)Subject: Invitation to WRI Triennial Conference -- Urgent
London, 7 August 1998
Dear Nikolai Khramov and friends at ARA,
you might remember that we have been directly in touch a few months ago, when you had provided us with some information about conscientious objection in Russia. We have been following your work through the messages and newsletters that you send regularly.
The reason I am contacting you today is to invite you to attend an international conference, which War Resisters' International is organising in Croatia, from 19 to 24 September. A number of WRI affiliated groups will be represented there -- many of whom are working directly on CO issues. We also hope to have several representatives from Latin American CO groups. This is why we thought that this would be a very good opportunity for exchanging information and experiences about CO campaigning with your organisation.
As you might know, WRI is in the process of publishing a worldwide survey on conscription and CO laws (called: Refusing to Bear Arms) and its authors will be at the Triennial, with the new sections on the former Soviet Union. Part I about Europe has already been published and the rest will come out in September.
There will be a theme group meeting every day on the topic of "Peace Action and the Modernisation of the military", and several workshop on issues related to CO.
You will find more information about the conference -- and about WRI -- in our web page at http://www.gn.apc.org/warresisters.
We would like to know whether you, or another member of ARA, would be interested in participating in this conference. We probably would not be able to subsidise the cost of your travel fully, but we would be glad to waive your participation fee (which is 100 british pounds from Saturday 19 to Thursday 24, all included -- room and board).
As far as the travel is concerned, we were wondering whether you could cover the cost through your organisation or through funders in Russia. We are in contact with the Soros foundation in Croatia, and we were told that individual participants should try to contact the Soros office in their country to see if they would be ready to cover their travel to the conference. The address is Russia is:
Open Society Institute, Bolshoi Kozlovsk pereulok 13/17, Moscow. Ph 095 921 2065 or 928 4632; fax 095 975 2028 or 288 9512; email osi@osi.ru.
Another possibility would be to see if Partito Radicale would be willing to finance your participation: they are an affiliate of WRI, and the conference deals with topics of interest to them -- in addition to being located at the border with Italy.
I would appreciate if you could let me know as soon as possible whether you would like to attend or not. The procedure for obtaining a visa can take a few weeks and we would need to send you an official invitation letter immediately. I would also send you some practical information about travel to the conference.
Hoping to hear from you,
all the best,
Dominique Saillard
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War Resisters' International
5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, Britain
Ph: +44 171 278 4040; fax: +44 171 278 0444;
email: warresisters@gn.apc.org
VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE at http://www.gn.apc.org/warresisters
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