PULSE-MOSCOW

MOSCOW-CONSCRIPTION-CAMPAIGN

RADICAL PARTY BEGINS CAMPAIGN AGAINST CONSCRIPTION

May 21, 16.40 - Transnational Radical Party and Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA) announced today about beginning of nation-wide campaign "The Third Millennium Without Draft Slavery". Nikolaj Khramov, Russian coordinator of Radical Party, secretary of ARA, informed about it during the today's press conference.

According to Mr. Khramov, the goal of the campaign is abrogation of conscription and transition to a fully voluntary (professional) principle of Russian armed forces recruitment. During the campaign activists of ARA will collect signatures of citizens under petition addressed to the Russian parliament of the next convocation.

Mr. Khramov thinks that by the end of year it will be possible to collect not less than 50,000 signatures for abrogation of conscription and transition to the professional army. Radicals expect to get support from soldier's mothers organizations and democratic parties - from "Yabloko" to the "Right Case" Coalition.

Petition campaign will start tomorrow, May 22, at noon by a rally on Pushkin square in Moscow. 5,500 copies of special issue of ARA magazine "Antimilitarist" with the text of petition are already sent to ARA supporters ARA in Russian regions. -nz-