Relations between Europe and the United States and Canada (general policy of the Council of Europe)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 5 October 1981 (14th and 15th Sittings) (see Doc. 4772, report of the Political Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 5 October 1981 (15th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
2. Having taken note of the report of its Political Affairs Committee on relations between Europe and the United States and Canada (
Doc. 4772) ;
3. Having heard the representatives of the State Department of the United States of America and the Canadian Parliament ;
4. Welcoming the intensification of political dialogue between the Assembly and other world democracies, particularly those of North America ;
5. Reiterating its conviction that neither the democracies of Europe nor those of North America can face the challenges of the 1980s alone ;
6. Considering that current tensions between East and West and in the Middle East should not be tackled by any one country acting unilaterally, but call for concerted action and agreement of a kind which has all too often been lacking in the past, by the democracies on both sides of the Atlantic, which must uphold their shared ideals, particularly in the matter of respect for human rights,
7. Is convinced that European and world security will remain at risk until the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe has succeeded in establishing a climate of confidence, and until a balance of forces, particularly nuclear forces, has been restored between East and West ;
8. Encourages the United States and the Soviet Union in their intention to open negotiations on 30 November 1981, to restore this balance on the lowest possible level until such time as an improvement in the international climate makes step by step progress towards total disarmament possible, and to give the public, and particularly young people, all the information needed to dissipate distrust ; to that end, Europe should fulfil the role which behoves it in the efforts made to achieve disarmament ;
9. Recalls that Poland must be free to determine its own future without outside interference, and, so that it may feel support to that end, declares that Poland should receive, especially from Council of Europe member states, in co-operation with the United States of America, all the necessary economic aid to solve her present serious problems ;
10. Considers that Europe should help to solve the problems arising in other parts of the world, particularly the Middle East and Africa ;
11. Expresses its satisfaction at the part played by the United States of America in securing a cease-fire in the Lebanon, whose authorities deserve the full support of the international community, allowing them to restore their full sovereignty and peace throughout their territory ;
12. Nevertheless emphasises that a peaceful, fair and durable settlement of the Middle East problem as a whole has no hope of attainment without a much closer degree of European-American cooperation and agreement than now exists ;
13. Considers that Europeans and North Americans must co-operate in fostering respect for human rights, not only within the framework of the CSCE in Madrid, but also at world level ;
14. Encourages the University of Strasbourg in its effort to establish, in the wake of the Panel of 29 and 30 June 1981 on relations between Europe and the United States, a forum known as the "Entretiens de Strasbourg", which could extend and develop the experiment to the benefit of the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe ;
15. Welcomes the decision taken by the Committee of Ministers at its 68th Session, on 14 May 1981, to continue and extend its exchanges of views on political issues of common interest, which should include relations between Europe and North America.
