|
RUSSIA ELABORATES LAW ON ALTERNATIVE CIVIL SERVICE
by Marina SHAKINA, RIA Novosti political observer
Russia is about to introduce alternative civil service for a certain category of army conscripts. In fact, the right to alternative civil service is mentioned in the 1993 Constitution adopted on a referendum. However, application of the constitutional norm is hampered the lack of a corresponding constitutional law. The Russian parliament has not been quick in elaboration and adoption of the law, largely owing to the contradictions over this issue existing in Russian society.
There are diametrically opposite, even intransigent views on alternative civil service in Russia. Many people living in Russia, a country rich in combat traditions and proud of its army's might, see alternative service as a manifestation of cowardliness and ignominious draft-dodging. It is not hard to guess that the Defence Ministry as well as the military community stick to this viewpoint.
The Russian liberals have another opinion. A young man, who refused to take up arms in peacetime because of his religious beliefs or ideas, must have an opportunity to pay their tribute to society in a different way, they claim.
Indeed, both have to put up with an unpleasant reality - over the past 20-30 years the former Soviet and now Russian army is in complete decay. This happened due to the decade-long war in Afghanistan, which killed 14,000 Soviet young men, due to harassment, the frustrating war in Chechnya, soldiers' poor life conditions, drill instead of training, which eroded the army's prestige.
As a result, draft-dodging in Russia became a true disaster. Recruiting-offices had problems with call-up every year, while health and IQ of the conscripts became increasingly worse from year to year. Thousands of young men tried to evade the call-up by hook or by crook.
Some of the draft-dodgers began trying to obtain their right to the alternative civil service, referring to the Constitution. Sometimes, though rather rarely, courts ruled these cases for them. Besides, authorities of some Russian regions began to introduce alternative civil service at their own risk under pressure of public organisations, like in Perm (Urals) and Nizhny Novgorod (Volga district).
Eventually, the Defence Ministry and the Cabinet decided they should not let matters drift, but legalise alternative civil service and draft-dodgers. However, the alternative service champions did not like the Defence Ministry's bill for its toughness.
The military suggested that the those doing the alternative service work in the army as civil employees for four years - twice as long as those serving in the army. According to the blueprint developed by the military, young men had to prove their pacifist beliefs, not just announce them to the recruiting commission. The bill did not envisage an opportunity to continue studies and did not guarantee doing the alternative service in the residence area.
A compromise was achieved as a result of a broad political debate between the government officials and deputies. A new bill will soon be submitted to the State Duma, the Russian parliament's lower house.
The parliamentarians managed to defend the draft-dodgers' right to work in social facilities - hospitals, children's homes and rest houses for the aged - instead of the army. They managed to defend the possibility for those doing the alternative service to study and serve in the residence area. But liberals still believe that the 4-year term of service is too long. Besides, the conscripts will yet have to prove that they are pacifists, which many people say will cause a lot of extra problems and clashes.
At the same time, opinion polls reveal that not so many young people are willing to do the alternative service instead of joining the army. Sociologists fear that the new law will be a poor solution of the problem. Most young people evading the army do that not because of their beliefs, but simply for they do not want to serve, to risk their life and health, lose their "golden years" which can be spent to acquire professional knowledge and start the career.
In this light, the current bill on alternative service, is a necessary, but only half-measure. Obviously, the problem can be solved through abolition of compulsory military service and creation of a professional army in Russia. Only those people who believe military life is their vocation will serve in this army, and this is what the military reform initiated in Russia is aimed at.
The military profession will never lose popularity in Russia, which has always taken pride in its arms, and the permanently high competition in military academies testifies to this effect. This is especially true, as professional army presupposes higher salaries for the military.
top
FROM AFGHAN TRAGEDY TO AFGHAN REVIVAL
By Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA Novosti political analyst
February 15, 1989 - the day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan - is still marked in Afghanistan as National Salvation Day.
For many these words sound like mockery after all that this country has lived through over the 13 years that have passed since general Gromov crossed the bridge across the Amu-Darya, pulling the last Soviet troops out of the country. However, let the Afghans themselves decide some day whether the civil war, which first brought the extremist Taliban regime to power and then led to an international military operation to overthrow it, was really salvation.
As to Russia, she is facing the prospect of returning to Afghanistan, although this time this does not imply a return to war. Perhaps, the most vivid symbol of this was the Moscow visit of Afghan defense minister Mohammad Fahim, who announced Kabul's desire to establish close military relations with Moscow.
The member of the country's current government came to Moscow not only as a friend but also as a war ally, in a way. For he himself and most members of Afghanistan's current interim government would not be in Kabul now, were it not for Russia's many-year military assistance to the Northern Alliance, which fought against the Taliban.
No doubt, current relations between Russians and Afghans are also full of bitter reminiscences. Once could not but notice the double meaning of Fahim's words that Afghanistan does not need more armaments, as it has enough weapons "mainly of Russian and Soviet make".
And this not counting the huge amount of weapons the Afghan army seized during recent battles with the Taliban. This is why the Afghan army, "traditionally relying on Soviet arms", now needs mainly logistic support and spare parts for hardware repairs. As a result of the talks in Moscow, the sides agreed that the minister will get what he asked for. Kabul will pay with the money it will get under international assistance programs.
The military would say that the experience of fighting each other strengthens mutual respect. Well, perhaps this is true. At least, one could feel respect in the words of Russian defense minister Sergei Ivanov, who received the Afghan guest. Asked about Russian military advisers in Kabul, he said: "These corps commanders do not need any training for they fought for 20 years. What can we teach them? I think that it is they who can teach us something, including the tactic of waging modern warfare." It seems that our countries have good prospects for economic cooperation. Russia is known to lead the world in the volume of assistance rendered to Afghanistan now, in the hardest times. The point at issue is 10,000 tons of humanitarian cargoes, the restoration of a strategic tunnel in Salang, the construction of a hospital in Kabul. It is also no secret that many projects vitally needed by the country for normal existence cannot be implemented by another country for either geographical or technological reasons.
History seldom offers people or nations a chance to correct the mistakes made, starting everything from the beginning. The next few years will show whether our peoples harbor friendly or hostile feelings towards each other. At least, many Afghan believe that the greatest tragedy for Afghanistan happened in the mid-1990s when then Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev denied the country's government weapons and the Taliban came to power, not in 1979 when our troops entered Afghanistan.
Involvement in Afghanistan's affairs also means Moscow's clear-cut position on the country's political future. It is an open secret that Moscow has established ties with the members of the former Northern Alliance. It has not yet established ties with the southern Pushtun tribes and Pushtun premier Hamid Karzai. It is also obvious that the struggle between the " northerners" and the Pushtuns are going on inside the Afghan administration and only the other day the premier started purging the staff from his "northern" partners.
Once, at the end of the 1970s Moscow had already taken the side of one of the Afghan factions. It is known what this led to. This is why today Russia clearly understands that it needs a neutral, not " pro-Russian" Afghanistan. Then our business and other interests in this country will rest on a reliable basis.
top
RUSSIAN-CANADIAN ECONOMIC BREAKTHROUGH
Moscow, RIA Novosti, February 15
Moscow has hosted the largest ever delegation from Canada, which included 300 prominent state management and business figures, led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Russian federal newspapers published extensive comments on all aspects of Russian-Canadian negotiations.
"The tone of the negotiations between the Canadian and Russian leaders was very much businesslike. It was said that the two countries are 'neighbours at the North Pole', and a proposal was even made to organise a Vladimir Putin-Jean Chretien meeting at the 'top' of the planet," Vremya MN wrote.
The author of the article draws the readers' attention to the fact that the conversations in the Kremlin with "Team Canada," as the delegation is called, and the Plan of Joint Actions, adopted by the parties, "have turned bilateral trade and economic ties, which suffered from the termination of grain import by Russia and the August 1998 financial crisis, towards improvement." Jean Chretien pointed out that, compared to former times, the environment for Canadian investments has improved, the newspaper said.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta quoted the Canadian delegation as saying that Moscow has made many steps to meet potential foreign investors halfway. The Canadian government holds that the manufacturing industry, housing construction, telecommunications, the oil and gas industry, space exploration and aviation are the more promising areas for broadening investment cooperation. Canada has expressed its readiness to make every effort for Russia to be admitted to the World Trade Organisation "on standards terms," the author of the article wrote.
Vremya Novostei published comments by members of the Canadian delegation. It quoted the Canadian prime minister as saying that Vladimir Putin's reforms are very important. One of the Canadian businessmen said it would be difficult to choose a better time for coming to Russia, as the Russian economy is booming and there are now good opportunities for trade. "There have been achievements in our relations, which we can be proud of, but there is also some decline in mutual trade," Vladimir Putin replied.
The author of the article explained that among Russia's trade partners Canada ranks only 19th. "The volume of Canadian investments in the Russian economy barely reaches $118.7 million, 0.44 percent of all foreign investments in Russia. The aggregate volume of Russian exports to Canada has been declining because of an antidumping investigation with regard to Russian steel," Vremya Novostei wrote.
Kommersant, a newspaper of the business circles, specified: "Antidumping barriers have been put up on the way of Russian steel products, which last year alone inflicted losses on some Russian companies to the tune of $130 million." Jean Chretien promised to solve this problem, the newspaper said.
Kommersant pointed to the good attitude to Canadian business people in Russia. "No one interferes with the operation of the Canadian branch of the U.S. Pratt and Whitney engine-building company on the Russian market. Its engines will be installed on new Russian-built Tu-204 planes and Mi-38 helicopters. Similarly, no one hampered Quebec's Decam company in building Europe's largest oncological centre in Samara, the Volga Region." The Canadian business delegation plans to meet with Russian business people and broaden mutual cooperation.
The newspaper said that, according to the Russian president's estimates, "over the three days of Team Canada's visit to Moscow the parties will sign contracts and letters of intent to the total tune of one billion dollars. Yet, even this figure is not final. At the House of the Government, which Mr. Chretien visited Thursday evening after his meeting with Vladimir Putin, two billion dollars was already mentioned." Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who described the present stage of Russian-Canadian relations as "cooperation of untapped opportunities," wants Canada to become a strategic investor, Kommersant wrote.
The parties exchanged views on economic and political issues, Vek said. Bilateral documents point to the two countries' common approaches to global military and political problems - inadmissibility of an arms race in outer space, and the need to combat terrorism and cooperate in utilising weapons of mass destruction, the author of the article said.
Several Russian newspapers described the visit as fruitful and expressed hope that it will give an impetus to Russian-Canadian business ties.
top
TERRORISTS NO LONGER TO BE DIVIDED INTO "BAD" AND "GOOD" GUYS?
By Valentin KUNIN, RIA Novosti political analyst
US charge d'affaires in Georgia Philip Remmler has recently said that "several dozen Mujahedeen have shown up in the Caucasian region after fleeing from Afghanistan". Some of them took refuge in the Pankisi Gorge in eastern Georgia and are in touch with Arab terrorist Khattab in Chechnya, who in his turn is in contact with Osama bin Laden.
As experts believe, western intelligence services have long known of the real situation in the gorge and of support given by Georgian authorities to Chechen militants there, as Moscow has repeatedly said for years. But before the September 11 tragedy in the US, the West, playing assiduously the Chechen card in its dealings with Russia, would rather wink at Tbilisi's moves.
Kistin Chechens have lived in the Pankisi Gorge for scores of years and have practically never been seen to have any large-scale clashes with Georgians on ethnic grounds. Things began to change three years ago when several thousand Chechen refugees arrived there, and with them militants who within a short time turned the area into a staging point for weapons and ammunition meant for Chechnya.
According to Russian secret services, the Pankisi Gorge acted as a link with Chechnya for groups of mercenaries from some Islamic countries and for money contributions from Islamic extremist groupings, such as Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.
Georgia's Security Minister Valery Khaburdzania has lately acknowledged these facts. According to him, "several training camps of criminals and Chechen militants are functioning in the Pankisi Gorge," while young Kistins and Chechens are undergoing training at Wahhabi centres in Islamic states.
Extremist groupings, in particular As-Salam, acting in the disguise of humanitarian organisations, are financing these actions. They also supply arms to the gorge. The Georgian minister also reported detaining nationals of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who "tried to set up illegal formations to commit sabotage and terror attacks in Russia".
The remarks by the Georgian minister can be regarded as sensational. Until now officials in Tbilisi have been categorically denying the presence of Chechen terrorists in Georgia, and described Moscow statements to that effect as Russia's "unfriendly policy" towards Georgia. Of late, however, Georgian authorities have been increasingly talking of the need to send Chechens back home and that they are ready to cooperate closely with Russia in implementing this action.
Georgian authorities are now in obvious disarray, as experts note. After the American administration pointed to facts of cooperation between Chechen separatists and Osama bin Laden and a number of extremist Islamic organisations, Tbilisi has found itself a de facto accomplice of international terrorists. This, it appears, was made clear to Shevardnadze when he visited the US last autumn.
Equally weighty, according to specialists, is a second reason why Georgia changed its attitude to Chechen terrorists. Bandits in the Pankisi Gorge have organised their "pet" business there -- kidnapping people for ransom. They made the area into a hub of drug smuggling into Russia and the whole of Georgia. Things have gone so far that residents of neighbouring villages, despairing to get help from authorities, have themselves formed armed groups, saying they intend independently to put an end to outrages of Chechen "guests".
In the view of experts, Georgian authorities virtually do not control the situation in the Pankisi Gorge and there is no guarantee that in the event of the Georgian army and security forces trying to bring law and order there they may not meet with fierce resistance on the part of Chechen terrorists, who but recently were described in Tbilisi as "freedom fighters".
Developments in the Pankisi Gorge are a sad example of what comes from attempts to divide terrorists into "good" and "bad" guys. Moscow believes strongly that the sooner an end is put to these double standards, the better people will feel in Russia, the United States, Georgia and the world.
top
|