------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Dec. 13, 2001 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
INTERNATIONAL FORUM DENOUNCES U.S. WAR Special to Workers World Madrid, Spain Representatives of sectors of the Spanish progressive movement, countries and movements Washington has threatened in its so-called war on terror, and the anti-war movements of Britain and the United States gathered in the main auditorium of the General Union of Workers (UGT) in Madrid Nov. 23 to discuss "Today's World: War or Peace?" The Organization in Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America (OSPAAAL) in Spain called the discussion. OSPAAAL chairperson Jaime Ballesteros moderated the forum, which included a lively question-and-answer period. While the speakers represented a variety of viewpoints and different countries, the overall impact of the meeting was to condemn U.S. aggression against Afghan istan and to warn of the dangers of new wars. Gaspar Llamazares, general coor dinator of the United Left in Spain, set the tone by condemning the U.S. war and also the cooperation of the Spanish government with the "coalition against terror." Spain's government is led today by a right-wing party, with Jose Maria Aznar as prime minister. Isabel Allende, Cuban ambassador to Spain, discussed the new dangers for world peace and made it clear that the Cuban people supported their government and would defend it against any threats. Mohamed Abdul Assis Hossein, Iraqi ambassador, represented his country's point of view. Olgher Santodomingo Guarin described how death squads in Colombia have been carrying out terror against the progressive movement there. All these three areas have been named as potential targets of Bush's anti-terror crusade. An important element in the program was a talk by Spojmai Zariab, an Afghan writer who has been living in exile in Montpelier, France, since 1991. She spoke of the situation for women in Afghanistan and the hardships caused to the Afghan people by 23 years of war, now topped by the U.S. bombing campaign. John Catalinotto of the International Action Center described the political situation in the U.S. following Sept. 11 and described how the Bush administration took advantage of the population's fear to mobilize for war. He also outlined how the IAC initiated the ANSWER coalition to immediately mobilize an anti-war movement that brought marches of 20,000 people each to both Washington and San Francisco on Sept. 29. Jeremy Corbyn, a Labor Party deputy to the British Parliament, told how the anti-war movement in Britain had been able to mobilize 100,000 people for a demonstration in London on Nov. 18, doubling the size of its first effort. The demonstration, he said, had support from labor, from the large Muslim community in Britain, from the anti-nuclear movement, from left parties and even from Labor Party supporters unhappy with Prime Minister Tony Blair's pro-U.S. war policies. The Spanish audience was encouraged by the reports of anti- war resistance within the major imperialist powers that are carrying out the bombing in Afghanistan--the U.S. and Britain. Little of this resistance is reported in the big- business media. Catalinotto later brought messages of solidarity from the U.S. movement to other anti-war meetings in Spain, including a country-wide meeting of anti-globalization forces in Zaragoza on Nov. 24 held to plan actions for the first half of 2002. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
