A historic step towards global anti-imperialist co-ordinated action

The International Anti-Imperialist Conference organised by the All India Anti-Imperialist Forum was held in Calcutta amidst great enthusiasm and determination for two days, 28 and 29 November 2007, after the mammoth historic anti-imperialist procession of tens of thousands of anti-imperialist fighters of the world held in the city on 27 November. The Conference was attended by over 1500 delegates from twelve countries and from different states of India. More than 600 observers watched the proceedings through close-circuit TVs. Mahajati Sadan, itself a venue of many historic assemblies and conferences, took a new look with a Martyr Column erected in its yard, and gates, banners and posters decorating the entire premise of the auditorium, inside and outside. The dais inside was also set with a painting in the background, done by Suvaprosanno, the famous painter who was also a leading personality of the Forum for Artistes Cultural Activists and Intellectuals that had been organizing the movement against the atrocities of the Left Front government on the peasants of Nandigram, Singur and elsewhere. The whole ambience beamed with zeal and fervour orchestrated with smooth organization, fluent efficiency and innate discipline.

The Conference was presided over by Professor Tarun Sanyal, the noted Bengali Poet, educationist and President of the Forum for Artistes Cultural Activists and Intellectuals, West Bengal. Noted geologist, educationist and General Secretary of the All India Anti-Imperialist Forum, Dhrubajyoti Mukhopadhyay co-ordinated the proceedings. The Conference started with an opening song presented by Music Squad. It was followed by formal introduction and welcome of the delegates on the dais. Distinguished delegates present on the dais included Ramsey Clark, President, International Action Center and Former Attorney General of the United States; Sara Flounders, Member, Central Secretariat, Workers World Party and Co-Director, International Action Centre; Stevan Kirschbaum, Vice-President, United Steel Workers of America (Local 8751); William R. Woodward, Professor of Psychology, New Hampshire University (all from USA); Nina Andreeva, General Secretary, All Union Communist Party Bolsheviks, Russia ; from Lebanon Mustafa Haj Ali, Hezbollah representative; Abdulhalim Fadlallah, of Consultative Centre for Studies and Documentation, Lebanon, Hezbollah; Mohammed Kassem, Left Intellectual; Mohammed Tay, Professor of Law, Lebanon University; Kassim Ezzedine, representing Movement for Alternative to Globalization; Ali Akhil Khalil, Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights, Lebanon and Hussein Shukur: Anti-Imperialist Campaigner, Lebanon; Barish and Aynoor, both from Marxist Leninist Communist Party, Turkey/North Kurdistan; from Palestine, Ahmed Chahine, Left Intellectual, PLO; from Bahrain, Amir Ahmed Al-Mukhareq of Democratic Progressive Tribune; from France, Violette Daguerre representing Arab Commission for Human Rights; from Germany, Michael Opperskalski, Editor, Top Secret; Sonia Boshko, International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People, and North Star Compass of Canada; from Nepal, Ninu Chapagain of Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre–Mashal) and Suman Jadhav of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist); from Bangladesh, Khalequzzaman, Convener, Socialist Party of Bangladesh and Mubinul Hyder Choudhury, Socialist Party of Bangladesh and representing India, Manik Mukherjee, Vice-President, All India Anti-Imperialist Forum; Ranjit Dhar, a leader in anti-imperialist movement; Dhrubajyoti Mukhopadhyay, General Secretary, All India Anti-Imperialist Forum and Tarun Sanyal, Poet, educationist, President of the Forum of Artistes, Cultural Activists and Intellectuals, West Bengal.

At the outset of the proceedings, eminent scientist, Gourishankar Ghatak moved a condolence resolution in memory of Professor Sushil Kumar Mukhopadhyay, the renowned soil scientist and educationist, who was the first General Secretary of the Forum from its inception in 1995 till his demise in 2006.

Mohammed Hussein Sukur, Anti-Imperialist Campaigner, Lebanon who lost his entire family when his home was bombed to rubble by Israeli forces during their illegal attack on Lebanon in July 2006, brought home to the Conference the malevolence of imperialism. His wife and three young children were killed in their sleep. Earlier, he had presented the conference with some mementoes to the Forum, including paintings by his children who were killed in their home by the Israeli attack and a death shroud. Hussein Shukur, who has now devoted himself to travelling around the world to highlight the crimes of imperialism, showed delegates a film of his family’s pictures in better days and their mangled corpses. Holding aloft pictures drawn by his young son, he declared, “Let the story of this massacre be told all over the world so that people can know of the cruelty of George Bush…I ask for a common consciousness against US imperialism and its crimes”. Showing the delegates the shroud that he always carried around with him in readiness for death, he said, “Never be afraid of the killers, there are enough of us good people…the criminals will be punished here on earth before they are punished in heaven.”

The message from V R Krishna Iyer, President, AIAIF was read out to the house, as he could not attend the conference due to age and frail health.

Inauguartion

Beginning on Palestine Solidarity Day, 28th November, the Delegate sessions were neither academic nor pacifist, but was remarkably militant and focussed on analysis and strategies, drawing from the experience of the participants. During the two-day long protracted sessions, delegates from other countries as well as from other states of India keenly participated in the proceedings, providing detailed perspectives and insights on imperialism from their own long experience of anti-imperialist struggle.

In his inaugural speech, Ramsay Clark, Director, International Action Center, Former Attorney General of USA in his inaugural address, pointed to the worldwide human misery created by imperialism and imperialist aggression and said: Iraq has become the symbol of the enormity of tragedy brought on by the military aggression against a small country set upon by a monstrous powerful US, with infinitely greater power of destructive capacity than any other. Over one million people have been killed in Iraq. This follows the war in Korea where 5 million people were killed in similar aggression and Vietnam where 3 million people were killed in similar aggression. We have to prevent further wars of aggression, the supreme international crime, the end of peace. And what better way to begin than to hold those responsible for it accountable. It means the US must be forced out of Iraq now and forever. It means the United States cannot participate in any way in oil development, in redevelopment and rebuilding of the country. No US contracts, no US industries. It also means reparations. The US government owes billions and billions of dollars to Iraqi people to rebuild their life, to start anew. And those responsible for the war of aggression must be held accountable in their own countries and internationally by criminal sanctions imposed on them.

Ramsey Clark also emphasized that Palestine has become a symbol representing the cruel deprivation of a whole population with millions living in refugee camps, decade after decade. He said : We have to end that for all people. It means no more talking, action now. For decades the Palestinian people have been cheated of their sacred rights to nationhood. There must be statehood for Palestinian people now, with equal sovereignty, and their right to return and live where they chose must be recognized. The USA and Israel who are primarily responsible for Palestine people’s plight must be made to pay reparations.

Calling militarism the tool of imperialism, Ramsey Clark said : No human being will be safe until the USA, that spends more than the rest of the world combined on military budget, reduces it by 90 per cent to one tenth of what it is, and until there is complete nuclear disarmament and the world becomes nuclear free. Expansion of poverty and concentration of wealth is a consequence of imperialism. Ending nuclearism and militarism alone will free the resources necessary to restore human dignity - and provide free access to education, healthcare and shelter for all, peace and equal respect for all peoples. And these are the values the All India Anti-imperialist Forum is concerned with.

After Ramsey Clark's speech the General Secretary placed his Report of the Forum’s activities in the context of the national and international situations.

On behalf of the All India Anti-Imperialist Forum, Manik Mukherjee then set the tone of the Conference with an Approach Paper that described the international situation after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc and the tasks before the global anti-imperialist movement. After all the deliberations and suggestions and amendments made therein, the Approach Paper along with the Resolutions was incorporated in the final Declaration of the Conference.

Deliberations in the Delegate Sessions

Following these inaugural proceedings started the deliberations of different foreign and Indian delegates, each filled with vivid narrations of the experiences of anti-imperialist struggles of different parts of the world or significant suggestions towards developing these struggles further in a more militant manner. We are unable to cover them in full, constrainted by the want of space. We publish here only brief summaries.

Mustafa Haj Ali from Lebanon, representing Hezbollah, said : Imperialism disrupts and destroys human relations and human value system, which will eventually bring about total dehumanization of human beings. It is the endless greed of imperialism which is at the root of the ecological problems threatening our world today. The evil effects of imperialism and its progeny, globalization, have triggered a general spirit of resistance. He asserted that resistance is a natural human right, though imperialist propaganda distorts and twists the concepts and brands it as violence and terrorism. He said that the experience in Lebanon teaches that it is possible to resist imperialism, and a wise and aware leadership and a sober management could accumulate achievements and attain victory after victory. He gave a call that we have to struggle for a better mankind dominated by the relations of brotherhood, pluralism and aid.

Nina Andreeva, General Secretary of the AUCPB (All-Union Communist Party Bosheviks) from Russia, said that the Zionist lobby with its money power exerts a decisive influence on US administration and that International Zionism is the shock force of American imperialism. The USA needs Israel not only as a faithful dog in the fight against Arabs in the Middle East, the USA needs Israel also for camouflaging its own criminal policy covering itself up, ostensibly, with obligations about protection of the interests of Israel.

She stressed that the Hitler-like attempts by the fascist Zionists, to rally the entire people behind them will not succeed. The Jewish proletariat together with the progressive Jewish intellectuals will not support the bourgeoisie neither in Israel nor in the USA. She urged: All of us proletarians, rural workers, labouring intellectuals, and everyone subjected to the oppression of the ruling class of the bourgeoisie, must, regardless of their race, nation, beliefs, fight together against the common enemy of mankind - international Zionism, and to actively rise up against the plans of American imperialism for globalization and establishment of US style New World Order.

Sara Flounders, Member, Central Secretariat, Workers’ World Party, Co-Director, International Action Center, USA, stressed that the State of Israel could not exist without the economic, political, diplomatic and military support of USA. Zionism is an outgrowth of US imperialism and Israel’s crimes are Washington’s crimes. Imperialist globalization has led to greater exploitation, increased poverty, and intensified disparity between rich and poor. The rights of workers, social benefits earned through years of struggle are being curtailed. But the imperialists’ bid for world domination is being foiled, and they are losing everywhere, in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. The whole world that has been enslaved by US corporate power backed by military power owes an immense debt to the courageous resistance in Iraq, to the organized resistance in Lebanon, Palestine for imposing decisive defeats on the imperialists by their courageous fights. Today’s workers are not isolated any more, they can easily connect to each other and learn quickly from each other’s tactics and political struggle. The material basis for unity and solidarity on a global scale exists today in a way that it never had before. But we must organize for it, prepare for it, plan it, nurture it; we have a big task ahead of us. May this Conference be an important step on that road.

Barish of MLCP, Turkey, said that anti-imperialist struggle is not merely against wars of aggression, but also against the neo-liberal policies of the imperialists, against imperialist globalization. The anti-imperialist struggle is to be led by the communists. But today, internationally the anti-imperialist struggle does not continue under the leadership and influence of the communist forces because of the absence of a communist vanguard organized at the international level. He stressed that the Kurdish question, the question of national freedom of the Kurdish people is also a part of the problems of Middle East. All the peoples of the Middle East have a common enemy and they need to unite to fight it. Highlighting the urgent need of unity of all the forces fighting against imperialism he said that what is needed today is to build up regional federations and coordination with all the forces that can be united against imperialism and fascism, with progressive, anti-imperialist, anti-fascist forces, revolutionary and communist forces. The AIAIF is such an initiative, and it is a meaningful and valuable initiative not only for the national coordination but also for the regional coordination. It is a force that could play a role in the regional coordination of the anti-imperialist struggle.

Violette Daguerre of Arab Human Rights Commission, France focussed on the tortures and human rights violations in the Guantanamo prison. She accused the triplet Rumsfeld-Cheney-Bush of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Highlighting the growing anti-imperialist sentiments in the working class of USA, Stevan Kirschbaum of United Steel Workers of America stressed that the US working class is like a sleeping giant who is waking up. On May Day of 2006, 5 million US industrial workers and their allies shut down major cities all across the United States. He pointed out that Zionism has nothing to do with religion, it is ideologically based on a colonial doctrine. Hailing the fight of Nandigram peasants he said that their fight is against the imperialist monster of Special Economic Zones. It is a vital battle that can unite so many different movements. He pledged to bring the Nandigram battle to focus so that Nandigram becomes a household word in USA.

Khalekuzzaman of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh gave full support to the proposal for forming an international coordination committee. He said that we should stand by the side of peoples of Middle East and Latin America who are fighting so valiantly against US imperialism. Referring to the recent disastrous cyclone in Bangladesh, he remarked that US imperialism in the name of humanitarian assistance uses even natural disasters to spread its domination.

Sonia Boshko of Northstar Compass, Canada, expressed the need for unified actions against US imperialism in the world, and said that the All India Anti-imperialist Forum must become the leading force in this necessary step to unite all of the forces in a well-planned and systematic movement all over the world.

Michael Opperskalski, Editor, Top Secret Magazine, Germany, pointed out that in every corner of the world resistance against imperialism and its neo-liberal policies is growing and getting stronger. What is needed today is to have a global co-ordination. We should take concrete steps to go forward on the basis of a definite political programme. He outlined four principles about a suggested political programme – recognition of the legitimate right of resistance for all people; refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of any occupation; imperialism and its Zionist ally are the main enemy of the people; true legitimacy is the legitimacy of the people and their basic and historic rights.

Professor William R. Woodward of New Hampshire University, USA, also referred to the strength of the Zionist lobby in USA and discussed how they influence decisions in the Congress through money power. He mentioned that the US regime is becoming increasingly totalitarian and suppressing dissidents.

Mohammad Kassem from Lebanon said that Bush’s vision of a New World Order could not be realized due to determined resistance from the people. USA has failed in its attempt at the restructuring of the Arab world. American-Israeli aggression against Lebanon was waged to achieve Bush’s scheme in the region to establish a stable and strong base to launch his new order and to crush the Lebanese Resistance that has gained wide and great respect and admiration of all the free people and revolutionaries of the world. The July 2006 victory of the Lebanese Resistance is a turning point in the anti-imperialist struggle against Israel-USA; today a new strategy is founded in the Middle East, the strategy of resistance and struggle.

Abdul Halim Fadlallah said in his speech that the Lebanese Resistance has been able to build a social solidarity with its role. This solidarity widened in 2006 to turn into a overwhelming popular trend when the Resistance inflicted a resounding defeat on Israel, the first of its type in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He said that hegemony, occupation and the failure in the course of building a modern state have each had its share in making Arabs an easy prey in the mouth of the western-back Zionist settlement plan. The Resistance forces seek to make the national liberation struggle an incentive for social liberation strife. Hezbollah which has been leading the battle of national freedom and liberation, has given the call for the establishment of a strong just state, oppose unbalanced liberal globalization and stop the predatory that would, among other, acts of foreign capital and multinational companies.

Mohammad Tay, Professor of Law, Lebanon University accused Israel of committing war crimes. Kidnapping of two soldiers cannot be a pretext for going to war against an entire nation, for destroying homes, devastating the environment, killing people, women, children, thousands of innocent civilians. Israel is to be tried for its war crimes, for killing civilians, for violating the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Convention, the UN Charter of Human Rights. The initiative for an International Conscience Court at Brussels to be held at Brussels on 1st, 2nd and 3rd February needs support of this Conference.

Dr. Kassem Ezzedine of Movement for Alternative to Globalization, Lebanon stressed the importance of united action and joint effort in facing and fighting imperialism. The time for demonstration, discussions and protests must be ended, we must change style. As imperialism faces us with all means, with poverty, with ignorance, in education and other fields, we must face it in the same way and in the same fields. He also talked about the importance of setting up an International Tribunal for trying Israeli war criminals for committing genocide, for killing children, for destroying nations, destroying future.

Ali Akil Khalil, Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights, Lebanon, highlighted the Israeli atrocities in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon. Hizbulla and its leader Hassan Nasrullah are fighting for the freedom of the people of Lebanon, Palestine and for all who are oppressed by Israel-USA. The people want them to win, but the imperialists brand them as terrorists.

Ameer Ahmed Al Mukharreq of Democratic Progressive Tribune, from Bahrain, pointed out the falsehood of the American claim of bringing democracy to the Middle East region, and reminded us of their long record of crimes against humanity throughout the world. He stressed that it is time to stand up and rise. The people’s movements and protests against imperialist globalization is taking root and growing day by day.

Ahmed Chahine from Palestine, reminded that every people had their own way to fight for independence, and said the Palestinian people are using both armed and non violent struggle to get independence. He made a fervent appeal that the Conference send a letter of solidarity to the Palestinian people in support of their demand for an independent state. He emphasized that we have to work for peace and justice, for a world without wars.

Suman Jadav of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) talked about the long struggle of the Nepalese people against the autocracy of feudal monarchy supported by expansionist India and imperialist USA. The armed struggle of CPN(Maoist) since 1996 combined with the struggle by the democratic forces and the people’s movements forced the monarchy to agree to move towards a republican form of Government. But intrigue by India and USA and treachery of the parliamentary parties are creating obstacles to a republican form of government. He said that there may be differences in politics and strategies of the different parties and groups, but all have to work together to defeat the imperialist machinations. Hailing the initiative of the AIAIF, he expressed his appreciation that the AIAIF is following the principle of resolving the differences through discussions and interactions.

Ninu Chapagain of Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre- Mashal), Nepal, emphasized the attack of imperialism on culture, through fostering degraded culture and dehumanizing people. He said that even if Nepal becomes a republic, the struggle of the people for emancipation would continue and they have to be vigilant about imperialist machinations.

Delegates from different States of India, Dr. Braja Mohan Mishra (Orissa), Narendra Sharma (Zakir Hossain College, University of Delh), Anil Trivedi(Advocate, High Court, Human Rights Activist and active member of ‘Narmada Bachao Andalon’ from Madhya Pradesh), K. Sridhar (Andhra Pradesh), Dwarkadas Santani (Advocate, President, All India Peace and Solidarity Organization, Maharashtra), Kartar Singh Malik (Haryana), Prof. D. M. Divakar (Uttar Pradesh), O. P. Jaiswal (Patna University, Bihar), Ramji Singh (Bihar), Subhash Gupta (Jharkhand), J. Kheer (Karnataka) spoke in support of the Resolutions and discussed about the different aspects of imperialist attack and about movements against such attacks, particularly in the Indian context, including the evils of consumerism, and the effects of Nandigram in other states where the state governments similarly try to establish SEZ, in some cases like Bihar, for example, retreating and in others like Orissa, still going strong centring round POSCO and Kalinda Steel Plant, Orissa.

The Conference decided to publish a document containing the Approach Paper and the accepted Resolutions, to serve as the DECLARATION of the Conference and to be propagated around the world.

The historic assembly ended with the rendering of the song Internationale.



The Iraqi Resistance

Salah Almukhtar, Chairman of the friendship, peace and solidarity organization, Iraq, and coordinator of free trade unions and NGOs Iraq, unable to come personally from Iraq sent a paper on Iraqi resistance, which was read out at the Conference. Here we place a brief summary of that paper.

The paper describes the extensive preparations for guerrilla resistance in Iraq by the late President Saddam Hussein that included training the army and millions of volunteers, stocking of arms-ammunitions etc., and operationalization of the concrete plans from the very first day of American occupation on the strength of total people’s support, the composition of the Iraqi resistance, to divide which the USA has mobilized all its potentials and might. The paper highlights the significance of the resistance in the world arena. “The failure of the United States to defeat the Iraqi armed revolution, on the one hand, and the full success of the Iraqi armed resistance to contain and defeat all American strategic choices has determined the course of the war and emphasises the fact that America is losing the war, and the Iraqi resistance is marching towards the final victory…” Almukthar’s paper concluded that all-out support for the Iraqi armed resistance would guarantee the defeat of America, and the world would consequently witness the defeat of American influence and bases the world over.

Visas Refused

It was reported to the house that two Iranian delegates from the Neda Institute for Scientific-Political Research, representative from the progressive German magazine Offen-siv and Alexander Moumbaris, editor of the French journal Democrite, were not given visas by the Indian Government to attend the Conference. They too sent their opinions in writing to the Conference.



Declaration and Resolutions adopted at the Conference

The world is passing through a very critical phase in human history. In the name of globalization, the capitalist class has brought down most murderous attack, vicious persecution, and ruthless exploitation on the working masses. The ferocity of this attack can be gauged by the ever deteriorating living conditions of the working people. …. On the other hand, “fighting terrorism” and championing “democracy” are the new ploys in the hands of the imperialists to launch barbarous military aggression on countries, to forcibly occupy them and to engineer regime changes. This is the “new world order” that the imperialists led by USA want to impose.

…The Second World War ended with the victory over the fascist powers … Socialist states were established … Socialism …was transformed to a world system, as an alternative to the capitalist system. Losing a large part of the world market, and being politically cornered, capitalism was weakened and intense market crisis gripped the capitalist world.

But in the post-Stalin period, revisionism established a firm grip on the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party, and the downward slide began, ultimately leading to dismantling of socialism and establishment of capitalism in Soviet Russia and disappearance of the socialist camp giving a new lease of life to imperialism by expanding their areas of exploitation.

The imperialists gleefully proclaimed that the world has become unipolar ... The slogans of privatization, globalization and liberalization were aggressively paraded…. But .., crisis in the capitalist-imperialist economy further intensified. .. Spectacular technological advances increased the productive capacity many times over, but the purchasing power of the people was being continuously squeezed. Competition between the imperialist powers for shares in the shrinking world market is becoming more and more fierce. ... the economic domination of USA is now being challenged; ..

The newly independent bourgeois nationalist regimes, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist camp, became vulnerable to the transnationals’ penetration. India, long considered an ally of the poor developing countries in their fight against imperialist penetration, joined the western imperialist camp to fulfil its own imperialist ambition....

Globalization is a desperate attempt of capitalism- imperialism to come out of the crisis in the capitalist economic system. Industrial growth in all the capitalist countries, including the advanced countries, has slowed down; there is severe recession, widespread unemployment, rise of poverty, and slashing of social welfare measures....

…Privatization-globalization-liberalization is used as an instrument of the imperialist strategy. Opening up of the market, privatization and structural reforms dictated by the World Bank and IMF are impoverishing the people and are leading to a stark polarization between the rich and the poor.

But as the exploitation is increasing, so also is the people’s resentment towards globalization increasing not only in the poorer countries, but also in the advanced capitalist countries. Within USA itself people’s opposition to globalization is growing. …

Lenin pointed out nearly hundred years ago that it is the crisis in capitalism that poses the greatest danger to world peace and is the basic cause that leads to wars. In today’s globalized world all the capitalist-imperialist countries are engaged in trade wars, with each one trying to obstruct penetration by the others into its own market, while demanding unrestricted right to enter into others’ markets. …. For artificial stimulation of the sagging economy, the capitalist states of both the imperialist and developing countries are taking recourse to militarization of economy. Buying and selling of arms have become a major international trade. Hence, for release of stockpile of arms, engineering local and partial wars, fomenting army-based coups, propping up military dictatorships, have become a compulsive necessity of imperialism. Side by side, the sharpening contradiction among the imperialist powers is making real the danger of trade war trotting up to military confrontation.…

To meet its own economic crisis US imperialism finds it a compulsion to control as many economic, political and military-strategic levers as it can. The Bush administration openly proclaimed in its ‘National Security strategy of the United States of America’ that the US has the right to use military force anywhere in the world, at any time it chooses, against any country that it believes to be a threat to American interests. …. The US will not be restrained by the convention of international law. This assertion in words was matched with action in the savage military attacks on Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq and in the continuous economic sanction and threat of military action against Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Cuba.

West Asia has now become the main theatre of battle between American aggression and the people’s aspiration for emancipation. … And war on Iraq had the design to establish control over the vast oil resources of Iraq. …. Oil would give it the power for world domination, the power to control the lifeline of economy of any country. ..

But there are other dimensions to the American design. If the United States can install a puppet regime in Iraq, it would not only give the United States greater leverage to act against countries like Syria and Iran, but would give it the power to crush the growing anti-imperialist movement in the Arab world and help its close ally Israel to put down the freedom struggle of the Palestinian people. ... So it is also an imperative necessity for the administration to divert people’s attention from domestic economic problems by fanning up war jingoism. .. the war was planned and executed to further the designs of the US ruling class for global hegemony.

...The ruling class in USA and its subservient intelligentsia started a most heinous campaign to equate global terrorism with what the USA rulers call “Islamic movement” …But we know from history that imperialist powers, specifically USA, has in many countries actively sponsored fundamentalist forces like the Taliban … In Latin America the leftist forces provide the bulwark of resistance and they are the targets of attack by USA. In the Middle East the resistance takes an Islamist form and so Islam becomes the US target. In this context we note that in the Middle East there is a symbiotic relation between USA and Zionist Israel. USA uses Israel as a frontier state to further its imperialist agenda and crush the liberation movements which have a strong anti-US stance. And the Israeli aggressors are using the ‘anti-terrorist’ line of USA to depict the Palestinian and Lebanese freedom fighters as terrorists and crush the Intifada and the Lebanese armed resistance to Israel’s aggression.

The Israeli brigandage is done with full support and encouragement of the USA and other imperialist powers...

The Zionists, with US patronage, are violating every international law and norm and have flouted all UN resolutions with impunity. ….

Israeli soldiers frequently infiltrated into neighbouring countries of Lebanon and Syria and Israeli army invaded them again and again. …. Israel destroyed large parts of the Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including roads, bridges, Beirut’s International Airport, ports, water and sewage treatment plants, electrical facilities, schools, hospitals and homes. …. But this wanton killing and destruction only strengthened the resolve of the fighters to resist aggression.

The indomitable courage, self-sacrifice and perseverance of the people the Middle East countries in their fight against a most ruthless enemy, even in the midst of persecution, massacre and treachery is setting a unique and glowing example before the world. ... In fact all over the globe people’s resistance against imperialist aggression is crystallizing. ... American hegemonism is challenged by the downtrodden and oppressed people of the world. In Iraq ... Latin America, …. In Africa, Asia, everywhere ….

This Conference expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the people in the countries of Middle East, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, Africa and from all corners of the globe against imperialist aggression, oppression, and exploitation. ... What is needed today is to coordinate all the individual struggles of the different countries and to link them up with the anti-capitalist movements in these countries. If we succeed in building broad anti-imperialist solidarity and international anti-imperialist united front we can deliver a decisive blow to capitalism-imperialism and free the world from this scourge. In this struggle we have to maintain the unity of the people, fight all forms of sectarianism and build up organization strong as steel on the foundation of a correct ideology. This Conference is a bold step in this direction.

Resolutions on the Middle East and the International Situation

The Conference adopted several resolutions on the international situation. These demand the immediate withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq, express solidarity with the Iraqi resistance, condemn the butchering of Palestinian people and forcible occupation by the ruling clique of Israel with overt and covert patronage from the US rulers, demand Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, unconditionally support the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people for an independent state with capital at Jerusalem, and the right of return of all Palestinian refugees, demand that the US ruling clique must stop its aggressive machinations and hegemonistic design against people of Lebanon, and let all people of West Asia decide their own agenda, express full support to the Lebanese resistance led by Hezbollah and others against US-Zionist interference regarding Lebanese sovereignty, independence and security and deep admiration and respect to the courageous and militant Lebanese resistance led by Hezbollah and its leader Mr. Hassan Nassrulah, condemn the attacks of the fascist dictatorship of Turkey to oppress and liquidate the revolutionary and nationalist movements in Turkey and the fascist dictatorship’s policy of denial and annihilation of Kurdish nation and its policy of occupation of South Kurdistan, express solidarity with the Iranian people’s struggle to protect their sovereignty from imperialist attack, solidarity with the “Bolivarian Revolution” in Latin America, and the fight of its champion Hugo Chavez against US imperialism.

Another Resolution noted that “the USA today is the progenitor of wars of aggression in different corners of the world, taking advantage of the absence of the erstwhile powerful socialist camp and of worldwide organised militant anti-war peace movements”. It called upon people all over the world to build broad-based united anti-imperialist struggles.

Resolutions on the Indo-US Strategic-Military Alliance and Nuclear Deal and on Nandigram

Another resolution noted that the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, is “part of a blueprint for a bigger political-strategic collaboration between India and the US, a plank for the ruling powers to come closer for mutual accommodation and fulfilment of respective imperialist interests…The US gains by blocking India’s ties with Iran in its bid to isolate Iran, and securing a strong foothold in India for carrying out its economic-political-military designs in West, South and South-East Asia; India gains by accessing foreign markets for its nuclear military hardware and securing stronger hegemony over this region for its economic forays and expansionist manoeuvres.” The resolution was critical of both the CPI(M)-led Left parties and the BJP for “their collusion with the Congress to cover up the growing imperialistic character and cravings of the Indian State”.

A resolution critical of the establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in India for “unrestricted exploitation, loot and plunder” by foreign and Indian capital and demanding their complete scrapping noted, “The CPI(M), the leading party in the so-called Left Front ruling the state of West Bengal has been following a policy of offering special concessions to the multinationals and Indian monopolists and is acquiring the land for them by forcibly ousting the peasants”. The resolution saluted the struggling peasants and people of Nandigram for their unprecedented resistance against attack by police, hired criminals and ruling party cadres “…all over the world the name Nandigram has become synonymous with people’s battle against imperialist economic attack…providing courage and inspiration to the struggling people everywhere”. This resolution demanded withdrawal of CPI(M) marauders from Nandigram, arrest and exemplary punishment of cadres, criminals and police guilty of rape, murder and torture, and relief and compensation to the affected people.