Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 1.djvu/422

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

104 STAT. 388 PUBLIC LAW 101-341—JULY 31, 1990 brought into harmony with the provisions of the Declaration of Principles and other CSCE commitments"; Whereas the participating States have committed themselves to "respect the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, acting at all times in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with the relevant norms of international law, including those relating to territorial integrity of States"; Whereas the participating States have recognized that respect for human rights is an essential aspect for the protection of the environment and for economic prosperity; Whereas the participating States have committed themselves to respect fully the right of everyone to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country; Whereas the participating States have made it their aim to "facilitate freer movement and contacts, individually and collectively, whether privately or officially, among persons, institutions and organizations of the participating States, and to contribute to the solution of the humanitarian problems that arise in that connection"; Whereas the Helsinki accords also express the commitment of the participating States to "facilitate the freer and wider dissemination of information of all kinds, to encourage cooperation in the field of information and the exchange of information with other countries"; Whereas the dramatic changes which have occurred within the last year in many signatory States have brought the human rights promises of Helsinki closer to fruition; Whereas, despite significant improvements, all participating States have not yet fully implemented their obligations under Principle VII of the Helsinki accords to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and under Basket III of the Helsinki accords to promote free movement of people, ideas and information; Whereas on January 19, 1989, representatives from the signatory States agreed on the Concluding Document of the Vienna Follow- Up Meeting, a document which has added clarity and precision to the obligations undertaken by the States in signing the Helsinki accords; Whereas by agreeing to the Concluding Document, the signatory States "reaffirmed their commitment to the CSCE process and underlined its essential role in increasing confidence, in opening up new ways for cooperation, in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and thus strengthening international security"; Whereas the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe of the thirty-five signatory States of the Helsinki accords has made major contributions to the positive developments in Eastern and Central Europe, including greater respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals and groups; and Whereas the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe provides an excellent framework for the further development of genuine security and cooperation among the participating States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That—