Written by International Coordinating Committee
SATURDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2009
6 February 2009
The International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) held its meeting on February 5-6, 2009 in the Netherlands in the midst of rising resistance of the peoples of the world to the most serious imperialist crisis since the 1930s and shortly after global protests against the brutal Zionist aggression in Gaza.
Chairperson Jose Maria Sison reported on the internal memoranda he issued on various matters since 30 June 2008. These memoranda dealt with the assessment of the Third International Assembly (TIA), the drawing up of a calendar of ILPS activities and campaigns, submission by the commissions of materials for volume II of the book on the TIA, guidelines on the formation of national chapters, suggested amendments on the draft By-Laws and on the plan to hold a forum on the global economic and financial crisis.
The Chairperson also informed the body regarding the statements on major issues and events and messages of solidarity to ILPS forces and friends that he issued in his function as spokesperson of ILPS. Among the major issues and events he addressed were the global capitalist economic and financial crisis, US hypocrisy on the Russian-Georgian conflict, support for the Greek people’s struggle in December 2008 and building solidarity actions against the Zionist attack on Gaza.
The Chairperson announced the publication and availability of Volume I of the Third ILPS International Assembly This contains the major documents approved by the TIA as well as the speeches during the plenary sessions. He urged the ICC and ILPS member-organizations to use the book for propagating the ILPS, enlisting more member-organizations and raising funds.
Vice-Chairperson on Internal Affairs Dr. Carol P. Araullo submitted to the body the reports of 12 commissions and her comments. She cited the different levels of development of the commissions and pointed to the need for other commissions to exert more efforts to strengthen themselves.
Vice-Chairperson for External Affairs Manolis Arkolakis proposed that he and the Vice-Chairperson for Internal Affairs worked closer in relation to expanding the contacts and developing relations with other forces and alliances.
Secretary General Arman Riazi sent a report on the international campaigns against displacement and other campaigns launched by the ILPS.
The Treasurer presented a report on the current status of ILPS finances. He said that there has been a marked improvement in revenues particularly in the payment of membership dues.
The ICC went over the draft By-Laws submitted by the International Coordinating Group (ICG), made amendments and approved it.
ICC members gave reports on ILPS activities in their respective countries. They reported on mobilizations they carried out on major issues such as on the current global economic and financial crisis.
The most exhilarating and memorable part of the two-day meeting were the reports on the global activities of ILPS member organizations. On five continents they were on the front lines in the protests against Israeli attempt to annihilate the people of Gaza, even braving temperatures of -20 degrees in Canada. ICC members also heard a first hand report about the powerful uprising of the people of Greece, actions in the US following the police murder of young Oscar Grant, protests in Brazil against the criminalization of poor peasants struggling for land and the defense of Amazonia and the Indonesian people's movement against land grabbing and palm oil plantations.
ICC members also reported on the efforts and prospects for strengthening and expanding the ILPS organization at various levels through the setting up of national chapters and global region committees.
Commissions of the ILPS presented reports on their activities and future plans. The ICC discussed the reports and made decisions on the recommendations of the commissions and the Vice Chairperson for Internal Affairs. It instructed the General Secretariat to publish the organizational status and calendar of activities of the commissions.
The ICC approved the following resolutions:
Resolution in Support of the Palestinian People
Resolution on the Economic and Financial Crisis
Resolution on the 6th Anniversary of US Imperialist-Led Occupation of Iraq
Resolution in Solidarity for the People's Movements for Peace and Democracy in the Korea Peninsula
Resolution Against the Criminalization of Poverty in Brazil
The ICC resolved to launch three coordinated struggles globally for 2009:
Continue the global resistance against the continuing displacements of peasants, rural folk and other working people from their homes, lands, farms and communities.
Heighten the coordinated struggles against imperialist aggression and wars in Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan and in other parts of the world including the resistance to US military preserve and bases.
Launch a globally coordinated struggle, including support to RESIST, against imperialist exploitation and oppression in the effort of monopoly capital to pass on to the working people of the world the burden of the current imperialist economic and financial crisis.
The ICC resolved that the ILPS mobilize its member organizations, allies, and the masses in general for these globally coordinated struggles as well as several key struggles of international significance:
Commemoration of the 6th anniversary of invasion of Iraq on March 21, 2009
Expose and oppose imperialist agenda in the G20 meeting in London, UK, in March 2009
Protest actions against the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of NATO, April 1-5, 2009
People's Tribunal on the Asian Development Bank Meeting in Bali, Indonesia in May 2009
Support the International Migrants Alliance (IMA) to expose and oppose the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Athens, Greece on November 4-5, 2009.
