It is therefore clear that. while the Helsinki accords are not legally binding in the sense in which international law is properly thought to be. its provisions are very much consistent withand among the most prominent affirmations ofinternational obligation. The Government of the Soviet Union has voluntarily undertaken to guarantee to its citizens the right to associate and travel across borders. and for families to be reunited through emigration. Leonid Brezhnev did not sign the Final Act at Helsinki under duress. His successor. Mikhail Gorbachev. is bound to uphold it. as his government is bound to abide by the terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other similar international covenents to which Soviet leaders have affixed their signatures. If there Is to be the improvement in relations that Soviet leaders at times say they desire. then it is vital that they demonstrate a willingness to treat their citizens by these standards that define and describe civilized society. Todays report from Jerusalem. regarding the prospect of a resurgence in Soviet Jewish emigration. raises hopes that the new Soviet Government may be prepared to live up to at least some of its international obligations. Again. I would urge President Reagan and his administration to explore ways to regularize this emigration. through negotiations based on treaty law as it applies and customary international law as It is relevant. I would also ask that there be printed in the RECORD at this point the complete text of the March 8 letter to the President. and the names of those who signed it.
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emigration