Five years ago today the leaders of 33 East and West European nations. Canada. and the United States met in Helsinki to sign the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe Final Act. Originally the conference was promoted by the Soviets as a means to gain formal acceptance of East European political borders. but in the process of the long negotiations the West was able to expand the document to include humanitarian concerns such as the freer movement of people. ideas. and information. family reunification and visits. binational marriages. travel. access to printed. broadcast. and filmed information. improved working conditions for journalists. and increased cultural and educational exchanges. An unforeseen development resulted from the inclusion of these human rights principles in the Helsinki accords. Monitoring groups within the Soviet Union and some Eastern European countries began to form in 1976 with the aim of demanding the full implementation of the pledges made by their governments.
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family reunification