Speech #1010022480

Speaker. from May 17 to May 19. the International Foundation for the Survival and Development of Humanity will be holding a symposium in the Soviet Union entitled "Free Movement for Everybody." Led by prominent refuseniks. Leonid Stonov. Emmanuel Lurie. and others. the purposes of the syposium include: "The general examination of world and Soviet practice in the areas of emigration and immigration. the review of existing legislation and methods for their improvement. and the working out of recommendations in order to bring the national emigration and immigration legislation and regulations into agreement with international agreements." The seminar will include plenary and sectional meetings. roundtable discussions of emigration problems. visits to the all union and Moscow visa [OVIR] offices. the intourist office. the head office of the Soviet Customs Administration and a final press conference to report their findings. As you know. in January of this year. after more than 2 years of negotiation. the 35 states participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe agreed to hold three meetings on the Conference on the Human Dimension. the first of which will begin in Paris on May 30. These meetings will focus on human rights and fundamental freedoms. family reunification. and other human contacts issues. In addition. a key provision of the Vienna Concluding Document states that everyone shall be free to leave any country. including his own. and return to his country." That is what the Moscow "free movement for everbody" seminar is all about. The planners believe that the free movement of people is an inalienable and important human right connected with the other human rights of freedom of speech. expression. and assembly. Mr. Speaker. in this era of glasnost and perestroika. it is encouraging to see the debate about the free movement of people taking place in the Soviet Union. It is my hope that this debate leads to fundamental changes in Soviet emigration law. including the deletion of restrictions relating to the denial of emigration based on state secrecy as well as a clarification of the socalled "poor relatives" provisions. As cochairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. I rise today to lend my support to this symposium and to congratulate the participants in this effort.