*** Soviet Union
FIVE MUSICIANS FROM THE FIRST SOVIET GAY ROCK BAND JOIN THE RADICAL PARTY.
Moscow, 1 March 1991. The entire staff of the Roshal Mod rock band has joined the Radical Party. Roshal Mod is a new rock band, formed by musicians (Gennadij Klachkov, Sergeij Roshal, Felix Flejshlih, Evgenij Pugatov, Nadezhda Klachkova) who come from different popular bands of the Soviet Union. It is also the first group to have openly declared its gay orientation, with immediate reactions on the part of the press, and often even outright abuse, as in the Moscovskij Komsomolec.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Italy
YES OR NOT TO INTERVENTION. AFTER THE WAR, IT IS NECESSARY TO RESUME DIALOGUE AND INITIATIVE. AN ARTICLE BY GIOVANNI NEGRI ON L'UNITA'.
Rome, 4 March 1991. In a lengthy article published on L'Unità, the daily newspaper belonging to the Democratic Party of the Left, Giovanni Negri, member of the Italian Parliament and member of the Radical Party's Federal Council, advocates an overcoming of the divisions in the political leadership sparked by the Italian intervention in the Gulf. According to Negri, the problem now is to "win peace", while Europe should finally put an end to "years and years spent in the name of the blind politics of a Doctor Jekyll who was creating and nourishing dozens of Mr. Hydes in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East". (...) "It is high time for all democratic forces to impose the cessation of any form of cooperation (clearly, starting from military cooperation) with regimes that do not respect human rights and do nothing to program and implement a democratic conversion".
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*** Soviet Union
ABORTION: RADICAL DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF THE DAILY "MOSKOVSKY KOMSOMOLETS".
Moscow, 4 March 1991. About twenty people took part in a demonstration in front of the daily "Moskovsky Komsomolets", organized by the Radical Party. The demonstration meant to be a protest against the attempts made by that newspaper to ban abortion. The demonstrators' banners stated: "No to the return to clandestine abortion", "No to the prohibition of abortion", "Women have the right to choose"...
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*** Hungary
MEETING BETWEEN MARCO TARADASH, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, AND GABOR DEMSZKY, MAYOR OF BUDAPEST, AND CONFERENCE ON THE ANTIPROHIBITIONIST ISSUE
Budapest, 5 March 1991. Marco Taradash, member of the European parliament, member of the Radical Party's federal Council and executive secretary of the International Antiprohibitionist League, was received by the Mayor of Budapest, Gabor Demszky. Taradash, who was accompanied by Anna Tothfalusi and Eduardo Rizsa, both members of the Radical party, illustrated the positions of the International Antiprohibitionist League and of the Radical Party as regards the general context of the drug problem, and commented on the possibility of the formation of a link between the countries of the former Communist Eastern Europe and West European countries, similar to that which already exists between the United States of America and Central and Latin America for drug trafficking; this would tremendously boost the illicit marketing of drugs, including hard drugs...
In concluding his exposé, Taradash gave Demszky the papers of the Frankfurt Resolution and other documents issued by the International Antiprohibitionist League. Gabor Demszky thanked him for his concern and interest, and said that the Municipality would support the antiprohibitionist policy as far as it could.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Hungary
ANTIPROHIBITIONIST CONFERENCE-MEETING
Budapest, 5 March 1991. In the conference, which lasted over two hours and which was attended by one hundred people, including several Hungarian experts in the field of drugs, Taradash illustrated the antiprohibitionist positions in relation to the estimated increase of drug trafficking activities toward the new democracies of Central Europe, and added that these countries are nonetheless still in time to handle the problem, avoiding the mistakes made in Western Europe, which have had tremendous consequences, both in the criminalization of drug abuse and - as a result of an indiscriminate repression - in the loss of control over the market and the conditions of assumption of drugs.
Taradash explained that the only thing achieved with prohibition - apart from the risk of violating citizens' rights - is the criminalization of the consumer, and the development of a circuit of juvenile crime against which police forces, at least in Europe, have proved to be completely ineffective.
At the end of the conference, the Hungarian radicals announced the creation of a Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination, whose acronym in Hungarian is A.R.KO.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Soviet Union
ABORTION: THE RADICAL DEMONSTRATION AND THE PRESS
Moscow, 6 March 1991. Several newspapers covered the radical demonstration on abortion, quoting some of the slogans repeated by the radicals. Quotes the Moskovskij Komsomolets: "Every woman has the right to decide", "the prohibition of abortion can only lead to the birth of clandestine centres". In its article, "Kuranty" warns against prohibition on abortion, and recalls that during the Stalinist era, abortion was prohibited. "Vechernjaja Moskva" and "Leninskoe Znamja" also reported the event.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Hungary
MEETINGS BETWEEN MARCO TARADASH, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, WITH OFFICIALS OF THE HUNGARIAN POLICE, WITH POLITICAL EXPONENTS AND WITH EXPERTS IN THE DRUG PROBLEM.
Budapest, 6 March 1991. Marco Taradash, accompanied by radical Eduardo Rozsa, met Dr. Gyozo Szabo, Captain General of the Hungarian Police Force, national and general police commander, Colonel Antal Kacziba, head of the national department of criminal research, Lieutenant Colonel Laszlo Kiss, head of the National Department for the Control of Drugs, and Dr. Colonel Imre Kovalovski, head of the RREE department of the Hungarian National Police and Director of the Hungarian Interpol Agency.
After having listened to the information given by Taradash on the positions and on the activities of the International Antiprohibitionist League and on the project to organize a scientific seminar in Budapest in June 1991, Dr. Gyozo Szabo thanked Taradash for his visit and for his concern as regards the situation of drugs in Hungary. He informed Taradash about the international consultations under way in Hungary with English, French, Italian, German and Dutch agencies specialized in the drug problem, and said "Hungary is unprepared to face the future and possible tide of crime related to drug trafficking", and also said that "we are willing to participate in the Budapest seminar, where we will delegate our top experts who will contribute to the seminar by illustrating our experiences in this field".
Marco Taradash then met Dr. Jozsef Gerevich, President of the Drug Program of the National Committee for Health, who showed special interest in collaborating to the organization of the seminar on drugs, due to be held in Budapest. Thereafter, Taradash met the deputy of the Democratic Forum, Dr. Ferenc Grezsa, vice-president of the Social Affairs Committee at the Hungarian Parliament. Grezsa said he was already informed about the activities of the International Antiprohibitionist League, and offered his cooperation to enhance the exchange of information between the League and the Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. He declared he was interested in taking part in the seminar. Taradash also had a profitable exchange of views with Dr. Zoltan Gy. Mayer, counsellor of the Minister of Health.
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*** Italy
FOUNDATION OF THE RADICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY AND FOR THE REFORM OF POLITICS. PRESS CONFERENCE.
Rome, 7 March 1991. In a press conference, the promoters of the A.R.CO.D., Calderisi, Negri, Spadaccia, Strik Lievers, Teodori and Zevi, explained the reasons for the creation of this new radical association (Radical Association for the Democratic Constituent Assembly and for the reform of politics, open to non-members of the party as well), which has already received the adhesion of 400 radicals. The objectives of this new association are implicit in its title: Democratic Constituent Assembly, that is, a commitment to resume and relaunch the idea of a Constituent Assembly, of a Democratic Party capable of being the party of an alternative to party power; the other aim is the Reform of Politics, in other words, an electoral reform, passing from the proportional system to a uninominal and majority system, and the liberation of society and of the States from the occupation of a political system which is a hindrance for the transformation of the country in a democratic and European State, for the transition fro
m party power to democracy."
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Hungary
ANTIPROHIBITIONISM AND MAGYAR NARANCS
Budapest, 7 March 1991. The fortnightly Magyar Naranc published an article by Radical Anna Tothfalusi, which illustrates the main reasons that should lead to the immediate adoption in Hungary of an antiprohibitionist policy on drugs.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Italy
EIGHT MONTHS AFTER ITS ENTRY INTO EFFECT, AN OUTCOME OF THE "ANTIDRUG" LAW PASSED BY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. A DISASTER. AND NOT JUST ACCORDING TO THE ANTIPROHIBITIONISTS.
Rome, 7 March 1991. Eight months after the passage of the "antidrug" law, the result can be said to be a disaster. And this not only according to the antiprohibitionists, those "who want to destabilize society". Authoritative personalities, experts of the problem, economists, judges, social and sanitary workers are increasingly denouncing the failure of the law.
The last of such personnalities is Judge Giancarlo Caselli, who in an interview clearly states that "hopes for the law to have any real effect on the phenomenon could well be vain" because "those who developed it perhaps deliberately ignored the real situation of the social services and of the judicial administration".
------------------------------------------------------------------*** European Parliament - Albania
ALBANIAN REFUGEES: NO ONE MUST BE SENT BACK. PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION FROM MARCO TARADASH, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT.
Brussels, 8 March 1991. "Italy must prepare itself to accept and ensure hospitality to all Albanian refugees. The distinction between political refugees or other refugees is hypocritical: Albania is and continues to be a dictatorial regime which has never allowed any sort of political and economic freedom. Italy is one of the richest countries of the world, only its ruinous State administration and its poor government can create a situation of emergency and confusion such as that which occurred on the coasts of Apulia. Like all E.C. countries, Italy has the duty to provide help and assistance to refugees coming from authoritarian countries. Italy is a full-fledged member of the European Community, and the latter must develop and implement, in agreement with the Italian authorities, a plan for the final settling of the refugees".
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Soviet Union
MEETING BETWEEN MUSCOVITE RADICALS AND RESEARCHERS OF THE RAND CORPORATION.
Moscow, 8 March 1991. A Radical delegation consisting of the Bishop Nikon, Irina Podlesova and Nikolaj Khramov received a delegation of the Rand Corporation composed by Eugene Rumer, Stephen Larrabee and Robert Nurick in the headquarters of the Radical party in Moscow. The two parts exchanged information on their respective initiatives.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Vatican-Israel
"THE POPE IN JERUSALEM MUST PRONOUNCE THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE JEWISH STATE". OTHER SIGNATURES COLLECTED FOR THE "BIONDI-NEGRI" APPEAL ADVOCATING A FORMAL STEP ON THE PART OF THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT BEFORE THE POPE LEAVES FOR ISRAEL.
Rome, 9 March 1991. Almost one hundred signatures of members of Parliament support a formal step on the part of the Italian government toward the Holy See to urge the latter to recognize the Jewish State after 43 years if its existence. Radical Negri and Liberal Biondi, the promoters of the initiative, asked with a statement that the Prime Minister Andreotti and the Minister of Foreign Affairs De Michelis answer the parliamentary questions before the Pontiff's visit in the capital of Israel.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Italy
"TO AVERT ANOTHER CRISIS: A CONVENTIONAL NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY". MEETING-DEBATE AMONG EXPERTS AND POLITICIANS.
Rome, 9 March 1991. A seminar-meeting on the subject of the proliferation of conventional weapons was held in the headquarters of the Radical Party. The subject is often a remote one for the political forces, who prefer to talk about the reduction of unconventional arms. The meeting was attended by members of Parliament of several political forces, exponents of the major Italian labour organizations, and experts of the most important research institutes on disarmament, such as Franco Calogero (PUGWASH), Aldo De Matteo (ACLI), Gianluca Devoto (Centro Studi di Political Internazionale), Marco De Andreis (IRDISP), Giuseppe Nardulli (Unione Scienziati per il disarmo), Pablo Piacentini (Interpress Service), Guy De Almeida (TIPS).
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Soviet Union - Russia
THE RADICALS TAKE PART IN A DAY OF ACTION IN SUPPORT OF THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT.
Moscow, 10 March 1991. The Radicals of Moscow took part in the day of support to the Russian Parliament organized by the movement Democratic Russia. In the demonstration, which was held in the streets of Moscow, the Radicals waived the blue and yellow European flags, the symbols of the Radical Party and a banner that stated: "For a legal and democratic Russia in united Europe". During the march, two demonstrators joined the Radical Party.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Italy - Iraq
CHEMICAL WEAPONS TO IRAQ: THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT KNEW SINCE 1982, SINCE 1986...
Rome, 12 March 1991. In a parliamentary question with written reply of 8 NOVEMBER 1982, Roberto Cicciomessere, member of the Italian Parliament, member of the Federal Council, asked the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, of Industry and Trade, "to ascertain the truthfulness of news concerning a contract which the Technimont Company of Milan, belonging to the Montedison group, is allegedly about to sign with Iraqi company State Establishment of Pesticide Production, for the establishment of a plant for the production of insecticides of the kind of Paraoxon and Amiton".
Cicciomessere also asked if it was true that "the production of insecticides should in fact cover the production of chemical weapons". Moreover, he asked "to know which initiatives the government intends to adopt to prevent the execution of the above contract, in the event the news were confirmed".
On 2 DECEMBER 1986, members of Parliament Bandinelli, Calderisi, Corleone, Pannella, Rutelli, Stanzani, Teodori and Tessari, all members of the Radical Party, asked the Government once again to know if the contents of Cicciomessere's question in 1982 were true, that is, "if it is true that a well-known Italian company for the production of chemical products has established a plant for the production of Parathion pesticide; which role the Italian Government played in the relative negotiations; lastly, if it is true that the above plants, thanks to the simple modification of the chemical formula, could easily pass from the production of Parathion (already so toxic as to have been withdrawn from the market in Italy) to the production of nerve gas for military purposes".
THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT NEVER ANSWERED THE TWO QUESTIONS.
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*** Italy
FOUNDING ASSEMBLY OF ARCOD, RADICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY.
Rome, 16 March 1991. The founding assembly of the Arcod was held in Rome, attended by about one hundred people. After an extensive debate on the priorities of action of the association, the participants planned their first congress for 20 and 21 April. The Congress will establish the initiatives to be pursued and will elect the executive bodies. The membership fee to join the Arcod amounts to L.50,000 yearly.
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*** Rumania
THE GOALS OF THE RADICAL PARTY. AN INTERVIEW ON ATLAS WEEKLY.
Cluj, 22 March 1991. An interview by Carol Arsan with Olivier Dupuis, member of the Radical party's federal Council, was published on a Cluj weekly, Atlas. Among the topics dealt with, European federalism, democratic federalism, the Anglo-Saxon system: initiatives which the Radical Party is trying to develop in Rumania.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Soviet Union
THE AUTHORITIES DENY VISA TO RADICAL ALEXANDR PRONOZIN, PREVENTING HIM FROM TAKING PART IN THE RADICAL PARTY'S FEDERAL COUNCIL.
Moscow, 23 March 1991. Alexandr Krasnov, head of the visa and registration department of the Moscow district, rejected the documents presented by Radical Pronozin to obtain a visa for Italy to take part in the Radical Party's federal Council. The official stated he could accept the documents only after having received the official permission of the military Recruitment Office. Pronozin had declared his objection to military service in August 1988. In December of the following year a penal procedure had been opened against him on charges of "evasion of the draft".
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*** Italy
4TH CONGRESS OF THE CORA (RADICAL ANTIPROHIBITIONIST COORDINATION)
Milan, 22 March 1991. Over 400 people took part in the 4th Congress of the CoRA, which was held in Milan. After the introductory report of the outgoing secretary, Marco Taradash, the general debate began. Over fifty people spoke during the two days of the Congress. Among these, several members of the Italian parliament and experts of the drug problem.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Czechoslovakia
REPORTER AND THE DRUG ISSUE
Prague, 23 March 1991. A long article by Radicals Pietrosanti and Stockar was published by the weekly Reporter. The articles illustrate the most significant data of several surveys made in the United States concerning the "drug" problem.
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*** Italy
4TH CONGRESS OF THE CORA. MOTION PASSED.
Milan, 23 March 1991. After having pointed out that "the progressive and steady deterioration of all the phenomenons that are caused by prohibitionist norms, from the increase in mortality owing to the use of street heroin, the surge of violent crime, especially bag-snatching, thefts and robberies against people, to the fact that a great number of people, often very young, are unjustly imprisoned or prosecuted as a consequence of an illicit norm such as that relative to the daily average dose", the Congress "invites all antiprohibitionist militants to give life to concrete initiatives aimed at a radical reform of the drug policy, including the legal impeachment of norms which are clearly illegitimate, such as the De Lorenzo decree on methadone, which violates both citizens' right to health and physicians' deontological freedom". (...).
The Congress moreover stresses "the special importance of the Frankfurt resolutions, so far signed by the municipal administrations of four major European cities at the centre of the illicit drug trade, and deems it necessary for the highest number of mayors of Italian cities to endorse the reasons of good administration that induced their colleagues in Hamburg, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zürich to proclaim the failure of the current drug policy, and to promote a new policy based on decriminalization and depenalization, as well as on the reduction of harm, to denounce the unsustainable costs for the regional governments of the policies established by the highest international and governmental fora in the total indifference toward the ensuing human and social costs.
The Congress therefore "binds the executive bodies of the CORA to organize the necessary initiatives, by means also of popular petitions and information campaigns, to involve the highest number of Italian cities in the movement born in Frankfurt, and for the summons in Italy of the 3rd conference of European cities in 1992".
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*** Italy
CORA CONGRESS: THE ELECTED BODIES
Milan, 23 March 1991. Marco Taradash and Maurizio Turco have been elected respectively secretary and treasurer of the CORA.
The elected members of the General Council are:
- Enrolled members: Rita Bernardini, Lucio Berté, Sergio D'Elia, Massimo Teodori, Luigi Cerina, M.Teresa Di Lascia, Roberta Tatafiore, Roberto Miglio, Gaspare Lipari, Carlo Romeo, Claudio Cappuccino, Elio Vito, Carla Rossi, Christian Rocca, Emiliano Silvestri, Giulio Manfredi, Monica Mischiatti, Fulvio Rogantin, Giorgio Straquadanio, Carmelo Palma, Franco Grillini, M.Grazia Lucchiari, Majid Valcarenghi, Annamaria Boano, Andrea Tamburi, Paolo Guerra, Luigi Donalisio, Anna Angioni, Giacomo Nardone, Angelo Comaschi, Giuseppe Podda.
- Adhering members: Giancarlo Arnao, Tiziana Maiolo, Luigi Manconi, Susanna Ronconi, Renato Longo.
------------------------------------------------------------------*** Rumania
MEETING WITH THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE DAILY AISBERG.
Cluj, 23 March 1991. A meeting was held in Cluj in the Palace of Culture between the editorial staff of Aisberg, the daily of the cultural association of Cluj, and the Radical Party. After an extensive presentation of the objectives of the respective organizations, the participants agreed on developing common initiatives in the future.
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*** United States of America
EMMA BONINO AND MARCO TARADASH TO BE TRIED ON 15 APRIL ON CHARGES OF VIOLATION OF THE LAWS ON DRUGS.
Rome-New York, 27 March 1991. Bonino and Taradash were arrested on the 5th of November 1990 as they were handing out packages of clean needles to police officers on duty after a press conference in front of New York City Town Hall. The demonstration had been organized by the ACLU Association (Association for Civil Liberties), Act-Up (a homosexual self-help group against AIDS), LIA (International Antiprohibitionist League) and the Radical Party. Handcuffed and brought before the police commissioner, Bonino and Taradash were released a few hours later. On the morning of the 6th of November a preliminary hearing took place, at the conclusion of which Judge Jerome Hornblass proposed a social service as an alternative penalty, consisting in a day spent cleaning the subway of Rome. The two Radicals refused the agreement and stated that they were willing to spend one or more days distributing clean needles to drug addicts in the streets of New York. Hence the formal trial, to be held April 15.
The defendants, who are assisted by lawyers William M. Kunstler and John Soroko, will bring American and European witnesses at the trial, who will prove the effectiveness of the health policy practiced since years in many large cities envisaging the distribution of clean needles, methadone and condoms to drug addicts. A policy which has drastically reduced AIDS hazards, at the same time curbing the rates of diffusion of heroin and of crime.
