Individual cases of prisoners and would-be emigrants in the Soviet Union continue to cause concern in my country. In many of these cases we remain at a loss to understand why they have not been solved, given the promises made and assurances given. In particular, the application of secrecy restrictions to some refusenik cases continues to verge upon the ludicrous. It would be ludicrous, at least, if it were not so tragic.
The Soviet Union has given assurances, has taken on commitments in these areas. If these assurances and commitments are implemented, if the cases that concern us are resolved, if we see the promised changes in Soviet legislation and procedure, if in short we are convinced that Soviet commitment to change is genuine and irreversible—my Government will be willing to attend a Moscow Conference in 1991.
Between now and 1991 we shall be watching carefully for reassurances that this commitment extends beyond the personal effort and determination of a single Soviet leader or leaders. More than that, the freedoms and reforms of which President Gorbachev has spoken so eloquently, need to be accepted and absorbed into his society. No longer to be regarded as an alien and unwelcome virus.
We wish President Gorbachev well in his task of ensuring that today's spirit of freedom and reform is truly absorbed into the bloodstream of the Soviet body politic.
It is not only in the field of human rights that we have seen change for the better. Our meeting has coincided with a period of great progress in East-West relations. As a result, the prospects for peace, as well as freedom in Europe, are better than for many years.
Processes of political and economic reform are underway in the Soviet Union and some Eastern countries. These reforms too are long overdue. While the societies of Western Europe have advanced, those of the East have stagnated. The political lessons of individual freedom have an economic and social application too, as the East is now learning.
In this climate of change, new opportunities are emerging in other fields. East and West have achieved progress in arms control, in the resolution of regional conflicts, with a good prospect of more to come. Contacts of all kinds are on the increase, the CSCE has contributed to that change.
Now, despite many difficulties along the way, we have achieved a substantial and balanced concluding document. Our aims throughout have been to agree improvements to the Helsinki commitments themselves, improvements to the implementation and follow- up of those commitments, in order to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
So what specifically have we achieved? We have reached agreement on the freedom to emigrate; the resolution within six months of all outstanding applications to travel for marriage or for family reunification; the right to practice religion without discrimination; the right to be safe from arbitrary arrest, detention, exile or psychiatric abuse; the right to seek remedy against injustice by the state; the right to private communication; the right to hear other people's views, including broadcasts. I welcome the Soviet decision to end the jamming of broadcasts. It denotes a fundamental shift, a new willingness to let people hear different opinions, to judge for themselves, to learn the truth.
Implementation and follow-up is a crucial element in CSCE activity. Without results the Helsinki process would be as worthless as those constitutions still found in Eastern Europe which make promises that governments fail to fulfil.
We have agreed new ways to achieve those results. For the first time, we have agreed to monitor and consult on humanitarian and human rights matters. These are solid gains for freedom and co-operation on our continent. We have reached a real consensus. Now we must give it real meaning. We must be sure to tackle the really major obstacles which still stand in the way of progress.
So many barriers are coming down. One, above all, remains. It is the most public symbol of the divide between freedom on one side and its denial on the other. The Berlin Wall mocks all our work to remove barriers to human contacts and understanding. A divided city, a microcosm of a divided Europe. We look forward to the day when this cold war anachronism is finally torn down.
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