the OSCE to seize current opportunities to strengthen peace and security in the OSCE region

and to further promote human rights and the law;

(2) supports the initiatives of the European Union

to prevent and peacefully resolve the conflicts on the European continent, and to convene a conference on reconstruction in the Balkans in line with the decisions of the

United Nations Security Council concerning peace in

Kosovo;

(3) welcomes the fact that the principles of the Stability Pact for southeastern Europe have been accepted

by Russia, which must find the place it deserves in the

pact’s implementation, and acknowledges that it should

be implemented with the full cooperation of international

organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union, OSCE, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;

(4) recommends that efforts be made to attain even

closer cooperation and coordination with the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the Western

European Union in conflict resolution; and

(5) calls for greater political participation and representation for minority groups in OSCE participating

states, ensuring respect and effective exercise of equal

rights; and

Whereas the section entitled ‘‘The Trafficking of Women and

Children,’’ authored by Representative Chris Smith—

(1) condemns the fact that millions of women and

children are trafficked into the international sex trade, in

gross violation of their fundamental human rights; and

(2) urgently appeals to the governments of OSCE

participating states and countries of origin and destination to adopt legislation and enforcement mechanisms to

punish trafficking perpetrators, while protecting the

rights of the trafficking victims: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) commends the Organization for Security

4 and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly

5 for its commitment to furthering democratic prin6 ciples throughout Europe;

7 (2) urges the United States to recognize and

8 fulfill its role in the Organization for Security and

9 Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly and

10 the principles that have been expounded in the St.

11 Petersburg Declaration; and

12 (3) urges all member states and international

13 bodies of the Organization for Security and Coopera-
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1 tion in Europe Parliamentary Assembly to adopt the

2 principles of the St. Petersburg Declaration and to

3 continue their efforts in securing stability and jus4 tice in Europe and throughout the world.

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