To enforce the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe by denying most favored nation status to countries which are not in complete or substantially complete compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.

Prohibits the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (most favored nation status) to the products of a country which is a signatory to the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Final Act) and whose products were not receiving such nondiscriminatory treatment as of January 1, 1989, unless the President certifies to the Congress that such country is either in complete or substantially complete compliance with such Final Act, particularly the human rights and humanitarian affairs provisions.

 
24758 W.E.D. 1/7/89
HR 398 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 398
To enforce the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation
in Europe by denying most favored nation status to countries which are not
in complete or substantially complete compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 1988
Mr. SOLOMON introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to
the Committees on Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To enforce the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation
in Europe by denying most favored nation status to countries which are not
in complete or substantially complete compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ENFORCEMENT OF THE HELSINKI FINAL ACT.
  A country--
  (1) which is a signatory to the Final Act of the Conference on Security
  and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the `Helsinki Final Act'), and
  (2) whose products were not receiving as of January 1, 1989,
  nondiscriminatory treatment under the tariff laws of the United States
  (also known as `most favored nation status' or `MFN status'),
shall not have such nondiscriminatory treatment extended to its products unless
the President first certifies in writing to the Chairman of the Committee
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and to the Chairman of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that such signatory country
is in complete compliance or in substantially complete compliance with such
Final Act, particularly the human rights and humanitarian affairs provisions.
SEC. 2. SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE COMPLIANCE DEFINED.
  For the purposes of section 1, the term `substantially complete compliance'
  means--
  (1) a pattern of compliance with the requirements of the Helsinki Final
  Act in a manner comparable to that displayed by democratic signatory
  countries, with any violations clearly the rare and exceptional act of
  local authorities contrary to established policy and generally observed
  practice in such country;
  (2) the existence, in theory and in practice, of legal procedures and
  presumptions, statutes, administrative regulations, limitations on law
  enforcement authorities, and judicial means of redress that facilitate
  and encourage, rather than frustrate, the exercise of basic rights as
  specified in the Helsinki Final Act by the citizens and inhabitants of
  such country; and
  (3) the ability of citizens of such country and citizens of other signatory
  countries, in theory and in practice, freely to monitor the performance of
  the governmental authorities of such country with regard to the requirements
  of the Helsinki Final Act throughout the territory of such country, and
  to publicize their findings, both in such country and abroad.