Helsinki Review Session Drafting New Proposals

After seven weeks of blunt exchanges over violations of human rights, the 35-nation Helsinki review conference is getting down to detailed work on new proposals and new language to improve the effectiveness of the 1975 agreements on security and cooperation in Europe.

Acknowledging that “it is idle to assume that significant developments are not unfolding within the Soviet Union,” Ambassador Warren Zimmermann, head of the U.S. delegation, said that “the review of implementation has been thorough, and I think the message for the Soviet Union and its allies has been inescapable--that human rights performance is a major issue not only for the United States but for all the Western countries.”

This third Helsinki review conference opened in Vienna in early November with speeches by foreign ministers of the 35 participating nations. The first session ran for six weeks, and after a Christmas break the conference has now resumed. It is expecting to run at least until the end of the year, with some delegates doubting that their work can be completed until the spring of 1988.

Meanwhile, these proposals for “follow-on” meetings have either been submitted or are expected to be in coming days:

--A Soviet proposal to hold a conference in Moscow on “humanitarian cooperation” to cover human rights, human contacts, cultural exchanges and education. Initial reaction to this Soviet move among Western delegations was negative. But there is now a shift in attitude, with delegates saying that if the Soviet record on human rights shows “substantial improvement” in the months ahead, and conditions for a conference in Moscow can be agreed upon, then it may not be a bad idea.

--A joint proposal by Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and East Germany to hold an economic forum in Prague, with a catch-all agenda on trade, finance, industrial cooperation, joint ventures and almost any other economic topic suitable for discussion. Western delegations are skeptical of the usefulness of this one but are willing to talk about it.

--A Polish proposal advanced on behalf of all the Warsaw Pact powers for a second-stage meeting of the 1985-86 Stockholm conference on disarmament and military confidence-building measures. The Western powers have ideas of their own on this, but eventual agreement on two separate follow-up conferences is likely to emerge.

--A Bulgarian proposal for an ecological forum to be held in Sofia to discuss European environmental problems. This is likely to be rejected.

--A European Communities proposal by the Belgians for agreement on bilateral meetings on human rights, and a procedure for calling special full conferences of all the 35 states on human rights.

--An American proposal for independent “human rights monitoring groups” of representatives from three other states to visit and report on human rights problems and performances in each of the states that have adhered to the Helsinki agreements.

--A British proposal expected next week for a 35-nation forum on information, probably to be held in London. The idea is to bring together both government and media representatives for a discussion and recommendations on improving information flow among the Helsinki states.

Various delegations will also be advancing proposals to amend the language of the existing Helsinki agreements on human contacts, information and cultural exchanges, education, treatment of minorities, improving economic cooperation and all other facets of the agreements.