MOSCOW, JUNE 2 /FROM RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT VLADIMIR SEMIRYAGA/

The Russian committee for anti-military action is taking active measures to prepare a referendum at which Russian citizens would say "Yes" to the alternative military service. The announcement was made at the committee's session which reviewed the problems of introducing an alternative service in the army.

The session also considered other scenarios, too. Thus, Alexander Sokolov, a member of the committee, voiced some doubts about the expediency of holding a costly nationwide referendum in the event of what he called "an inevitable dissolution of the State Duma". In this situation, he believes it will be necessary to set about forming a broad-based bloc of democratic forces to take part in new elections, and support candidates, irrespective of their party affiliation, who advocate speedy implementation of an alternative military service and the adopting of the corresponding law.

The committee for anti-military action was established in March 1996 with the involvement of the Memorial society, the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, the Yabloko association, and other public organizations.

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Johnson's Russia List

3 June 1997

djohnson@cdi.org