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RADICAL PARTY AND ARA LAUNCH CAMPAIGN "THE THIRD MILLENNIUM WITHOUT DRAFT SLAVERY"

Moscow, May 21, 1999. -- Launching of the campaign "The Third Millennium Without Draft Slavery" has been announced during the press conference of the Transnational Radical Party and ARA, held today in Moscow in National Press Institute with participation of Nikolaj Khramov, secretary of ARA and Russian coordinator of Radical Party, Konstantin Borovoj, member of the State Duma, president of Party For Economic Liberty and member of General Council of ARA, Julij Rybakov, member of the State Duma and president of Democratic Russia Party, Anna Zajceva, treasurer of ARA.

The purpose of the campaign is abrogation of conscription and transition to the fully voluntary (professional) principle of Russian armed forces recruitment. As the nearest task organizers of campaign put a nation-wide petition campaign addressed to the Russian Parliament of the next convocation. By January, 2000, when the Seventh State Duma will begin its work, it is planned to collect 50,000 signatures of Russian citizens to hand them to the newly elected members of the country's highest legislative body.

Almost 6,000 copies of special release of the ARA magazin named "Antimilitarist", containing text of petition and guidelines for organization of petition campaign, some days ago already are sent by mail to all members and supporters of Radical Party and ARA in all regions of Russia.

On Saturday, May 22, in Moscow on Pushkin square (at Alexander Pushkin's monument) the rally will be held which will officially open the petition campaign "The Third Millennium Without Draft Slavery". At the rally, in particular, will speak Konstantin Borovoj, Nikolaj Khramov and Ida Kuklina, member of General Council of ARA and leader of Russian Union of Soldier's Mothers.

In a near future after actions in Moscow presentations of campaign "The Third Millennium Without Draft Slavery" will be held in St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kaluga, Tula, Ryazan, Tver and other Russian cities.

Russian radicals hope, that they would get support for their campaign for abrogation of conscription from part of soldier's mothers organizations throughout Russia, as well as from democratic parties - from "Yabloko" to the "Right Case" Coalition, which has been joined two days ago by the Club Khramov - Association For Libertarian Reforms, a national political organization of Russian radicals, formed by many members of Radical Party and ARA.

Last August Radical Party began in Italy a similar campaign under the name "Leva La Leva " (Lift The Draft), with the goal of abrogation both obligatory military and alternative civilian services.