2 H.L.C. denied access to this vital apparatus enjoyed by other United Nations member states; Whereas on May 30, 2000, Israel accepted an invitation to become a temporary member of the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations; Whereas Israel's membership in the Western European and Others Group is limited and, as a temporary member, Israel is not allowed to compete for open seats or to run for positions in major bodies of the United Nations, such as the Security Council, or United Nations-affiliated agencies, such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights; Whereas Israel is only allowed to participate in limited activities of the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations headquarters and is excluded from discussions and consultations of the Group at the United Nations offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome, and Vienna; Whereas the Western European and Others Group includes Canada, Australia, and the United States; Whereas Israel is linked to Western European and Others Group member states by strong economic, political, and cultural ties; Whereas the Western European and Others Group is the only bloc which is not purely geographical but is rather composed solely of countries which share a Western democratic tradition; and Whereas Israel is a free and democratic country and its voting pattern in the United Nations is consistent with that of the Western European and Others Group member states: Now, therefore, be it 3 H.L.C. 1 Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 2 that 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 2 23 (1) the President should direct the Secretary of State and the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to seek an immediate end to the persistent and deplorable inequality experienced by Israel in the United Nations; (2) United States interests would be well served if Israel were afforded the benefits of full membership in the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations so that it could fully participate in the United Nations system; (3) consistent with section 405(a) of division C of H.R. 1950, as passed the House of Representatives on July 16, 2003, "the Secretary of State and other appropriate officials of the United States Government should pursue an aggressive diplomatic effort and should take all necessary steps to ensure the extension and upgrade of Israel's membership in the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations"; and (4) the Secretary of State should continue to submit to Congress on a regular basis a report 4 H.L.C. 1 2 3 4 5 which describes actions taken by the United States Government to encourage the Western European and Others Group member states to accept Israel as a full member of their regional bloc and describes the responses thereto from the member states. Amend the title so as to read: "Resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of full membership of Israel in the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations.". 108TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 617 Expressing support for the accession of Israel to the Organization for IV IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. PENCE, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. McCOTTER, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. BLUNT, and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations RESOLUTION Expressing support for the accession of Israel to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Whereas Israel has been trying to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2000, when it met the OECD's membership requirements relating to industrial and per-capita product criteria; Whereas Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently sent a joint letter to the foreign and finance ministers of the 30 member countries of the OECD, stating that Israel's involvement as a non-member country in the OECD's various committees is increasing, and that Israel meets the economic and institutional criteria required to join the OECD; 2 Whereas Israel was recently asked to take part in the OECD's Insurance and Commerce Committees; Whereas membership in the OECD could enhance Israel's status on the global market and within international financial institutions, lowering the risk factor on foreign loans to Israel; Whereas Israel's economic and technological standing could potentially benefit OECD member countries in the science and technology, including high-technology, sectors; Whereas in 2003, the World Economic Forum ranked Israel 20th out of 102 countries in its Growth Competitiveness Index, and the World Economic Forum's Technology Index ranked Israel 9th, before Canada (11th), Norway (13th), Germany (14th), the United Kingdom (16th), and the Netherlands (18th); and Whereas Israel is carrying out far reaching economic reforms based on the OECD's recommendations with respect to taxes, labor, competition, capital markets, pension funds, energy, infrastructures, communications, and transport: Now, therefore, be it 1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep 2 resentatives that 3 4 5 6 7 8 (1) Israel shares the commitment to democratic government and the market economy that is the foundation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); (2) Israel meets the OECD's membership re quirements and has been an active participant as a |