The Cairo Conference (Against U.S. Hegemony and War on Iraq and In Solidarity with Palestine) is an anti-war and anti-neo-liberalism conference held in Egypt. Though the Egyptian government was formally against the Iraq war (See Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq), relations between it and the conference are strained by the fact that Mubarak's regime receives funding from the U.S.A and that the regime fears popular movements which may grow to challenge its dictatorship. The Cairo Conference set up the International Campaign Against Aggression on Iraq which helped to coordinate the world wide demonstrations on 15 February.
1st Conference
Held on the 17th-19th December, 2002, 400 attended, at the Conrad hotel on the banks of the Nile, Speakers included former United Nations (UN) humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Dr Hans von Sponeck . Popular ‘freedom fighter’ and former Algerian president Ahmed Ben Bella chaired the conference. One out come of the conference was the production of the 'Cairo Declaration', which took a stance against the then looming Iraq war, it also noted the negative affects of Capitalist globalisation and U.S. hegemony on the peoples of the world (incuding European and American citizens) and in addition it also noted that "In the absence of democracy, and with widespread corruption and oppression constituting significant obstacles along the path of the Arab peoples’ movement towards economic, social, and intellectual progress, adverse consequences are further aggravated within the frame-work of the existing world order of neoliberal globalisation." while firmly rejecting the 'advance of democracy' justification for actacking Iraq.
Full text available here [1]
The U.K. Stop the War Coalition, in particular John Rees of the SWP, initiated the signing of the declaration by European lefties, including: Jeremy Corbyn MP, George Galloway MP, Tony Benn, Susan Gerorge (Left-wing activist based in France), Bob Crow, Mick Rix (general secretary, train drivers' Aslef union), Julie Christie, George Monbiot, Harold Pinter, Dr Siddiqui (leader, Muslim Parliament of Great Britain ), Tommy Sheridan, Dr Ghada Karmi (research fellow, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies , University of Exeter), Tariq Ali. [2]
The conference was followed by a 1,000-strong anti-war demonstration that was surrounded by riot police and armoured cars.
The organising committee decided to attempt solidarity actions with the US demonstrations on 18 January and to organise Egytion demonstarations as part of 15 February global anti-war day.
Second Conference
Held 2003 13th and 14th December, 800 attended, at the Egyptian Journalists' Union headquarters, Conference final declaration available here [3]
Anti-war MP George Galloway, Tony Benn, Salma Yaqoob, and former US attorney-general Ramsey Clark were among the international speakers. Prominent Egyptian campaigners taking part included Nasserist MP Hamdeen Sabahy , Galal Aref , head of the Egyptian Journalists' Union , and Ma'mun al-Hodeiby , leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim and human rights activist Aida Seif-al-Dawla were among the conference organisers.
The presence of Muslim Brotherhood leader Ma'mun al-Hodeiby brought a large number of Islamist activists into the conference. The Muslim Brotherhood, although officially banned, is by far Egypt's largest opposition organisation. However, some delegates were critical of the Muslim Brotherhood's cooperation with the government in a series of stage-managed anti-war rallies held before the invasion of Iraq.
German journalist Harold Schuman who attended the conference expressed frustration that most speeches did not analyse the role of Arab governments but rather took the easy way out by placing all the blame on the US. He also expressed his feelings that the conference should defend the people of Iraq but not the regiem. Representatives of the Iraqi government were attending the conference, though also the Iraqi opposition had a presence in the form of Abdel-Amir Al-Rikabi who described himself as a member of "the honest opposition" in contrast with those who met at a US-sponsored event in London.
Third Conference
24-27 March 2005. Political groups, independent activists, and organisations in Egypt were invited to take part in the conference and also to propose their own activities to take place at the same time as the conference.
Before the confrence Yehia Fikri , who represents the Centre for Socialist Studies on the organising committee, called for International delegations to come to the conference in order to protect it from state repression. He has said ‘The more people who come from abroad, the more prominent personalities who sign up for the conference, the more difficult it will be for the Egyptian authorities to shut us down.’ [4]
Eygption organisations supported the third conference
I. Political Groups and parties
20th of March Movement for Change , Egyptian Communist Party , Karama Party , Muslim Brotherhood, Organization of Revolutionary Socialists , Socialist People’s Party , Wasat Party .
II. Unions and Syndicates
Arab Medical Union , Syndicate of Pharmacists of Egypt
III. Popular committees
Committee for coordination between professional syndicates , Committee of boycott in professional syndicates , Committee of boycott of Zionist Project , Coordination committee for trade union and workers liberties and rights , General Egyptian committee of boycott , Popular committee in solidarity with the Palestinian Intifada-Alexandria .
IV. Research centers and civil society organizations
A’afak Ishterakeyya Center (Center of Socialist Horizons); Egyptian Center for media, culture and development ; Hisham Mubarak Law Center ; Sa’ed Center ; Socialist Studies Center
Source [5]
Critisism
The confernece has been critised by some right-wing groups who are generally hostile to the anti-war movment. For example, Marc Schulman comments on his blog American Future that the conference was "an anti-U.S. hate fest attended by a variety of Islamists". They also see the conference as proof
that the anti-war movment is prepared to work with what they discribe as Muslim extremists who have a retrogressive social agenda.[6] The organisers counter this argument by pointing out that the conferences have included advocates for the rights of women and minorities as well as being organised by human rights activists. Further they claim that the critisism rests on a racist assumption that lumps all Arabic people togeather as terrorists.
Further Information
References
Last updated: 06-09-2005 01:08:36
