Helsinki Final Act (Hansard, 14 December 1978)

§ Dr. Owen,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report,18th July 1978 ; Vol. 954, c. 145–8],gave the following information:

Further Report on Implementation of the Helsinki Final Act—for the period July-November 1978.

General

Progress over implementation of the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act has 271W continued to be slow. There have been improvements in some areas but deterioration in others. It is in practice difficult to separate changes directly attributable to the CSCE process from those brought about by other factors.

Basket 1(Security in Europe: Principles guiding relations between participating States and Confidence-Building Measures)

Principles

Principle V—Peaceful settlement of disputes. A meeting of experts from CSCE participating States, convened as a result of a Swiss initiative based on this principle, opened in Montreux at the end of October to pursue the examination and elaboration of a generally acceptable method for the peaceful settlement of disputes ". Principle VII—Respect for human rights. This principle recognises the right of individuals to know and act upon their rights and duties in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It was partly on the basis of this principle that a number of groups—generally known as Helsinki monitoring groups—were set up in certain East European countries, the USSR in particular, to check on progress in implementing the Final Act. Persecution of members of these groups continues. In the USSR, a member of the Ukrainian Helsinki monitoring group was given a sentence of 10 years in prison and five years internal exile in July on charges of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda, apparently related to his activities in monitoring CSCE implementation. This brings to 19 the number of Helsinki monitors who have been tried or are awaiting trial in the USSR. A scientist who recently joined the Helsinki monitoring group in Moscow was prevented from carrying out his scientific work and stripped of his honours. He was subsequently given permission to leave the country with his family.

In Czechoslovakia, members of the Charter 77 human rights movement, which pursues aims close to those of the Helsinki monitoring groups in the Soviet Union, have continued to be harassed and were recently reported to have addressed an appeal to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. However, 272W several prominent members of this group have been allowed to emigrate or to travel abroad for lengthy periods.

The same principle also specifically endorses the United Nation's Declaration on Human Rights. This, inter alia, recognises the right of all individuals to leave and return to their country. Progress has continued to be made in this area.

Emigration of ethnic Germans from East European countries, especially the USSR, Poland and Romania, continues on a substantial scale. Jewish emigration from the USSR has been rising steadily, with figures of over 3,000 Jews reported as leaving each month as compared with an average of about 1,400 a month in 1977. Some applicants who have long been refused exit visas have been allowed to leave or are reported to be having their cases reconsidered, and there have been fewer reports of the harassment of would-be emigrants. On the other hand, the right to travel abroad freely is still not explicitly recognised in the Soviet Union ; for example, two more Soviet citizens were stripped of their citizenship for political reasons while travelling abroad and have not therefore been allowed to return home.

In Romania, a number of would-be emigrants went on hunger strike during the summer to draw attention to their desire to leave the country. Subsequently, some of these have been given passports. In Hungary, a new decree law on foreign travel is to come into force on 1st January 1979. This gives greater recognition to the right of citizens to travel abroad —subject to certain requirements, including security and currency controls.

The principle of respect for human rights also recognises the freedom of the individual to profess and practise his religion. Serious difficulties are still encountered by religious believers in the USSR when they seek to practise their faith.

Other Principles

There have been no significant developments in the implementation of the remaining eight principles.

Confidence-Building Measures

East European countries continue to fulfil their mandatory obligations as set out in this section of the Final Act and also to implement some of its voluntary 273W provisions. Thus, although not obliged by the Final Act to notify exercises taking place more than 250 km from her European frontier, the Soviet Union gave advance notification of an exercise, which involved 25,000 troops, held in the Causasus from 5th to 12th September.

NATO countries have notified five exercises. Notification of four of these was mandatory, since they were major manoeuvres involving over 25,000 troops taking place inside Europe. The fifth, a smaller scale manoeuvre, was notified on a voluntary basis. The Soviet Union sent observers to only one of these, Exercise Blaue Donau, which was notified by the Federal Republic of Germany. Other East European countries failed to send any observers to any of the manoeuvres to which they were invited.

BASKET II(Co-operation in the field of economic, science and technology, and the environment)

Trade and Industrial Co-operation

The East European countries continue to emphasise the provisions of the Final Act on trade and industrial co-operation and in particular to argue that these impose on Western countries the political duty of developing East-West economic links. They continue to maintain that a number of measures taken either individually by Western countries or collectively by the EEC, notably quota restrictions on imports from Eastern countries, are contrary to the letter and spirit of the Final Act.

Business Contacts and Facilities

There has been no perceptible improvement in the working and living conditions of British business men. British firms have encountered difficulties in opening offices in Czechoslovakia. Access to industrial end-users remains difficult in most East European countries.

Economic and Commercial Information

In the USSR, the latest edition of the major statistical compilation of foreign trade failed to contain information given in earlier editions on the volume and/or value of certain exports and imports, notably in the field of energy. On the other hand, the USSR has provided for the first time in foreign languages certain figures on commodity trade. In Poland, provision of economic and commercial information 274W has improved slightly with the reappearance of bilateral foreign trade statistics. The situation in the German Democratic Republic, where the latest foreign trade statistics are even less complete than was previously the case, has deteriorated.

Science and Technology

Co-operation under bilateral agreements on science and technology and on the environment has continued in a satisfactory manner.

Other Areas (eg, transport)

There have been no significant developments in these areas.

BASKET III(Co-operation in humanitarian and other fields)

Human Contacts

There has been some progress in this area, notably in regard to "personal cases" where citizens of East European countries with relatives in the United Kingdom wish to visit or settle in the United Kingdom.

A number of personal cases involving Soviet citizens wishing to visit the United Kingdom have been successfully resolved in the last few months. But 21 long-standing cases remain unresolved. The time taken by the Soviet authorities to renew single entry visas for foreigners resident in the USSR has also increased recently. The German Democratic Republic has significantly raised the number of exit visas granted to its nationals allowing them to visit their relatives in Britain, and all problems relating to marriages between United Kingdom and German Democratic Republic citizens have been resolved. All outstanding cases raised with Romania were settled before President Ceausescu's State visit to London in May 1978 and no major problems have arisen subsequently. There are relatively few problems with Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.

Information

There has been some limited progress in this field in relations with the USSR. A British Week sponsored by the Great Britain-USSR Association was held in Novosibirsk in September with support from the Soviet authorities. For the first time, a range of British books on nonpolitical topics is now available in two 275W Moscow bookshops. However, little or no progress has been made in increasing the availability of British—and other Western—newspapers and periodicals.

In some of the other East European countries there have been no signs of substantive improvement. The British Embassy in the German Democratic Republic continues to experience considerable difficulties in its normal information work. Discussions have been proceeding for some time with Bulgaria on the circulation of a magazine which would be sponsored and paid for by the British Government. On the other hand, the flow of information from and about Britain in Romania has increased since the State visit by President Ceausescu. Access to the British Council library in Hungary appears to have become easier.

Working Conditions for Journalists

There have been some cases of harassment or expulsion of Western journalists in the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the USSR. A civil action brought against two American journalists in Moscow was seen by Western journalists as an attempt to impose constraints on their reporting. Poland has rejected a British suggestion that multi-entry visas should be issued to non-resident British and Polish journalists who need to visit the other country frequently. Romania has recently improved working conditions for journalists, and these remain good in Hungary.

Culture and Education

The East European countries have continued to implement various bilateral cultural, educational and scientific exchange agreements with the United Kingdom in a generally satisfactory manner. An Anglo-Polish cultural convention was signed on 7th November during the Polish Foreign Minister's visit to London.