THE SECOND CONGRESS OF ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION WAS HELD IN MOSCOW. THE CONGRESS PROCLAIMED THE COURSE FOR LAUNCHING A NATIONAL-WIDE CIVIL CAMPAIGN FOR ABROGATION OF CONSCRIPTION AND TRANSITION TO PROFESSIONAL ARMY

Moscow, January 20, 1999. Last weekend, January 16 and 17, in Moscow, the Second Congress of Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA) was held at the Andrey Sakharov Museum & Public Center "Peace, Progress, Human Rights". In the Congress have taken part about 50 members and adherents of this organization, as well as guests not enrolled in the Association. Olivier Dupuis, MEP and Secretary of the Transnational Radical Party has arrived from Brussels specially for participation in the Congress ARA which is an autonomous part of the TRP.

At the beginning of Congress its participants paid by minute of silence the tribute to the memory of Galina Starovojtova, member of General Council of ARA assassinated in St. Petersburg on November 20, last year. Members of the State Duma Anatolij Golov (Jabloko) and Jurij Parshakov (LDPR), as well as Father Gleb Jakunin, co-president of Democratic Russia Movement, addressed to the participants of the Congress.

Secretary of ARA Nikolaj Khramov in his report has resulted the detailed account on campaigns and initiatives of ARA during last two and a half years, past from its First Congress which has drawn as a political priority prompt acceptance of a democratic and liberal law on alternative civilian service. Khramov has defined the situation after voting in the State Duma on October 7, last year, when the deputies finally have rejected in the second reading the administration bill of an alternative civil service after four years of work, as a battle lost by Radical antimilitarists. The Secretary also ascertained, that financial and economic situation of the Associations directly dependent on number of its members and adherents joining it each year, does not leave other solution, except of putting the question of self-dissolution of the organization.

The treasurer of ARA Anna Zajceva in her accounting report has depicted in details the catastrophic economical situation of ARA, whose basic (and probable unique) source of money are enrollment fees and contributions of citizens, and where for today there is the debt of 31,000 roubles.

Valerij Borscev, member of the State Duma (Jabloko) and President of ARA, has stated the course of initiatives undertaken by him and his like-minded colleagues during last two and a half years in State Duma, which were directed on the prompt acceptance by Duma of the federal law on alternative civilian service. In Borscev's opinion, despite of defeat of October 7, the struggle for the law guaranteeing realization of the constitutional right on conscientious objection should not be abandoned.

Olivier Dupuis in his intervention has emphasized, that political and organizational support rendered by Radical Party to Russian antimilitarists will be continued. According to Dupuis, basic political priority for Russian Radicals in the next months should become campaign for abrogation of conscription and transition to professional army.

During the general debate which proceeded all second half of Saturday, January 16 and first half of Sunday, January 17, more than two dozens of Congress participants have taken the floor. Practically all speakers were agree that it is impossible to allow dissolution of ARA and that it is necessary to put extra-ordinary efforts for its revival and creating conditions for continuation of its activity. Concerning the political program of ARA for 1999 the majority of speakers agreed that, not refusing from support of a liberal law on conscientious objection, the Center of political initiatives for this period should be transferred on organization of a nation-wide campaign for abrogation of draft slavery.

On Sunday the Congress participants have voted the General Motion, which provides as political priority of ARA in the coming months "launching of a wide all-Russian civil campaign for abrogation of conscription and transition to a voluntary (professional) principle of armed forces recruitment". "A free, democratic, liberal, prospering Russia of the State of Law, to which we aspire, should have effective, professional, radically reduced army, appropriate both to real security needs on the threshold of third millennium, and to economic possibilities of the country," is written in the text of General Motion.

Having ascertained, that "ambitious political tasks faced by antimilitarists dramatically do not correspond to today's organizational condition of Association" the Congress has decided not to elect this time the statutory bodies, to prolong their fullpowers up to the end of year, having charged the Four (Secretary, Treasurer, President and President of General Council) to develop during this term an extra-ordinary membership campaign, and to call the 3rd congress not later than December 31, 1999, or, in case of failure, to pass the decision on ARA dissolution.

APPENDIX: General Motion passed by the 2nd Congress of ARA

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