ABSTRACT: The second session of the Federal Council of the Radical Party was held in Zagreb, in Croatia, from 31 October to 3 November 1991.

On the agenda: the situation in the ex-Yugoslavia and the reaction of the European Community; the initiatives to launch and organize the project for "the abolition of the death penalty in the world by the year 2000"; the progress of the Party's political-publishing project for 1991; the examination of the possibility of constituting a truly transnational and transdivisional direct-membership political force.

(THE PARTY NEW - SUPPLEMENT TO ISSUE NO.IV - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1991)

The second session of the Federal Council was opened by the relations presented by the First Secretary, Sergio Stanzani, and the Treasurer, Paolo Vigevano.

In his report, Sergio Stanzani outlined the first results of the Party's political project: the enrolment of members of Government, parliamentarians, Nobel prize-winners and citizens from about twenty countries around the world; the mobilization in support of the manifesto-appeal to abolish the death penalty in the world; the establishment of the Party and militant activities in a number of European assemblies and countries: the European Parliament, Czechoslovakia, the ex-Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary and the Soviet Union; the presentation, in those Parliaments where there are members who belong to the Radical Party, of parliamentary motions or acts in line with the final document on the situation in the ex-Yugoslavia which was approved during the first session of the Federal Council; the referendum campaign in Italy, promoted by the Party for the modification of nine laws, including the law on the public financing of political parties, the law on drugs (those clauses which punish users of drugs), and the law

regulating election to the Senate (for the introduction of a single-member system such as that in Great Britain).

The central point of the report presented by Paolo Vigevano concerned the current source of Party funds. The income related to the Party's presence in the Italian Parliament and to its activity in Italy is still what we rely on for the possibility of "exercising" the transnational dimension. In 1992 - a new government will be elected next spring, and the Radical Party will not be standing in the elections - the Party income will amount to 2,650 million lire, less than 40% of the expenditure planned for 1991. The minimum requirement for the continued existence of the Party, as estimated by the Budapest Congress, is a total membership of at least fity thousand people around the world.

The following members of the Federal Council, amongst others, spoke in the debate: Dalibor Brozovic, Vice-President of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ); Drazen Budisa, Minister without portfolio, President of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HLS); Milan Djukic, President of the Serbian Popular Party in Croatia, head of the government office for relations between the national minorities; Franjo Greguric, President of the Croatian Government; Ivo Jelic, member of the Croatian Parliament, elected in Dubrovnik, Popular Party; Vesna Mihelic-Vili, representative of the "Bedem Ljubavi" (Bastion of Love) Association (mothers of Croatian soldiers in the federal army); Iliaz Ramajli, President of the Parliament of Kosovo, in exile, member of the Albanian Democratic Union; Zdravko Tomac, Vice-President of the Croatian Government, member of the executive of the Democratic Reform Party (SDP); Sulejman Uglianin, President of the National Council of Serbian Moslems and President of the Democratic Action Party of Serbi

a; Vlado Veselica, Minister without portfolio, Croatian Democratic Party (HDS).

Other politicians from Croatia who spoke in the debate included Mate Granic, Vice-President of the Government, and Branko Salaj, Minister for Information, whilst a delegation from the Federal Council was received by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman. The President of the Slovenian Liberal Party, Joze Skolc, also spoke, pointing out that the Radical Party is the only political force that has understood that Yugoslavia is made up not only of Yugoslavians, but of Croatians, Serbians, and Albanians: "I believe that the Radical Party will play a very important role in our political life in the fight against chauvinism, xenophobia and the overturning of many fundamental rights."

In addition to the presence of Croatians, Serbians, Slovenians, and Albanians from Kosovo and from Albania, the second session of the Federal Council was attended by parliamentarians from the Soviet Union, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Italy, the European Parliament (Carlo Ripa di Meana, a member of the EEC Commission, was present). There were also representatives, guests and members of the Federal Council, from Brazil, Burkina Faso, France, Hungary, the Ivory Coast and the United States. Others present included Mairead Maguire Corrigan, from Northern Ireland, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978, who joined the Radical Party a few days before the Zagreb meeting (»Nonviolence - she said - is a new culture which we must begin to instill in society, in public opinion, in politics and in everyday life. ), and Hans Walter Janitschek, former Secretary General of the Socialist International, who has also joined the Party.

Franjo Greguric, the President of the Croatian Government, who announced his decision to join the Party during the Federal Council, stated in his speech that Croatia is waiting to be recognized as a subject of international law by the European Community, a necessary condition for ceasefire and the condemnation of the aggressor.

Zdravko Tomac, the Vice-President of the Croatian Government, thanked Marco Pannella »for the political value of the nonviolent hunger strike action which he is carrying out for the recognition of the Republics of Slovenia and Croatia.

Drazen Budisa, President of the Croatian Social Liberal Party and Minister without portfolio, stated that support for the transnational Radical Party was essential for the solution of the Yugoslavian crisis; his Government colleague Vlado Veselica launched an appeal for Europe, "as the heart and mind of the world", to put an end to the aggression to which his country is being subjected.

»Reading the Radical Party resolution on the situation in the ex-Yugoslavia - said Dalibor Brozovic, Vice-President of the Croatian Democratic Union - I became convinced that it is well worth joining this party and I see no contradiction, as a European, with membership of my own Party.

Milan Djukic, President of the Serbian Popular Party in Croatia and head of the Government Office for relations between the national minorities, asked the Radical Party to take all possible action to persuade Europe to recognize the Republic of Croatia before the 15 February deadline and thus to put an end to a situation from which there is no escape, for the Croatians and also for the Serbians who live in Croatia.

Ivo Jelic, a member of the Croatian Parliament elected in Dubrovnik, said that he was happy to be amongst people who talk of nonviolence.

Sulejman Uglianin, President of the National Council of Serbian Moslems and President of the Democratic Action Party of Serbia, stated that he was glad to be part of the Radical Party. »The war and the destruction of Dubrovnik - he said - are not the work of the people of Serbia, but of the military cadres, who want to destroy everything which is not Serbian.

Vesna Mihelic Vili spoke on behalf of the "Bedem Ljubavi" (Bastion of Love) Association (the mothers of Croatian soldiers in the federal army). She stressed the fact that the principle of nonviolence had persuaded her to join the Radical Party. Smiljia Dedic, President of the "Serbian Mothers' Movement for Peace", also spoke in the debate.

Iliaz Ramijli, the President of the Parliament of Kosovo, in exile, thanked Marco Pannella in particular for his efforts to make the world aware of the genocide in progress in his region, and proposed that the international community should recognize the Republic of Kosovo, which voted unanimously in favour of independence in a referendum on the subject.

As well as the President of the Party, Emma Bonino, the following Italian parliamentarians, amongst others, also spoke in the debate: Willer Bordon, PDS; Peppino Calderisi, prdsYddnt of the European Federalist Group in the Chamber of Deputies, who stated that »it is necessary to involve all new members in the development of the political initiative ; Roberto Cicciomessere and Sandro Tessari, European Federalist Group in the Chamber of Deputies; Lorenzo Strik Lievers, President of the European Federalist Ecologist Group in the Senahe European Federalist Ecologist Group in the Senate, who underlined the value, in terms of quality and quantity, of the new members; the following members of the European Parliament: Adelaide Aglietta, President, and Marco Taradash, Green Group, and Xavier Rubert De Ventos, Socialist Group.

Valdimir Moskovka, member of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukraine and President of the Social-Democratic Party, stressed the international dimension of the Radical Party's objectives and his willingness to organize, together with other members, an association for the United States of Europe in Kiev. Alexander Kalinin, member of the Mossoviet and one of the leaders of the democratic and nonviolent revolt against the coup d'état in August 1991, spoke of the usefulness of the means of communication chosen to organize "The New Party". Dimitri Zapolskij, member of the Lensoviet, spoke of the situation in his country and of Radical action: »we Radicals must think about how to address the Russian people, who will probably have to come to terms with episodes of violence with the approach of winter and the hunger that will follow.

Father Alexej Zotov, member of the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania, proposed that congresses of the transnational Party be held on the same day in all countries, »to inform people of the contents of our documents; we could then bring all these regional congresses together in a world congress which could elect delegates to the Federal Council.

Some of the many Romanian parliamentarians who are members of the Federal Council also spoke in the debate. Amongst them were the following: Vasile Diacon and Constantin Ivanovic, National Salvation Front; Viorica Edelhauser, National Liberal Party, who said that she had joined the Party because it was a force which fights against all totalitarian systems, all violence and intolerance; Corina Ion-Iosif, Ecologist Party; Vasile Lascu, Traditional Social-Democratic Party; Anton Lintzmayer, representative of the Polish minority, who joined the Party to pursue the aim to bring about a united Europe; Anton Nicolau, representative of the Greek minority in Romania; Laszlo Zsigmond, Democratic Union of Magyars.

Vladimir Zeman, member of the Czech National Parliament, HDS-SMS Group, said that "I have found similarities between the Radical Party program and my own ideas, which is the reason I became a member. I believe - he added - that soon there will be many more of us, not only members of Parliament but also citizens, because it is clear that the idea of a united Europe has widespread support, especially as a result of a number of problems such as the environment."

Two members of the Czech National Parliament from the ROI (Romany Civic Initiative) spoke in the debate: Dezidér Balog and Zdenek Guzi, both of whom were already members.

Etibar Mamedov, member from Azerbaijan of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, said that the newspaper was widely read in the Supreme Soviet and that many colleagues had asked him for information about the Radical Party and its activities.

Anatoly Zheludkov, member of the Green Party in the Mossoviet, stated that »the problems of the Soviet Union, lack of food, national minorities, nuclear arms, and ecological matters, are transnational problems which belong to the whole world: this is why I joined the Radical Party.

At the conclusion of proceedings, the Federal Council approved two documents: a general motion, which is reproduced in its entirety on these pages, and a document on the situation in the ex-Yugoslavia, which largely follows the contents of the motion approved at the first session, denouncing the conduct of the European Community and Italy for the following reasons: the lack of protest at the oppression of the inhabitants of Kosovo; the defence of the federal nature of Yugoslavia and therefore the encouragement of the Serbian aggression; the failure to recognize the Republics which have declared independence.