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The Beirut
International Forum for Resistance,
Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity between Peoples, and Alternatives
Beirut, 16-17-18 January 2009
An important international
conference will be held at Beirut on January 16-18, 2009.
It will be attended by the veteran anti-imperialist campaigner
Ramsey Clark, President of IAPSCC, Manik Mukherjee, General
Secretary of IAPSCC, and ardent anti-imperialist fighters
from all over the world.
The Beirut International Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism,
Solidarity between Peoples, and Alternatives Beirut, 16-17-18
January 2009 An important international conference will
be held at Beirut on January 16-18, 2009. It will be attended
by the veteran anti-imperialist campaigner Ramsey Clark,
President of IAPSCC, Manik Mukherjee, General Secretary
of IAPSCC, and ardent anti-imperialist fighters from all
over the world.
Today the imperialist offensive
for world domination is manifested in the savage military
attack by USA and its allies on Yugoslavia, Afghanistan
and Iraq, Lebanon and in the continuous economic sanction
and threat of military action against Iran, Syria, Libya,
Democratic people’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Libya
and countries in Latin America. West Asia has now become
a main theatre of battle between imperialist aggression
and the people’s aspiration for emancipation. Side by side
the expansion of NATO to countries bordering Russia is creating
tension in the region, heightening the possibilities of
outbreak of full scale war. At the same time the financial
crisis in the capitalist world is putting the common people
in a calamitous situation. The Beirut Conference will be
a step forward in coordinating the global struggle against
imperialism and would discuss the modalities of organizing
struggles to fight the imperialist menace and to smash the
exploitative imperialist order.
Upon the initiative of the
Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation in Beirut,
in collaboration with the International Campaign against
American and Zionist Occupation (the Cairo Conference),
the International Anti-Imperialist and Peoples’ Solidarity
Coordinating Committee (the Calcutta- India Conference),
the Stop War Campaign (London), with the participation of
the National Gathering to Support the Choice of Resistance
(Lebanon), and with the support of other political and social
forces signing this call and participating in the Forum’s
proceedings;
Based on the right to resistance
as a principle, choice and culture, inspired from its confrontation
of both the American and Zionist occupation, in appreciation
of its great sacrifices, human heritage, and achievements
in defending the right to liberation, freedom, independence,
and to contribute to the elimination of the illusion of
peoples’ oppression and humiliation;
Based on the experiences
of Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity between Peoples defending
their legitimate rights and supporting the vulnerable in
facing occupation and invasion. Also based on alternative
experiences of refusing the intellectual and cultural stereotyping,
refusal of marginalization and wasting rights together with
the experiences of production-solidarity networks, and the
reorganization of land and local administrations. And as
a complement of the Beirut Conference to Support Resistance
in 2006, the Cairo Conference, the Calcutta Conference,
the New Delhi Conference, the International Citizens’ Tribunal
in Brussels in 2008, the Durban, Mexico, and Colombia Conferences;
Within the sphere of international
social forums, the Porto Allegri Charter, the Alternative
Globalization Campaign, the Anti-war Movement, the movements
against Israeli Occupation, in support of the Palestinian
people and the “ Right to Return” .
“The Beirut International
Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism ,
Solidarity between
Peoples, and Alternatives”
Will be held in Beirut on 16-17-18
January 2009 ,
in order to: -
- Coordinate the elaboration
of mechanisms to support the resistance and expand it to
the greatest extent possible, which would allow the popular
movement everywhere to defend the right to resistance, especially
resisting the American and Zionist occupation. -
- Work on establishing practical
alternatives through solidarity among peoples facing the
policies that abandon rights by some International Organizations
(World Bank , World Trade Organization, International Monetary
Fund……) and also the non-equal partnership agreements. -
- Seek to promote and develop
alternative policies and visions of Anti-Imperialism, the
strategies of occupation, wars and militarization, hegemony
and superiority, capitalist marginalization and the destruction
of the environment, the squandering of natural and cultural
resources, dependency in the management of the international
order, through the Security Council and unfair international
institutions.
The above shall be based
on rich discussions ongoing for a while, in most forums
and conferences, on the necessity to move a step forward
on the common track, and based on an initial assessment
seeking to overcome some obstacles hindering efficiency
and influence, based on the following principles:
A- The slogan of “Another
world is possible” adopted by the various forces and movements
should encompass support to the Resistance which is confronting,
on the front lines, the American and Zionist occupation
and is defending the rights of peoples to freedom, the burden
of imperialist and hegemonic invasion, and the return of
colonialism.
B- The development and dissemination
of the anti-neoliberal globalization movement and moving
towards a world with more solidarity and humanity supposes
a non-reliance on the hegemony of big industrial powers,
seeking to build another axis between the peoples of the
North and those of the South (Latin America, the Arab Islamic
region, Asia, Africa) to reach equal relations on the political
and economic levels.
C- The Imperial march on
the world countries by occupying its territories, looting
its wealth and resources, attempting to terrify and subjugate
its peoples by means of war, “fighting Terrorism”, and “security
companies”, and by dissemination of poverty, hunger, destruction
of natural environment, and dumping them in debts. All these
policies should be confronted Anti-Imperialism and Peoples’
solidarity networks and by supporting resistance in the
countries of the world .
In that regard, dialogue
forums and conferences seem to be insufficient alone for
ceasing occupation, imperialistic invasion, and the defense
of natural and acquired rights. The forces of resistance,
social and political forces, and civil society organizations
can establish among each other mechanisms and visions and
practical alternatives to be achieved at local, national,
regional and international levels, without abandoning their
intellectual and political beliefs, while preserving their
total independence, for the Forum is not a framework for
action on the front, but it is a joint endeavor on activities
that are agreed upon.
Hence, the Beirut International
Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity between
Peoples and Alternatives invites participants to take part
in one of the following six workshops :
1- Workshop on Supporting
Resistance and Liberation :
This workshop seeks to open
horizons that are not enough developed yet in the current
political literature, on the right to resistance as a value
in it self, a necessary condition for any balance on the
international scene today. It also tackles the topic of
resistance against American and Zionist occupation, defending
the rights of peoples to freedom and liberation, and contributing
in protecting other vulnerable peoples from occupation.
It talks about objective solidarity between resistance movements.
Also , it seeks to finds integration with this resistance,
based on its achievements and the objective conditions it
provides, helping rebuild more equitable and humane political,
social, economic and cultural systems.
2- Workshop on Anti-
Imperialism and Solidarity between Peoples :
This workshop aims to focus
on the objectives of Imperialism and its dark chapter in
the history of mankind. And to reveal its drive to wage
wars, impose sanctions, control resources, exploit markets,
subjugate peoples, invade countries, and militarize economies,
force globalization and neo-liberalism.
Also, this workshop is a
call for political powers, organizations , and people all
over the world to build broad-based united Anti-Imperialism
struggles, and to launch international, national, and local
initiatives facing its policies. And to organize peoples’
solidarity actions to build a political, economical, and
developmental alternative samples.
3- Workshop on Supporting
Political Alternatives:
It’s an open workshop for
the anti-war forces, security and oppressive policies, the
rejection of occupation and imperial invasion policies,
and what is called “fighting terrorism”, marginalization,
the violation of rights and the neo-liberal globalization.
It seeks to promote joint action to produce visions and
alternatives for the Greater Middle East policies, the Union
for the Mediterranean, the ECA between Northern and Southern
America, and other regional gatherings resulting from invasion
strategies.
4- The Parliamentarians Workshop:
It’s a workshop between parliamentarians
and members of elected councils for the European Union,
the South America Parliamentarians Union, the Arab Parliamentarians
Union, and Parliamentarians from the countries of the South,
seeking to establish an equitable south-south partnership,
in addition to an equitable south-north partnership. It
also tackles other topics of interest to parliamentarians
in their parliaments such as the removal of the terrorist
label from legitimate resistance movements, the implementation
of the decision of the European Parliament to cease work
on the Euro-Israeli Partnership, the implementation of the
decision of the Court in The Hague to remove the separation
wall in Palestine, in addition to other decisions seeking
the restoration of some rights.
5- Workshop on solidarity
between local communities and sectors:
It’s a workshop on the creation
of south-south and south-north joint mechanisms, on the
rehabilitation of local communities, twinning, the reorganization
of local administrations, the training of the youth and
the unemployed. It also tackles building common solidarity
in restoring respect to the environment, to the earth, water,
the right to food security, trade, maritime fishing, in
addition to joint action for other rights.
6- Workshop on
defending legal and civic rights :
It’s a workshop to discuss
the continuation of the international citizens’ tribunal
and the Peoples’ Tribunal, along with restoring consideration
to victims of American and Zionist crimes, war crimes, crimes
of genocide, crimes against humanity, and the prosecution
of criminals, in addition to filing individual complaints
in European courts. Moreover, it tackles holding international
institutions responsible for policies of famine, poverty
and illegal debts of the Third World, the prosecution of
international security companies accompanying occupation,
and big companies responsible for destroying the environment
and squandering food resources.
This global vision is subject
to dialogue and improvement through practical proposals.
Also, workshops are open for the participation and contribution
of all forces and parties based on an agenda including all
the workshops that is under preparation and publication,
and that will be subject to discussion and improvement before
the forum. The participants shall register their names for
the workshops they wish to take part in.
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The Consultative Center for
Studies and Documentation in Beirut,
The International Campaign
against American and Zionist Occupation (the Cairo Conference),
The International Anti-imperialist
and People’s Solidarity Coordinating Committee (the Calcutta-
India Conference),
The Stop War campaign (London),
The National Gathering to
Support the Choice of Resistance (Lebanon)
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You are called and invited
to participate in the works of this forum .
The program and other details
of the forum will be sent to you soon .
For correspondence and information,
please write to the following address :
beirutforum2009@gmail.com
Contacts:
aiaif_2006@yahoo.com
maskassem@gmail.com
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