The initiative in favour of the permanent international tribunal on war crimes is undertaking in the State Duma, a lower chamber of Federal Assembly (Russian parliament). The author of this initiative is Julij Rybakov, member of State Duma ("Choice Of Russia" faction), who was Radical member in 1992 and has joined recently the Hands Off Cain campaign and International Committee "No Peace Without Justice". Mr Rybakov - together with Mamuka Tsagareli and Nikolaj Khramov, General Councillors of the Radical Party - wrote a draft of motion asking the Russian government to undertake all necessary steps in order to obtain the permanent tribunal constituted by the UN General Assembly this autumn. On June 15 he had meetings with Andrej Kozyrev, Russian Foreign Minister, Vladimir Lukin, former Russian ambassador in USA and chairman of Duma's committee for foreign affairs (Javlinsky-Boldyrev-Lukin faction), and Viktor Iliukhin, former Prosecutor General of USSR and chairman of the committee on security questions in Dum

a (Communist Party faction). All the three welcomed and supported the idea to present and adopt in Duma the motion in favour of the permanent tribunal on war crimes.

On the reunion of the "Choice Of Russia" faction taken place the next day, June 16, it was decided to send the draft of motion to the Foreign Ministry for official examination. After the draft will be presented by the "Choice Of Russia" faction on the plenary proceedings of Duma.