Invitation to the Third Cairo Conference, 24-27 March 2005

Initial call

The international campaign against US and Zionist Occupation – Egyptian Group announces the start of the preparations for the organization of the 3rd Cairo Conference between the 24th and 27th of March 2005.

This is the third conference organized by the international campaign following the 1st and 2nd Cairo conferences which were organized in 2002 and 2003. In those two conference large numbers of activists against US and Zionist occupation and supporters of the resistance in Palestine and Iraq, from Egypt, the Arab region and worldwide met with activists from the international antiwar and antiglobalization movements.

Today, as the struggle of the Palestinian and Iraqi people for liberation enters a new stage - at a time where people of our Arab region suffer oppression from the Arab regimes, obstructing our peoples’ rights to freedom of expression, peaceful protest, organization and popular solidarity - it becomes crucial that we meet again in a conference that brings together the widest possible circles of activists under the slogan: With the Resistance in Palestine and Iraq and Against Globalization, Imperialism and Zionism.

We therefore call upon all activists struggling against war, globalization, imperialism, Zionism and political oppression, in Egypt, the Arab world and worldwide to participate in the 3rd Cairo Conference. We also call upon all Egyptian, Arab and international political groups, trade unions, organizations and social movements who share the same objectives to announce their support for the conference and its objectives, which have been outlined in its general framework as follows:

1. Supporting the resistance in Palestine and Iraq.
2. Struggle against the Zionist project in the Arab region.
3. Challenging the US imperialist project and globalization policies in the Arab region and worldwide.
4. Supporting the struggles of Arab peoples for democracy against the Greater Middle East project and the despotism of Arab regimes.
5. Development of the antiwar and anti globalization movements and the movements against political oppression in the Arab region.

The Egyptian organizational group has been set up from representatives of various Egyptian political groups struggling against Imperialism, Zionism and political oppression.

To date (19th January 2005) the following organizations have expressed their support for the 3rd Cairo conference, arranged in alphabetical order:

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

For more information please contact: cairoconference3@yahoo.com

See also initial call