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HUNGARY: RADICAL ASSEMBLIES

Budapest, 2 August 1990. At the conclusion of a series of meetings, the Radicals of Budapest decided to organize meetings with Croatian and Romanian Radicals.

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ELECTORAL REFERENDUMS: STATEMENT BY SERGIO STANZANI

Rome, 2 August 1990. While giving the Court of Cassation the over 600,000 signatures collected in the electoral referendum campaign, Sergio Stanzani, first secretary of the Radical Party, stated the following: "These referendums represent a fundamental initiative to find a democratic outlet to a feeling of protest and anti-partitocratic revolt which clearly emerged during the past administrative elections, to give back to the citizens an effective power of choice, and therefore popular sovereignty during the voting. But all this will be truly possible at one condition: that the referendums are not used, and therefore considered by the citizens, as an instrument for partitocratic negotiation to achieve goals that are completely contrary to the referendum questions, real counter-reforms to perpetuate the current party system".

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DEMONSTRATION OF THE RADICALS OF ZAGREB TO PROTEST AGAINST THE MILITARY ATTACK OF IRAQ ON KUWAIT

Zagreb, 2 August 1990. In their demonstration to protest against the invasion of Kuwait on the part of Iraq, the Radical Croatians have asked the Yugoslavian government to block all economic and political relations with Iraq.

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Italy

THE LAW FOR RADIO RADICALE FINALLY PASSED. STATEMENT BY SERGIO STANZANI, FIRST SECRETARY OF THE RADICAL PARTY.

Rome, 5 August 1990. "As I express my satisfaction for a decision which enables, even if at the last moment, to save a broadcasting station which has been providing the citizens and the political leadership with an information service which is unique in Italy, with the transmission in real time of the sessions of the Parliament and of other institutions - including the congresses and the most important occasions of contact and of political debate - , we cannot but stress the fact that the direct participation of the parliamentarians has enabled to overcome the difficulties and the contrasts of the parties and in the parties, representing a moment of recovery of that autonomous function of the Parliament which has found and continues finding, precisely in these days, occasion for deep mortification.

==================================================================Yugoslavia-Croatia

RADICAL DEMONSTRATION FOR CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

Zagreb, 5 August 1990. Over 4,000 signatures have been collected in a few days on the petition addressed to the Yugoslavian government for the launching of a law which legalizes the civil service alternative to the military one. In the 5 points of the petition the modification of the present military laws and a regionalization of the Districts are also requested.

==================================================================Czechoslovakia

THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE COLLECTION OF SIGNATURES ON THE FIVE PETITIONS HAS BEGUN IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA AS WELL.

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Prague, 10 August 1990. The campaign for the collection of signatures on a package of 5 petitions (United States of Europe, free circulation of persons, death penalty, safeguard of the biosphere and conscientious objection) has started in Czechoslovakia as well. To this common "package" the Czechoslovakian Radicals added a sixth petition, asking for the reform of the electoral system in the sense of a majority system, according to the Anglo Saxon model. The campaign for the collection of signatures was promoted and carried out by the Radical residents in Prague, Brno, Zdar and various other places, with open stands along the main streets and squares, and also in some prisons, thanks to the commitment of the Radical prisoners.

==================================================================Iraq-Italy-Europe

IRAQ AND MILITARY INTERVENTION, WEAPONS TRADE, ARAFAT: STATEMENT BY GIOVANNI NEGRI.

Rome, 11 August 1990. In the meeting of the Foreign Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Giovanni Negri, member of the federal Council of the Radical Party, among other things declared:

"It is necessary to assume all the political and economic initiatives in order to counteract the Iraqi aggression.

Precisely because it represents a serious violation of international law, the role of the UNO should be privileged in military terms, should be in any case toughened after the end of the cold war, faced as it is with the risks of a multiplication of local conflicts. If this should not occur, it is wise to ensure the Italian resolve to take part in the defensive multinational force engaged in the region.

But apart from the measures to counteract the crisis, it is unfortunately necessary to take note of two things, which concern relevant details:

1) the weapon trade is turning into a boomerang for the West. The Iraqi army - like the armies of a score of other dictators - use the best of Italian weapons and Western weapons generally. It is high time for these things to be denounced, with an international agreement inflexibly curbing the weapon trade, be they conventional, chemical or nuclear weapons. The problem is not simply that of denouncing things, but enforcing concrete international laws.

2) Italy has granted many encounters and also encouragement to Arafat, but has had nothing in exchange, if not his backing of Saddam Hussein.

Precisely because Arafat and the Palestinian cause are not the same things, it is wise to make a severe evaluation of the policy of friendship toward some Arab leaders, including Arafat."

==================================================================Soviet Union

CREATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY

Moscow, 15 August 1990. Several persons and associations, among which the Soviet Radicals Irina Podelssova, Assia Lachtchiver and Nadejda Bogatikova, created a "Sakharov society against the death penalty", after having received the approval of Helena Bonner, widow of the late Nobel Prize. The aims of this new association: the legislative abolition of the death penalty, and the battle for the life of each prisoner sentenced to the death penalty. The founders announced their first initiative will be the publication of a list of all the present prisoners sentenced to capital punishment or threatened to be so.

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Italy-Iraq-Europe

WHERE IS THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY?: STATEMENT BY MARCO PANNELLA

Rome, 16 August 1990. "That which will doubtless remain as a lost occasion and an unchallenged responsibility in our foreign policy will be the total absence of a community and federal policy (...)". According to Pannella, "the basic differences of French, Anglo-American and German policies will need to be immediately tackled, perhaps within the highest national and community institutions of the Twelve, upon a political summons and initiative, on the political summons and initiative which is requested of Italy" (president of the E.C for this semester).

The Radical leader recalls the fact that "At the end of October the major sessions of the European Parliaments should take place: an initiative which represented the only non-grotesque or irresponsible translation of the Italian referendum on the constituent powers to be bestowed on the European Parliament and on the constitution of the United States of Europe".

"The fact that even the Communist Party remains content with a vaguely pacifist consent, similar in this to second-rank social democrats of the fifties - Pannella says - is equally serious. The federalism thought by Altiero Spinelli, one of the "old" PCI's proclaimed common political heritage, is nothing more than a babbling for the future "cosa" (the "cosa" is the name that is generally given to the new political force which should emerge from the Communist Party and from other possible political forces).

==================================================================Soviet Union-Russia

COLLECTION OF SIGNATURES FOR THE PETITION FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

Moscow, 16 August 1990. Soviet Radicals Irina Podlessova, Andrei Kousine and Fedor Tchoub organized the first stand on the Arbat for the collection of signatures on the petition for the acknowledgement of conscientious objection and the instatement of an alternative civil service. 182 persons coming from 78 different cities, placed their signature on the text, addressed both to the Supreme Soviet and to the Russian Soviet.

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Europe-Gulf

THE LACK OF EUROPE: STATEMENT BY GIOVANNI NEGRI, RADICAL, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Rome, 17 August 1990. "Our attitude is strange. On the one hand we know that the UNO as such could not afford an unsuccessful or ineffective intervention today in Iraq, because this would mean risking a loss of credibility, which would undermine precisely the new role of guarantor of international law which the United Nations are destined to assume. On the other hand, we know that the interests in the Gulf region are by far more crucial for the European countries than for the United States.

And yet, we continue to address irrational criticism and dissatisfaction more toward the United States and their role of "policemen" than toward ourselves, toward we Europeans, incapable, even now, of achieving that which Altiero Spinelli preached as vital already twenty years ago...

Also as regards European domestic problems, and especially the German unification, it is reasonable to say that the path that was once called utopian, that of a federal union with one currency, one foreign policy and common defence, is no longer just a weird dream, but the main road of political realism.

Also from the evident lack of Europe which any observer of the Gulf crisis strongly perceives - Negri concludes - we wish that the Italian presidency of the E.C will act wisely, a presidency which will either mark a decisive step toward the United States of Europe, or is doomed to have little or no relevance".

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Czechoslovakia

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE

Prague, 17 August 1990. Legal acknowledgment was given to the Prague-based Radical Association for the United States of Europe, which thus acquires a juridical status in Czechoslovakia. The association, which can be joined only by members of the Radical Party, is a transnational association - in conformity with the Radical Party's statute - and has been acknowledged both by the Czech Republic and by the Slovakian Republic. During the constituent assembly, which was held in Prague on the 16th of August, the Association elected its first statutory organs: Jaromir Soukup was appointed Secretary, assisted by a staff made of Alexander Blazik, from Prague, Jan Honner, from Brno; Milan Jilek from Zdar; Milan Kozelka and Karlovy Vary; Paolo Pietrosanti from Rome; Daniel Vesely from Prague. Richard Stockar was appointed Treasurer, assisted by a board composed by Irena Krizova and Richard Nemcok. Ota Veverka, the well-known former dissident, was appointed auditor.

This is the association's address: Krakovska 9, 110 00 Praha 1; telephone and fax: 42/2/2361445.

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Europe-Gulf

"THE ABSENCE OF EUROPEAN POLITICAL AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVE ON THE PART OF THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY REPRESENTS A REAL POLITICAL SCANDAL", THE BULLETIN DELIVERED BY THE TRANSNATIONAL AND TRANSPARTISAN RADICAL PARTY.

Rome, 18 August 1990. The absence of European community policy on the part of the Italian presidency represents a risk of incredible gravity, and represents a true political scandal, an omission, considering the twenty-year federalist policy, (...) of the Italian Parliament and of the referendum for the constituent powers (and the constitution of the United States of Europe) to be immediately bestowed on the European Parliament.

The Italian government has omitted to activate traditional mechanisms, such as the "political cooperation", thus favouring the centrifugal and destructive pattern implicit in national and substantially nationalist policies of the French, German, English governments, renewed in occasion of the new, serious and tragical crisis in the near and middle East. The Italian goverment has activated none of the means of intervention and dialogue, has not allowed the executive Commission of Brussels to give its institutional contribution (and the Commission has its responsibilities in having remained inactive), nor has it requested a meeting or an extraordinary session of the European Parliament, (...).

The transnational and transpartisan Radical Party deplores the disregard of the Italian government of its institutional, political, national and community duties. (...)

==================================================================Soviet Union

CREATION OF AN INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE PARTIES

Moscow, 22 August 1990. Several parties and political groupings, among which the democratic Platform of the PCUS, the People's Front of the Republic of Russia, the Constitutional Democrats, the Anarchists-Unionists, the Socialist Party, the Social-Democrat Party and the Radical Party, have created a common information office. Irina Podlessova represented the Radical Party at the foundation session.

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GULF: THE MAJORITY ACCEPTS FOUR RADICAL AMENDMENTS

Rome, 23 August 1990. The majority has integrated four amendments presented by the Radical deputies in its conclusive motion of the debate on the Gulf crisis. They are the following paragraphs:

"commits the government to assume, in the context of its presidency of the European Community, all the necessary initiatives in order for:

- the European Commission to adopt the necessary measures for

* the coordination and control of the production of weapons and the definition of common and transparent criteria (of the Community, editor's note) for the sales of weapon systems, ammunition and generally military gear to other countries;

* the determination of a common policy (of the Community, editor's note) in the field of oil supply, extended to those countries of Central and Eastern Europe that wish to;

- the summons of the intergovernmental Conference on the European political union be aimed at the examination of the documents on the Union approved by the European Parliament in July;

- the European Parliament be summoned on an extraordinary basis, in conformity with the Treaties and with comma five of article 9 of the Regulation of the European Parliament, in order to refer on the decisions adopted;

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*** Italy

MARCO PANNELLA AT THE CONGRESS OF THE ITALIAN ESPERANTIST FEDERATION

Modena, 31 August 1990. At the conclusion of his intervention (which we will publish in the next issue of the Radical Letter), Pannella among other things suggested the launching of a battle for the European Commission to prepare a community directive accepting the requests of the esperantists. He also suggested the idea of starting an activity of persuasion in order for the message "Urbi et Orbi" of the Pope to be read, apart from in the 52 languages of last year, also in Esperanto.