Italy
"RADICALS FOR A REFORM. A DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS OF THE REPUBLIC". THE POLITICAL PROPOSAL OF ARCoD.
Rome, 16 April 1991. "(...) The Left, in all its components, has destroyed, in its ideal and political failure, the hopes for an alternative and a renewal. But the reasons of the Reform, of a liberal, democratic and legal revolution in Italy are strong, and necessary now more than ever. Thus, it is necessary to assert that there can be no Reform without conquering the certainty of the Law and of Legality, without replacing this leading class, in other words, without abolishing this system of parties. Faced to the challenge of a Parliament which is given a Constituent role, it is thus imperative for reformers to decide an itinerary and a project, beyond which there are but abstractions or formal advantages....). For us, reform is based on two major pillars, each indispensable for the other: Anglo-Saxon electoral system and liberation of public affairs from the occupation of the parties.
The first is meant not as some kind of magic, but because it is the only effective measure to undo this party system, enable choice, and therefore sovereignty to the electorate, impose the formation of a basically two- or three-party system, with new parties, both at government and opposition. As to the second measure, its importance is inversely proportional to the attention given to it in this crisis (...).
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FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 24 HOURS, THE NEW YORK CITY ATTORNEY DECIDES NOT TO PROSECUTE EMMA BONINO AND MARCO TARADASH.
New York, 16 April 1991. For the second time in 24 hours, New York City Attorney decided not to prosecute Emma Bonino and Marco Taradash, after the two radical parliamentarians violated the city's anti-drug laws by possessing and distributing sterile syringes without a medical prescription.
Bonino and Taradash were also informed that should they continue to repeat such actions, the police file would be dismissed every time, without being taken into consideration.
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United State of America
SENTENCE OF THE CRIMINAL COURT OF NEW YORK: STATEMENT BY MARCO TARADASH.
New York, 17 April 1991. "The authorities of New York City could not have been more explicit. Their policy is clear: to pretend not to see, and to silence our reasons and the reasons of all those who have obtained major achievements in the battle against AIDS, the spread of drugs and crime in many cities of the world, with simple and intelligent measures of health prevention. Today everything is clear: Mayor Dinkins and his staff in the health and judicial administration fear a public prosecution of us, which would necessarily transform itself into a prosecution of the inconsistency of New York City's drug policy, its catastrophic negative record concerning the spread of AIDS and of the HIV virus among heroin addicts".
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Italy
THE PROGRAM OF THE NEW ANDREOTTI GOVERNMENT: STATEMENT BY PEPPINO CALDERISI, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN FEDERALIST PARLIAMENTARY GROUP AND MEMBER OF THE RADICAL PARTY.
Rome, 17 April 1991. "It is the confirmation of four catastrophes on the four priorities: Europe, Environment, Justice, Public Debt, which the Radicals indicated since the beginning of the legislature. As for institutional reforms, we cannot see any true reform affecting the power of the parties; only a policy consisting in postponing, or dangerous counter-reforms or attacks against constitutional rights with the attempt to postpone a referendum which has already been summoned!".
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Italy
THE PROGRAM OF THE NEW ANDREOTTI GOVERNMENT: STATEMENT BY GIOVANNI NEGRI, MEMBER OF THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT AND MEMBER OF THE RADICAL PARTY.
Rome, 17 April 1991. "The seventh Andreotti government is the embodiment of the 1st Republic and of its crisis. Faced to the decay of the system of parties, it is necessary to give a strong answer in terms of democracy and legality. We will do all that is necessary to obtain new electoral rules and a new State, finally freed from the occupation of the parties of the 1st Republic".
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Italy
FIRST CONGRESS OF THE RADICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY (ARCoD).
Rome, 20 April 1991. The first Congress of the Radical Association for the Democratic Constituent Assembly (ARCoD) took place in Rome. Several politicians delivered addresses, including Marco Pannella, Claudio Martelli (Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Socialist), Claudio Petruccioli (Democratic Party of the Left), Ada Becchi (political analyst), Rino Formica (Minister of Finance, Socialist), Giorgio Napolitano (Democratic Party of the Left), Sergio Stanzani (First Secretary of the Radical Party), Toni Muzi Falconi (sociologist), Antonio Baslini (Liberal Party), Giacomo Marramao (Philosopher). The topic of their addresses was institutional reforms, and especially the reform of the electoral system and the birth of a new Democratic Constituent Assembly, that is, a new political force capable of uniting all those who want party power to cease.
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CONGRESS OF THE RADICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY. THE DECISION. THE ORGANS.
Rome, 21 April 1991. The First Congress of the Radical Association for the Democratic Constituent Assembly closed with the passage of a document containing a general political orientation and with several initiatives, including the launching of a campaign for a majority, uninominal electoral reform with a proportional correction, the organization of a "convention for the reform of institutions and parties" at the end of May and a major Convention for the Democratic Constituent Assembly to be held within the end of 1991.
At the completion of the congress, the election of the staff of the Association was held. Gianfranco Spadaccia, one of the founders of the Radical Party, several time senator and member of Parliament, was elected secretary. Christian Rocca was elected treasurer, while Peppino Calderisi, Antonio Lalli, Alessandro Litta Modignani, Luca Loschiavo, Giovanni Negri, Geatano Quagliarello, Ruben Sacerdoti, Lorenzo Strik Lievers, Sofia Ventura, Elio Vito are part of the secretariat. In the Council, the following were elected representatives of the association's members: Massimo Teodori, Antonio Baslini, Angiolo Bandinelli, Ilaria Occhini, Giandomenico Caiazza, Paolo Ghersina, Beatrice Rangoni Macchiavelli, Luciano Fabiani, Angelo Pezzana, Luciana Rosa; representing the adherents (those who join the association without being members of the Radical Party): Giacomo Marramao, Giuseppe Ferrari, Carlo Vallauri, Armando Cavallo, Maurizio Griffo, Raffaele Perna, Francesca Sant, Giulio Petrizzelli, Mariano Milita.
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Italy
ITALIAN GREENS AND ELECTORAL REFORM: REACTION OF PEPPINO CALDERISI, RADICAL, PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER EUROPEAN FEDERALIST GROUP.
Rome, 22 April 1991. "We wish to express all our concern for the outcome of the debate in the Federal Council of the Greens, with the passage of a document based on the defence of the proportional system. We hope this is not an irremovable position, and that the confrontation will remain open. Clearly, this debate confirms how consistent and deeply rooted conservative resistance and difficulties for a true electoral and institutional reform are in all parties".
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Hungary
INAUGURATION OF THE NEW OFFICES OF THE RADICAL PARTY'S COORDINATION CENTRE FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE.
Budapest, 23 April 1991. About seventy people, among whom members and sympathizers participated in the inauguration of the new offices of the Radical Party's coordination centre for Central and Eastern Europe in Budapest. Among them a dozen non-members announced they would join the Radical party.
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Soviet Union
TRIAL AGAINST CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR ALEKSANDER KOPICIN.
Moscow, 23 April 1991. The trial against conscientious objector Aleksander Kopicin, 21 years old, driver, has begun at the Court of the Cheremushkinski sector of Moscow. Kopicin, who had refused to do his military service owing to the mass violations of human rights carried out in the Armed Forces, was arrested on 7 March 1991. All those who wish to express their support to Kopicin can write to his mother: Larisa Aleksandrovna Kopicina - USSR, 117292 Moskva, Ivana Babushkina 12-3-59.
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Soviet Union
ARREST OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR SERGEJ OSNACH.
Moscow, 24 April 1991. Prosecution has begun against Sergej Aleksandrovich Osnach, conscientious objector, 21 years old, from Shostka (Sumy region). Osnach was arrested on 13 April and is still in prison.
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Italy-China
PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN CHINA, PARLIAMENTARIAN GIOVANNI NEGRI, RADICAL, WHO HAD BEEN REFUSED VISA TWO YEARS AGO, LEAVES FOR CHINA WITH THE DELEGATION OF THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT.
Rome, 28 April 1991. An Italian parliamentary delegation headed by the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Flaminio Piccoli, is leaving for Peking invited by the Assembly of the People's Republic of China. The mission, which will last ten days, features meetings in Peking, Xian and Shanghai with different Chinese authorities, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Radical Giovanni Negri will be part of the delegation as the coordinator of the interparliamentary group for Tibet. Two years ago, the Chinese Embassy in Rome had denied Negri the visa which he had requested to visit Lhasa and verify the life conditions and the respect of human rights in Tibet.
Negri asked Piccoli that the Italian delegation place flowers in Tien An Men Square, where the massacre was carried out. The radical parliamentarian also proposed that the Italian delegation formally ask the Chinese authorities to visit a number of political prisoners in prison and to visit Lhasa.
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Italy
RADICAL SEMINAR ON THE "PARTY FORM".
Rimini, 30 April 1991. A seminar was held in Rimini on the "party form". The seminar was attended, in addition to the exponents of the Radical Party, by several scholars, including Giano Accame, former editor of "Il Secolo D'Italia", Marcello Fedele, professor at the Faculty of Sociology at "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Piero Ignazi, researcher of Political Science at the University of Bologna, Igor Luksich, professor of Theory of Political Praxis at the University of Lubljana, Gaetano Quagliarello, researcher at LUISS University, Eligio Resta, professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Law of Bari, Roberto Toniatti, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Trento, Paolo Ungari, Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at LUISS University, Marcello Veneziani, philosopher, editor of "Pagine Libere". We will deal with the subject extensively in the coming issues of the Radical Letter, publishing the most significant moments of this meeting.
