Helsinki Final Act (Hansard, 18 July 1978)

§ Dr. Owen

There has been little progress in the implementation by the Soviet Union and its allies of the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act since the publication of the Government White Paper, Command Paper No. 7126 of March 1978 at the conclusion of the Belgrade meeting. Agreements have been concluded with Romania in the fields of cultural relations and scientific and technical contacts, and a number of outstanding personal and family reunification cases have been settled. As can be seen from the outcome of recent trials of members of Helsinki monitoring groups, there has been a marked deterioration in the implementation of principle VII, "The Respect of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms", in the Soviet Union.

Basket I

In principle VII signatory States of the Final Act recognised that individuals have the right to note and act upon their rights and duties in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Since the conclusion of the Belgrade confer-be related to their activities in monitoring groups operating in the Soviet Union have been put on trial on various charges, including malicious hooliganism, anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda and treason. This has raised the total number of group members who have been on trial to 15; three more are in detention. Though the indictments did not mention the Helsinki monitoring groups as such, 146W action against these people appears to be related to their activities in monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Final Act and drawing attention to instances of non-implementation of human rights provisions.

In addition, there have been further cases since Belgrade of distinguished Soviet citizens who have been deprived of their citizenship while travelling abroad. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which is specifically endorsed in principle VII of the Final Act, recognises the right of all individuals to leave and return to their country.

In the German Democratic Republic two critics of the State have received harsh sentences in recent weeks.

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

Confidence-building Measures

The Russians have given advance notification, under the terms of the Final Act, of one major military manoeuvre held in the German Democratic Republic in early July; observers were not invited on this occasion, although they had been on several previous occasions when military manoeuvres were notified under the Final Act, in accordance with the provision whereby the participating states voluntarily invite other participants to send observers.

Basket II

The Soviet Union and her allies have continued since Belgrade to stress the importance of the Final Act provisions concerning trade and industrial cooperation and to argue that the introduction of certain measures by Western Governments is protectionist and contrary to the Final Act. The Soviet Government held a high-level meeting in Moscow in June with the International Chamber of Commerce, and participated in a British/Soviet business symposium in March, which were relevant to Basket II. They continue to press for agreement to hold high-level meetings on energy, the environment and transport; and proposals for meetings on these subjects were discussed at the 33rd Plenary Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in April.

There has been no observable improvement in the Soviet Union or in Eastern 147W Europe in the provision of facilities for business men, including contacts with end-users, or in the provision of economic and commercial information.

Basket III

Since the conclusion of the Belgrade conference five personal cases of family reunification involving Soviet citizens with relatives in the United Kingdom have been resolved; however, in the same period five more cases have been brought to my attention. All of the personal cases raised by the British Government involving Romanians were resolved in the weeks prior to the State visit of President Ceausescu. One Czechoslovak case has been resolved since Belgrade. Two new cases have arisen with regard to the German Democratic Republic. There has been no change with regard to the situation in the other East European countries.

The number of Jews permitted to emigrate from the USSR increased early this year in comparison with 1977, and this trend has been maintained since the end of the Belgrade meeting—it has been reported that in the first five months of 1978, more than 9,000 Jews emigrated from the USSR, an increase of more than 50 per cent. over the figure for the same period last year. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of emigration visas granted to citizens of the German Democratic Republic, and, more generally, foreign travel has continued to become marginally easier in some East European countries.

There have been no other significant developments since Belgrade in the pattern of implementation of the provisions under the "Human Contacts" heading of the Final Act.

It has been reported that some Western books are on sale in two bookshops in Moscow. There has been no other detectable improvement since Belgrade in the circulation of, or access to, Western newspapers or other information in the Soviet Union or Eastern Europe, or in the working conditions for Western journalists. In a number of recent instances Western journalists in the Soviet Union have been subjected to harassment.

The Soviet Union and her allies have continued to implement the various bilateral cultural, educational and scientific exchange agreements that they have with 148W the United Kingdom in a generally satisfactory manner. During the visit of President Ceausescu a long-term Anglo-Romanian cultural convention was signed on the initiative of the Romanian Government.

The CSCE process is a long-term one. It is unrealistic to expect rapid progress in the implementation of the Final Act. But it is right to expect and press for steady progress in all three baskets, and the Government will do so. I have instructed our posts in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to provide regular assessments of the progress made by their host Governments in implementing the Final Act, and will make such information available to the House on a six-monthly basis between now and the opening of the Madrid CSCE Review Conference in autumn 1980.