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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 19 Engrossed Amendment House (EAH)]

109th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                             S. J. Res. 19

_______________________________________________________________________

                               AMENDMENT
                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                     September 6, 2005.

    Resolved, That the resolution from the Senate (S. J. Res. 19) entitled 
``Joint Resolution calling upon the President to issue a proclamation 
recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act'', do pass with the 
following

                               AMENDMENT:

            Strike the preamble and insert:

    Whereas August 1, 2005, is the 30th anniversary of the Final Act of 
            the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe 
            (CSCE), renamed the Organization for Security and 
            Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in January 1995 (hereafter in 
            this resolution referred to as the ``Helsinki Final Act'');
    Whereas the Helsinki Final Act established a new framework for 
            relations among countries in Europe and the North Atlantic 
            region that recognized that respect for human rights is a 
            fundamental principle in regulating international 
            relations;
    Whereas, during the Communist era, members of nongovernmental 
            organizations, such as the Helsinki Monitoring Groups in 
            Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, and Armenia and 
            similar groups in Czechoslovakia and Poland, sacrificed 
            their personal freedom and even their lives in their 
            courageous and vocal support for the principles enshrined 
            in the Helsinki Final Act;
    Whereas Congress contributed to advancing the aims of the Helsinki 
            Final Act by creating the Commission on Security and 
            Cooperation in Europe to monitor and encourage compliance 
            with provisions of the Helsinki Final Act;
    Whereas, in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the 
            participating States in the OSCE (hereafter in this 
            resolution referred to as the ``participating States'') 
            declared that ``[h]uman rights and fundamental freedoms are 
            the birthright of all human beings, are inalienable and are 
            guaranteed by law'' and that ``[t]heir protection and 
            promotion is the first responsibility of government'';
    Whereas, in the 1991 Document of the Moscow Meeting of the 
            Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE, the 
            participating States ``categorically and irrevocably 
            declare[d] that the commitments undertaken in the field of 
            the human dimension of the CSCE are matters of direct and 
            legitimate concern to all participating States and do not 
            belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State 
            concerned'';
    Whereas, in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the 
            participating States committed themselves ``to build, 
            consolidate and strengthen democracy as the only system of 
            government of our nations'';
    Whereas the pro-democracy revolution in Serbia in 2000, the Rose 
            Revolution in Georgia in 2003, the Orange Revolution in 
            Ukraine in 2004, and the popular revolution in Kyrgyzstan 
            in 2005 demonstrate the primacy of popular sovereignty and 
            the importance of OSCE commitments on free and fair 
            elections;
    Whereas the OSCE and the participating States have undertaken a 
            series of measures aimed at combating anti-Semitism, 
            racism, xenophobia, and discrimination and should report on 
            related progress during the OSCE Conference on anti-
            Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance in Cordoba, 
            Spain, in June 2005;
    Whereas the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Charter for European Security and 
            the November 19, 1999, Istanbul Summit Declaration note the 
            particular challenges of ending violence against women and 
            children as well as sexual exploitation and all forms of 
            trafficking in human beings, and commit the participating 
            States to strengthen efforts to combat corruption, 
            eradicate torture, and end discrimination against Roma;
    Whereas the main challenge facing the participating States remains 
            the implementation of the principles and commitments 
            contained in the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE 
            documents adopted on the basis of consensus;
    Whereas the participating States have recognized that economic 
            liberty, social justice, and environmental responsibility 
            are indispensable to prosperity;
    Whereas the participating States have committed themselves to 
            promoting economic reforms through enhanced transparency 
            for economic activity, with the aim of advancing the 
            principles of market economies;
    Whereas the participating States have stressed the importance of 
            respect for the rule of law and vigorous efforts to fight 
            organized crime and corruption, which constitute a great 
            threat to economic reform and prosperity;
    Whereas OSCE has expanded the scope and substance of its efforts, 
            undertaking a variety of preventive diplomacy initiatives 
            designed to prevent, manage, and resolve conflict within 
            and among the participating States;
    Whereas the politico-military aspects of security remain vital to 
            the interests of the participating States and constitute a 
            core element of OSCE's concept of comprehensive security;
    Whereas the OSCE has played an increasingly active role in civilian 
            police-related activities, including training, as an 
            integral part of OSCE's efforts in conflict prevention, 
            crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation; and
    Whereas the participating States bear primary responsibility for 
            raising awareness of violations of commitments contained in 
            the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE documents: Now, 
            therefore, be it
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
```