The Bureau of the Central Council of the Yabloko Association adopted a decision to begin work on the organisation and conduct of a democratic conference (this is the provisional title). Such a decision was adopted at the meeting of the Bureau of the Central Council on January 16, 2001

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Photo: the meeting of the Bureau of the Central Council on January 16, 2001. Photo by Sergei Loktionov, Press Service, Yabloko.

In April 2000 the Central Council of Yabloko proposed to all the democratic organisations of Russia to create a permanent body for the development of a common position on key political issues. “The decisions of the Democratic Conference should be adopted on a consensus basis rather than by majority vote: it may be chaired in turn by the representatives of all the organisations-participants,” said Grigory Yavlinsky. He also stressed that participation in the Conference of non-political civil organisations and organisations defending human rights is extremely important.

Work on convening the “Democratic Conference” will be carried out by the leadership of Yabloko under the guidance of Yavlinsky; organisational functions are vested with member of the Bureau of the Central Council, deputy of the State Duma of the second convocation, Alexei Zakharov.

The first meeting of the Conference, according to Yabloko, may take place in April-May 2001.