* Military reform

TO CREATE AN ANTIMILITARIST FRONT AGAINST ROKHLIN'S PEOPLE!

by Vasilij Asin

Such an appeal has been issued by the General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association, gathering in Izmajlovo on Saturday and Sunday, at the same time with congress of our militarists headed by Rokhlin. There is a matter about an organization advocating decisive democratization of the army and of the society as a whole. Nikolaj Khramov, leader of the antimilitarists, demanded to reduce immediately the term of compulsory military service to one year, as well as to give possibility for conscript folks to substitute military barracks by alternative civilian service. This could be a real contribution into the military reform and gradual transition to fully professional army.

The right on "alternative" is guaranteed by the 59th article of the Constitution, but the military commissariats ignore it using as pretext absence of the alternative service law, which is strongly blocked by Rokhlin's people in the State Duma. Inasmuch it's impossible to break this wall by forehead, General Council of the ARA decided to launch campaign for adopting such a law first of all within the borders of Moscow alone by means of the City Duma. In principle it is rather possible, because democratic deputies form there majority. And - in order to remove any doubts about support given by Moscouvits to this idea - the Associations put forward the initiative to hold a referendum in the capital, where the question about alternative civilian service should be passed.

Many things depend from near election of the capital Duma, and here exactly appears the possibility to unite all the anti-Rokhlin forces. The Association plans to join actively the electoral campaign and to form - first time for the whole history of regional elections - an antimilitarist coalition. Within the next days Nikolaj Khramov will start consultations with different candidates to clarify their positions regarding the conscientious objection bill. Apart of this, leaders of the Association intend to meet somebody among "government reformers' commando" in order to agree about common repulse to the offensive of Rokhlin's reactionary generals.