Lower house passes bill on reserve troops

The lower house on Wednesday passed an amendment to the conscription law that should motivate young people to join the country’s active reserve troops on a voluntary basis. The annual financial reward given to members of the reserve troops would be triple what it is now and they would have further advantages. Those who pass the tests would undergo a three months military training course. The government had originally proposed the re-introduction of blanket conscription of 18-year-olds but lawmakers opposed the idea. At present the army’s reserves count some 1,200 people; the military would like to see their number reach 5,000.