Speech #1000031197

Andrei Sakharov said that "Ronald Reagans tough stance toward the Soviet Union has helped Soviet Dissidents." The Reagan administration thus should continue its policy on human rights to: First. openly criticize Soviet human rights abuses. Second. demand that the Soviets fulfill the human rights provisions contained in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. Third. deny the Soviets the mostfavorednation treatment until they permit free emigration. and Fourth. retain the issue of human rights issues in the agenda of highlevel SovietAmerican meetings. It is only unrelenting pressure by the United States and the West on human rights that may lead to improvements in individual situations and the possibility of longterm systematic change. Observance of human rights is not only a moral issue. but a crucial indicator of a nations intentions.