H. Res. 654 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 22, 2009. 
Whereas the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and subsequent agree-
ments and the work of the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as its Parliamen-
tary Assembly and affiliated institutions, encompass what 
is referred to as the Helsinki Process; 
Whereas the 1975 Helsinki Final Act included a specific sec-
tion on ‘‘Questions relating to Security and Cooperation 
in the Mediterranean’’ in recognition of the interrelation 
between security in Europe and security in the Medi-
terranean region; 
Whereas the long-standing relationship between the partici-
pating states of the Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe and the Mediterranean Partners for 
Cooperation, currently Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, 
Morocco, and Tunisia, dates back to the origins of the 
Helsinki Process and is rooted in the important geo-
graphical, historical, cultural, economic, and political 
links between them and the states of the Mediterranean 
region; 
Whereas the OSCE participating states have declared their 
intention to promote the development of cooperative rela-
tions with the Mediterranean Partners and to encourage 
the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in var-
•HRES 654 EH 
ious fields of economic activity and have sought to in-
crease mutual confidence so as to promote security and 
stability in the Mediterranean region as a whole; 
Whereas, since its establishment by the 1990 Charter of 
Paris, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE has 
called for enhanced engagement with the Mediterranean 
Partners for Cooperation and their constituent assemblies 
in the pursuit of improved economic cooperation, and se-
curity and stability in the Mediterranean region; 
Whereas in the 1992 Helsinki Document, the leaders of the 
OSCE participating states committed to widening co-
operation and increasing dialogue with the Mediterranean 
Partners as a means to promote social and economic de-
velopment in order to narrow the prosperity gap between 
Europe and its Mediterranean neighbors and to protect 
the Mediterranean ecosystems; 
Whereas in the 1999 Istanbul Document, the OSCE partici-
pating states encouraged the Mediterranean Partners for 
Cooperation to draw on the expertise of the participating 
states in setting up structures and mechanisms in the 
Mediterranean region for early warning, preventive diplo-
macy, and conflict prevention; 
Whereas the 2003 Maastricht Ministerial recognized that 
threats originating or evolving in adjacent regions are of 
increasing importance, and therefore the OSCE will in-
tensify its cooperation with its Mediterranean and Asian 
Partners for Cooperation, and also encouraged the Part-
ners for Cooperation to embrace the principles and com-
mitments of the OSCE; 
Whereas the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation partici-
pate as observers in the annual meetings of the OSCE
•HRES 654 EH 
Ministerial Council as well as the regular meetings of the 
OSCE Permanent Council and Forum for Security Co-
operation; 
Whereas, the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation ac-
tively participate in the work of the Contact Group within 
the Permanent Council, as well as OSCE yearly events, 
including the Annual Security Review Conference, the 
Economic Forum, the Human Dimension Implementation 
Meeting, and the Annual, Fall and Winter Sessions of 
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; 
Whereas since 1995, the OSCE and the Mediterranean Part-
ners for Cooperation have organized annual Mediterra-
nean Conferences to provide the opportunity for the 
OSCE participating states and the Mediterranean Part-
ners to exchange views on matters of mutual interest and 
to strengthen their cooperative relationship; 
Whereas in 2001, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary 
Assembly appointed the first Special Representative on 
Mediterranean Affairs, Mr. Michel Voisin of France, in 
order to enhance engagement of members of parliament 
from the 56 participating states of the OSCE with mem-
bers of parliament from the Mediterranean Partner 
states; 
Whereas since 2001, successive OSCE Parliamentary Assem-
bly Special Representatives on Mediterranean Affairs 
have been appointed by former Assembly Presidents, Mr. 
Bruce George of the United Kingdom, and Mr. Goran 
Lennmarker of Sweden, as well as by current President, 
Mr. Joao Soares of Portugal, reaffirming the OSCE Par-
liamentary Assembly’s commitment to the Mediterranean 
Partners for Cooperation;
•HRES 654 EH 
Whereas, under the leadership of then-President of the OSCE 
Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Bruce George of the United 
Kingdom, the Parliamentary Assembly convened its first 
conference dedicated to ensuring peace, democracy, and 
prosperity in the region of the Mediterranean in Madrid 
in 2002; and 
Whereas the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has convened 
Mediterranean Seminars at its fall meetings since 2003, 
with the active participation of members of parliament 
representing the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors the People’s Democratic Republic of Al-
geria, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Israel, 
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Mo-
rocco, and the Tunisian Republic for their participation 
in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu-
rope (OSCE) as Mediterranean Partners for Coopera-
tion; 
(2) welcomes the representatives of the OSCE Med-
iterranean Partners for Cooperation to Washington, DC, 
on the occasion of the Commission on Security and Co-
operation in Europe Seminar on OSCE Mediterranean 
Partner Engagement, July 22–23, 2009; 
(3) encourages the OSCE to re-evaluate its past 
practices and ongoing activities in the Mediterranean di-
mension in order to further empower the OSCE Medi-
terranean Partners for Cooperation in the work of the