IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HELSINKI ACCORDS HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE ONE HUNDREDTH FIRST CONGRESS FIRST SESSION PARIS HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE HELSINKI PROCESS JULY 18, 1989 Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE 101-1-7] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 25-266 WASHINGTON: 1990 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona, Chairman STENY H. HOYER, Maryland, Cochairman DANTE B. FASCELL, Florida FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts TIMOTHY WIRTH, Colorado BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico WYCHE FOWLER, Georgia EDWARD FEIGHAN, Ohio HARRY REID, Nevada DON R=ITER, Pennsylvania ALFONSE M. D'AMATO, New York CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey JOHN HEINZ, Pennsylvania JOHN EDWARD PORTER, Illinois JAMES McCLURE, Idaho FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia MALCOLM WALLOP, Wyoming EXECUTIVE BRANCH HON. RICHARD SCHIFTER, Department of State HON. RONALD LEHMAN, Department of Defense LOUIS LAUN, Department of Commerce SAMUEL G. WISE, Staff Director MARY SUE HAFNER, Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel JANE S. FISHER, Deputy Staff Director MIKE AMITAY, Staff Assistant ANN W. BANCHOFF, Staff Assistant CATHERINE COSMAN, Staff Assistant DANA L. CROSBY, Receptionist OREST DEYCHAEIWSKY, Staff Assistant JOHN FINERTY, Staff Assistant ROBERT HAND, Staff Assistant GINA M. HARNER, Administrative Assistant JUDITH INGRAM, Staff Assistant JESSE JACOBS, Staff Assistant RONALD MCNAMARA, Staff Assistant MICHAEL OCHS, Staff Assistant SPENCER OLIVER, Consultant MARK RAMEE, Senior Advisor for Soviet and East European Affairs BETH RITCHIE, Press Officer ERIKA SCHLAGER, Staff Assistant TOM WARNER, Printing Clerk (11) CONTENTS WITNESSES Page Abram, Ambassador Morris, head of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on the Human Dimension ............................................................. 3 Perina, Mr. Rudolf, deputy head of U.S. delegation to the Conference on the Human Dimension ............................................................ 15 Elliott, Mr. John, served on the National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and recently joined the Board uf International League for Human Rights ............................................................ 27 Alexeyeva, Ms. Ludmilla, consultant to Helsinki Watch and free lance jour- nalist for Radio Liberty and Voice of America ...................................................... 31 APPENDIX Supplemental questions posed to Ambassador Morris Abram in connection with the Paris human rights meeting...................................................................... 39 Statement of Frank Koszorus, Jrl, public member of the U.S. delegation ........... 42 Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, report concerning the Paris Conference on the Human Dimension, submitted by Pamela B. Cohen, National Director.... 47 National Conference on Soviet Jewry statement, July 18, 1989 ............................. 56 Statement of Dr. C.K. Bobelis, President of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania .............................................................. 59 Statement from VISA on the issue of family visits between millions of rela- tives in the USA, the Baltic States, and the USSR ............................................... 63 Commission staff report on the Paris CDH meeting ................................................. 70 Proposal on Free Elections and Political Pluralism ................................................. 89 Proposal on abolition of exit permits and issuing of travel documents ................ 90 Statements by the delegation of the United States of America .............................. 91 (111) PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PARIS HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE HELSINKI PROCESS Tuesday, July 18, 1989 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE Washington, DC The Commission met, pursuant to notice, in room 311, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC, at 2:30 p.m., Senator Dennis DeConcini, Chairman, and Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Cochairman presiding. In attendance from the Commission: Representatives Bill Rich- ardson, Christopher H. Smith, John Edward Porter, Frank R. Wolf and from the State Department Richard Schifter; also participat- ing: Representatives Benjamin L. Cardin and Jan Meyers. OPENING STATEMENT OF COCHAIRMAN HOYER Cochairman HOYER. I'd like to call this hearing to order. I'd like to make a brief opening statement for myself and then recognize Ms. Meyers and Secretary Schifter for such statements as they may want to make. On June 23, the 35 States participating in the Conference on Se- curity and Cooperation in Europe completed the first of three 4- week meetings of the Conference on the Human Dimension. The meeting, which was mandated by the Vienna Concluding Docu- ment, examined a wide range of human rights and humanitarian issues within the context of the Helsinki process. The head of the U.S. delegation to that conference, a very distin- guished American, Ambassador Morris Abram, was instrumental in pursuing the U.S. objective of seeking greater implementation of the human rights and human contacts provisions of the Helsinki Accords. He was a skilled negotiator and orator who won the re- spect of the representatives of the 35 nations. I would like to com- mend publicly the outstanding work of Ambassador Abram and the public delegates, some of whom are with us today. The Public members provided a great deal of substantive infor- mation on compliance with CSCE human rights commitments. Their presence in Paris was extremely helpful in not only setting the tone for future meetings, but also in demonstrating the benefits of having private individuals, all experts in the field of human rights, as members of the delegation. I, along with my House colleagues, Dennis Eckart and Ben Cardin, was able to travel to Paris during the meeting and had the opportunity during the plenary session to introduce a U.S. proposal (1) 2 calling for free elections and the establishment of multiple political parties within all the signatory countries. This proposal represents a long-term Western goal for democracy in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, government based on the will of the people. As we have seen during the past year and indeed during the past week, the citizens of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe long to exer- cise their right to determine their own future, a right which has so long been denied them. The Paris meeting achieved, in my opinion, a number of very positive results. It provided a thorough review of the implementa- tion of commitments undertaken by the participating States when they adopted the Vienna Concluding Document in January of this year. During the Paris review, progress and implementation was acknowledged, as it should have been. However, continued Soviet and East European violations of the rights of national minorities and religious believers and restrictions on the rights of free assem- bly, association, expression, as well as noncompliance with human contacts provisions were also given considerable attention. I believe that the Paris meeting did advance the Helsinki Com- mission's goals of fostering greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. While the meeting was useful, its success ultimately depends on the extent to which it will lead to improved compliance with CSCE provisions. In this regard, I, and I know others, look forward to the testimo- ny of Ambassador Abram and our public member witnesses to hear of their Paris CDH experiences and their estimates of what the future holds for the upcoming meetings in Copenhagen and Moscow. Finally, I would like to add that July 19 marks the 6-month anni- versary of the signing of the Vienna Concluding Document. One of the key commitments made by the Signatory States at the end of that meeting was the resolution of all outstanding human contacts cases within 6 months. To the Soviet Union and others with out- standing cases, I must say the clock is ticking, time is running out, and our expectations of compliance with Vienna remain very much intact and we are hopeful that these cases will be resolved. Before turning to the other members, I'd like to introduce the head of our delegation, Rudy Perina, who was absolutely outstand- ing. We want to thank him for his efforts and for his cooperative work with the Commission staffers who were there with him and Ambassador Abram. Congresswoman Meyers? Representative MEYERS. No opening statement, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to the testimony of Ambassador Abram. Cochairman HOYER. Congressman Cardin? I might say that although Congresswoman Meyers and Congress- man Cardin are not members themselves of the Commission, they are very strong supporters and participants in the Helsinki process. Both have traveled with the Commission to Eastern Europe in their roles as advocates of the agenda of the Helsinki Final Act. I very much appreciate their attendance at this hearing as well. I d like to also recognize Secretary Schifter, a member of the Commission, the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Concerns. 3 Mr. Secretary? Secretary SCHIFTrER. I would offer the same comment as Con- gresswoman Meyers. Cochairman HOYER. Thank you. At this time I'd like to recognize Ambassador Abram for his opening statement. TESTIMONY OF AMBASSADOR MORRIS B. ABRAM, HEAD