Speech #990177383

The Soviet Union and its allies clearly opposed a meeting on human contacts. when it was first discussed in Madrid. and only agreed to a human contacts meeting if it was to be held at the end of the scheduled meeting. The West. however. stressed the importance of maintaining balance between the humanitarian and security aspects of the CSCE process. The agenda at Bern will focus on the specific human contacts commitments that are outlined in the Madrid Concluding Document and the Helsinki Final Act. including the resolution of individual cases of EastWest family reunification and binational marriages. and the allowance for individuals to travel freely between nations. We. in the Congress are all too familiar with the plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union and the struggle that they are faced with when they express the desire to emigrate. a right they are guaranteed by various international human rights agreements. I would like to submit to the RECORD four cases that illustrate that the Soviets are not adhering to their international commitments and should be raised by the United States delegation at Bern. Vladimir and Lifshitz: First applied to emigrate to Israel in 1981. In November 1983. Vladimir was denied work because of his application to emigrate. In January 1986. Vladimir was arrested at work. his home was searched and many items were confiscated. including correspondences from the West.