OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 95, 16 May 96

The parliament's upper house on 15 May approved a revised version of the draft law on defense, ITAR-TASS reported. The bill, the basic legislative foundation for Russia's defense establishment, has had a rough ride: an earlier version was vetoed by the Federation Council and then by the president after the Duma overrode the upper house's veto. A commission representing Yeltsin and both legislative chambers drew up a compromise bill that was approved by the Duma on 24 April. Lt. Gen. Mikhail Surkov, deputy chairman of the Duma Defense Committee, said the new law would spawn a whole set of bills on issues such as military service and the status of military personnel, which should be ready by the end of the year. He added that a law on alternative civilian service is currently being drafted. -- Doug Clarke