Andrea Joy Campbell: “Today in my capacity as Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, I introduce a resolution…”

“Today in my capacity as Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, I introduce a resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, one of the key international agreements of our time. I am pleased to be joined by all Senate Commissioners, Senators Hutchison, Lautenberg, Abraham, Brownback, Hutchinson, Graham, Dodd, and Feingold, who are original cosponsors. A companion resolution also is being introduced today in the House by our colleague, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, who chairs the Helsinki Commission. Five years ago, during the 20th anniversary celebrations in Helsinki, President Gerald Ford said: "The Helsinki Accords, the Final Act, was the final nail in the coffin of Marxism and communism in many, many countries, and helped to bring about the change to a more democratic political system and a change to a more market-oriented economic system." Indeed, the Helsinki Final Act, signed by President Ford in 1975, marked the beginning of a process which has served U.S. interests in advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law within a comprehensive framework covering the security, economic and human dimensions.”