[Peace] "World's other superpower" plots its next moves

[Ken Salo]

In response to a question at yesterdays AWARE meeting for news on what the 
other superpower is doing
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>Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 21:13:37 +0700
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>Subject: [focus-on-trade] "World's other superpower" plots its next moves
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>Apologies for cross postings
>
>PRESS RELEASE
>
>"WORLD'S OTHER SUPERPOWER" PLOTS ITS NEXT MOVES
>
>- Jakarta Peace Consensus forged
>- Five delegates arrested by Indonesian police
>- PDF report at http://www.focusweb.org/publications/2003/jakarta-
>consensus.pdf
>
>
>JAKARTA, INDONESIA  -- Over a hundred representatives of what the
>New York Times calls the "world's other superpower" gathered here in
>Jakarta from May 18-21 to plot the next moves of the global anti-war
>movement after the United States' invasion of Iraq.
>
>Delegates coming from 24 countries and representing some of the biggest anti-
>war coalitions and groupings all over the world emerged from intense debates
>and discussions with a statement of unity and a specific plan of action
>embodied in a document called the "Jakarta Peace Consensus."
>
>The consensus calls for, among other things, an immediate end to the illegal
>occupation of Iraq and the withholding of recognition to any regime that 
>will be
>installed by the US and the United Kingdom. The consensus then sets out a 
>list
>of demands regarding such issues as the use and control of Iraq's resources,
>debt cancellation, the United Nations' role and other questions surrounding
>post-war reconstruction and administration.
>
>On the plight of Iraq, the "Jakarta Peace Consensus" articulates a commitment
>to hold an international war crimes tribunal for prosecuting the US and its
>allies, the sending of a series of peace missions and mass delegations to 
>Iraq as
>well as the establishment of Occupation Watch Centers to monitor the US
>military and corporations in Iraq.
>
>Noting the strong links between globalization to militarism, the consensus
>endorses the call for a week of action against the World Trade Organization
>(WTO) during its coming ministerial in Cancun, Mexico this September. The
>Consensus also plans to launch a "World Says No to Bush" campaign that will
>culminate during the Republican Party's national convention in September next
>year.
>
>In addition, the participants have committed to revitalize the worldwide
>campaign for disarmament as well as to launch a global campaign against the
>proliferation of US bases around the world.
>
>As to the world's other wars, the consensus lists and supports a number of
>proposals for responding to the conflicts currently raging in Palestine, 
>Aceh,
>Mindanao, Chechnya, Congo, and Kashmir among others.
>
>A TRULY GLOBAL MOVEMENT
>For all the death and destruction it has caused, the United States' 
>invasion of
>Iraq has given birth to a truly amazing and historic global anti-war 
>movement.
>The undeniable significance of this movement was at no point more forcefully
>demonstrated than with the massive internationally coordinated marches that
>swept the globe last February 14 to 16.
>
>The hurriedly organized conference in Jakarta was open to all and everyone
>who was interested was encouraged to attend. Those who attended come
>from some of the biggest national and regional anti-war coalitions and
>groupings all over the world.
>
>This includes representatives from the Asian Peace Alliance, a broad network
>of anti-war organizations from all over Asia; the UK Stop the War Coalition
>which organized the historic demonstrations in London; United for Peace and
>Justice, the biggest anti-war coalition in the United
>States; the Italian Social Forum, key organizers of last year's million 
>strong anti-
>war march during the European Social Forum; the Istanbul No to War
>Coordination, which was responsible for the massive actions in Turkey; and
>Books not Bombs, an Australian high school student movement as well as
>a host of other national anti-war coalitions.
>
>Also represented were Iraqi democracy activists, some organizers of the
>coming World Social Forum in India, delegates from the World March of
>Women, Indonesian trade unions, the South Africa Anti-Privatization Forum,
>Greenpeace, Focus on the Global South, and Jubilee South. Also slated to
>attend, but not granted Indonesian visas, were delegates from Pakistan,
>Palestine, and an Iraqi exile from Japan.
>
>The participants came from the following countries: Afghanistan, Australia,
>Austria, Brazil, Canada, East Timor, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
>Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
>the Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the
>United States.
>
>After three days of intense debates and discussions, the participants 
>hammered
>together the "Jakarta Peace Consensus," a declaration of unity and a specific
>plan of action which they have agreed to propose to the global peace and
>justice movements. The Consensus will be translated to Arabic, French,
>Spanish, Bahasa Indonesian, Italian, etc. and will be presented to the next
>international anti-war meeting in Evian this May 31.
>
>A MEETING FOR PEACE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF WAR
>The conference was held in Indonesia and in a region that was incidentally
>increasingly becoming engulfed in war.
>
>The conference proceedings were regularly interrupted with updates about the
>intensifying conflicts in Aceh and Mindanao, where both the Indonesian and
>Philippine governments have recently broken peace talks with secessionist
>movements and have just launched fresh military offensives against them.
>
>On the first day of the conference, martial law was imposed in Aceh. In
>Mindanao, the government has threatened to categorize the Moro Islamic
>Liberation Front as a "terrorist" organization and, hence, a legitimate 
>target of
>US military intervention. US Special Forces are scheduled to be deployed
>there in the coming weeks. More than 300,000 civilians have been rendered
>refugees because of a renewed wave of military assaults and bombings.
>
>The conference was held in conjunction with other meetings that have been
>held by the representatives of the global peace movement after the war. Last
>May 9, there was a Hemispheric Conference against Militarization held in
>Chiapas, Mexico that was attended mostly by peace activists from Latin
>America. Last April 25, mostly European activists gathered in Berlin, Germany.
>
>The next big meeting of the global peace movement is scheduled on May 31,
>during the G-8 summit to be held in France.
>
>QUESTIONS FOR THE MOVEMENT
>The conference opened with an assessment of the current global conjuncture.
>This was followed by an evaluation of the peace movement, in which
>participants asked how the movement emerged, where it came from, what
>social forces constitute it, what actions it did right, which decisions were
>flawed, and how it can further sustain and broaden itself.
>
>The next plenary focused on the question of Iraq, with two Iraqis pleading 
>for
>the delegates not to abandon Iraq again like they supposedly did for 12 years
>after the first Gulf War. Afterwards, delegates from East Timor and
>Afghanistan, joined in by an investigative journalist who has been
>tracking the "war profiteers," shared their countries' own experiences with
>"reconstruction" and their lessons for Iraq.
>
>This was followed by a discussion on how the war has, in a number of
>countries, led to the convergence of the peace movement with the anti-
>globalization and religious movements. A discussion ensued on how the
>movement should engage with Islamic movements that are also opposed to
>imperialism.
>
>In the next panel, the delegates grappled with the issues and challenges now
>confronting the anti-war movement such as how to prosecute the US and its
>allies for its war crimes; what to do with the United Nations; how to deal 
>with
>"reconstruction" and oil corporations; and what to do to prevent
>"future Iraqs."
>
>These presentations, discussions, debates, and reflections were then followed
>by long working meetings in which the delegates were divided into smaller
>groups to work on statement of unity as well as a specific, concrete, and
>coordinated plan of action for the coming months. The groups
>then reconvened in another arduous but productive session for putting out the
>final version of what they agreed to call the "Jakarta Peace Consensus."
>
>ARRESTS
>The conference culminated with a march to the US embassy and the
>presidential palace in which five of the conference delegates were 
>arrested by
>the Indonesian police. Those arrested include Nick Everett and Kylie Moon
>from Australia, Yong-chan Choi from South Korea, Lydia Cairncross from
>South Africa, Zeli Ariane, and Haris of Indonesia. They were detained
>overnight at the Jakarta Central Police Station.
>
>The next day, the local Indonesian organizers accompanied the remaining
>international delegates to the immigration office to demand the immediate
>release of the delegates. The arrested foreign delegates were deported 
>back to
>their countries the next day while the Indonesian was released
>from detention.
>
>
>CONFERENCE REPORT
>The Jakarta Peace Consensus
>
>INTRODUCTION
>For all the death and destruction it has caused, the United States' 
>invasion of
>Iraq has given birth to a truly amazing and historic global anti-war movement
>which even the New York Times was forced to call 'the world's other
>superpower.' The undeniable significance of this movement was at no point
>more forcefully demonstrated than with the massive internationally 
>coordinated
>marches that swept the globe last February 15.
>
>Following one superpower¹s invasion and occupation of Iraq, representatives
>of this other superpower immediately gathered in Jakarta to assess the 
>current
>conjuncture, to chart its next plans and to plot its future strategy.
>
>The hurriedly organized conference, held in Jakarta, Indonesia 19-21 May
>2003, was open to all. Those who attended come from some of the biggest
>national and regional peace and justice coalitions and groupings all over the
>world.
>
>This includes representatives from the Asian Peace Alliance, a broad network
>of anti-war organizations from all over Asia; the UK Stop the War Coalition
>which organized the historic demonstrations in London; United for Peace and
>Justice, the biggest anti-war coalition in the United
>States; the Italian Social Forum, key organizers of last year's million 
>strong anti-
>war march during the European Social Forum; the Istanbul No to War
>Coordination, which was responsible for the massive actions in Turkey; and
>Books not Bombs, an Australian high school student movement as well as
>a host of other national anti-war coalitions.
>
>Also represented were Iraqi democracy activists, organizers of the coming
>World Social Forum in India, delegates from the World March of Women,
>Indonesian trade unions, the South Africa Anti-Privatization Forum,
>Greenpeace, Focus on the Global South, and Jubilee South. Also slated to
>attend, but not granted Indonesian visas, were delegates from Pakistan,
>Palestine, and an Iraqi exile from Japan.
>
>The participants came from the following countries: Afghanistan, Australia,
>Austria, Brazil, Canada, East Timor, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
>Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
>the Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the
>United States.
>
>After three days of intense debates and discussions, the participants 
>hammered
>together the "Jakarta Peace Consensus," a declaration of unity and a specific
>plan of action which they have agreed to propose to the global peace and
>justice movements. The Consensus will be translated to
>Arabic, French, Spanish, Bahasa Indonesian, Italian, etc. and will be
>presented to the next international anti-war meeting in Evian this May 31.
>
>DECLARATION OF UNITY
>We the undersigned, peace and justice activists representing social movements
>and networks from 26 countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, Latin and
>North America, have come together in Jakarta, Indonesia. Over the last three
>days we have voiced our outrage at the escalating military aggression led by
>the US government, most recently against Iraq.
>
>We declare the war and invasion of Iraq to be unjust, illegal and 
>illegitimate
>and call on the international community to condemn this US-led aggression.
>We demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq and that
>Iraqis be allowed to determine their future in line with the principle of 
>self-
>determination. This conference calls on all governments to withhold 
>recognition
>from any regime set up in Iraq by the US occupiers.
>
>We propose to the peace and justice movements the establishment of an
>international Peoples' Tribunal to pass judgement on the perpetrators of the
>war and investigate war crimes. The war allies must take political, moral and
>economic responsibility for their crimes.
>
>This includes the payment of war reparations directly to the Iraqis, who 
>should
>administer the reconstruction of their country independently of the 
>control of
>foreign corporations, the World Bank, the IMF and UN. Similarly, permanent
>members of the UN Security Council must take responsibility for the 
>effects of
>more than 10 years of sanctions. We call for the scrapping of all Iraqi 
>debt. At
>the same time we note the hypocrisy of the US government in calling for this
>cancellation to serve its objectives, while demanding payment of onerous 
>debts
>from all other developing countries.
>
>While tanks and bombs destroyed Iraq, in nearby Palestine the US-backed
>Israeli armed forces continued to murder, harass and incarcerate the
>Palestinian people in measures reminiscent of Apartheid South Africa. We
>commit ourselves to the international struggle for the end of the colonial
>occupation of Palestine, and call for the dismantling of all Israeli 
>settlements
>and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees. We condemn the 
>continued
>US interference in Palestine and demand the
>recognition of Palestinian national rights as a precondition for a just and
>therefore lasting peace in the region.
>
>We see the invasion of Iraq as part of the on-going economic war against
>peoples of the South. Under the rules of the IMF/World Bank and WTO, our
>world is becoming increasingly unjust and unequal. The WTO meeting in
>Cancun, Mexico, in September will be another forum at which the leaders of
>the imperialist world will plan their strategies. They are plunging the 
>world into
>a series of wars in the quest for oil, for economic and political hegemony 
>and
>to ensure the subjugation of the working class and impoverished masses.
>
>In the name of fighting ³terrorism² the US government has created the
>indefensible concept of pre-emptive war. Beneath this banner it has attacked
>Afghanistan yesterday, Iraq today, while tomorrow's targets may be Syria,
>Iran, North Korea, Venuezuela, Colombia, Cuba or any other nation that is
>seen as opposing the US government¹s political and economic interests.
>
>  We note with concern the growing militarisation of the world, which is
>expressed both in open and covert wars and the proliferation of US military
>bases, increasing military expenditure and military operations. We also 
>oppose
>acts of aggression, whether they be against the people of Aceh, Mindanao,
>Kashmir or Kurdistan.
>
>In this atmosphere of militarism, police harassment of marginalised 
>communities, migrants and ethnic minorities is escalating. We call for 
>global disarmament. In particular we demand the  decommissioning of all 
>nuclear we
>apons. We support the call for the Middle East to become a zone
>free of weapons of mass destruction, not least in Israel, the state with 
>the most destructive capacity.
>
>We resolve to continue to build the international peace and justice 
>movement, which showed its strength so dramatically on 14-16 February, 
>2003, where millions marched against the war in Iraq.
>
>Our principles include building a genuine internationalism from below, 
>where we establish a new international community based on equality and 
>democracy. While our work is international, we will also challenge our own nati
>onal governments where their policies contribute to war, militarism
>and neo-liberalism.
>
>We oppose war in all forms whether open, declared, interstate war, war 
>against social movements, economic war against the poor peoples of the 
>world or war against political activists and opponents of the dominant order. W
>e aim to maintain the broadest possible unity among our diverse 
>organisations including organisations from the Islamic community, 
>environmental groups, and movements opposing racism and sexism.
>
>Our work will be linked to the growing social and class movements 
>resisting neo-liberal globalisation, as war through guns and bombs is only 
>the bloodiest expression of domination by neo-liberalism and imperialism.
>
>We call upon all organisations, social movements and persons who share our 
>analysis and plan of action to join our common efforts oriented towards 
>the creation of a worldwide Solidarity Network for Global Peace at a futur
>e time, particularly during the meetings in Evian (G-8 summit), Cancun 
>(WTO-Conference), the regional Social Forums and the next World Social 
>Forum in Mumbai, India.
>
>We believe that a world free of war, exploitation, inequality, poverty and 
>repression is possible. We see the reality of this alternative visible 
>within the the growing movements of youth, women, workers, students, migran
>ts, the unemployed, human rights and peace and justice activists and 
>citizens who are bringing their spirit, energy and work together in the 
>fight for genuine peace based on global justice for all the world's peoples.
>
>
>STATEMENT AND PLAN OF ACTION ON IRAQ
>THE US-LED INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF IRAQ IS ILLEGAL.
>In 1946, the Nuremberg Tribunal judged that "To initiate war of aggression 
>is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime 
>differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself t
>he accumulated evil of the whole."
>
>CONSEQUENTLY, WE DEMAND
>An immediate end to the illegal occupation of Iraq by the United States 
>and the United Kingdom and the immediate withdrawal and removal of all 
>foreign troops, military advisers and representatives, military equipment and
>armaments.
>
>WE INSIST THAT
>The Iraqi people have absolute and sovereign rights to determine their own 
>future. No occupying power has the right to violate the territorial 
>integrity of Iraq. Any decision about the need for international assistance re
>sts solely with the Iraqi people.
>
>The United States and United Kingdom's occupation of Iraq is illegal, as 
>is any administrative authority or interim government established by the 
>occupying forces. Therefore, any decisions made by the occupying forces or
>their representatives are not binding on the Iraqi people.
>
>The UN-held Iraqi oil escrow account must not be used to foot the bill for 
>reconstruction of the damage caused by the illegal war and UN sanctions. 
>The funds must be held in trust for the Iraqi people until there is a leg
>itimate and genuinely representative government.
>
>While we strongly support independent civil society assistance to and 
>solidarity with the Iraqi people, the United Nations and its agencies, 
>other governments and non-governmental organizations should not serve as a 
>cover
>  to legitimize, or profit from, the illegal invasion and occupation of 
> Iraq. Humanitarian aid must not be used to support or promote the 
> military, political and economic objectives of the occupying forces.
>
>According to the Geneva Conventions, humanitarian assistance, aid, 
>reconstruction and other development activities are the legal and moral 
>responsibility of the invading and occupying forces, and they should not 
>character
>ize as "aid" that which is the entitlement of the Iraqi population.
>
>The Iraqi people have sovereignty over all natural resources and 
>utilities. The invading and occupying forces, or their private sector 
>proxies, have no right to make any decisions about who controls or 
>benefits from the e
>xploitation of natural resources or the construction and delivery of basic 
>services and utilities.
>
>The full costs of all reconstruction, compensation and reparations for the 
>physical, social, economic, psychological, ecological, cultural and 
>heritage destruction caused by the US-led invasion of Iraq must be borne by th
>e aggressors.
>
>Reparations for the physical, social, economic, psychological, ecological, 
>cultural and heritage loss, damage and suffering caused by the US-imposed 
>UN Security Council sanctions must be borne by the permanent members of
>the Council.
>
>In addition, reparations must be paid to all persons who have suffered 
>physical, economic, or psychological loss or trauma resulting from twelve 
>years of sanctions and the 2003 invasion, based on individual and collective
>  claims and dispensed by an independent compensation tribunal.
>
>WE CALL FOR THE DELEGITIMATION OF THE US AND ALLIED OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
>We support all moves leading towards the convening of a national congress, 
>or constituent assembly, or any other kind of democratic self-organization 
>to establish the legitimacy of a new Iraqi state. This process must be
>completely independent of the occupying forces.
>
>We call on the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference 
>and the League of Arab States to work to uphold international law, to end 
>the occupation and to support the establishment of democratic self-govern
>ment in Iraq.
>
>We ask the international community and governments around the world to 
>refuse to recognize all forms of authority or government established by 
>and under the occupation forces.
>
>We support the campaign initiated by the International Association of 
>Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms and others to urge the UN General Assembly to 
>request an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice regarding
>the illegality of the use of force against Iraq and of the doctrine of 
>"pre-emptive war."
>
>We endorse the campaign calling for an international UN war crimes 
>tribunal to try those responsible for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
>
>We demand that all governments recognize the right of Iraqis to travel 
>freely and to return to Iraq.
>
>We reject the US project to create a "New Middle East Order," including 
>its economic arm, Bush's proposed "Free Trade Area of the Middle East. "
>
>WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO WORK IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE AND CIVIL 
>SOCIETY OF IRAQ AND TO SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC FORCES.
>
>1.    We commit ourselves to organize a series of fact-finding missions to 
>Iraq in collaboration with the civil society organizations already working 
>on the ground in order to establish contacts with as many democratic Ir
>aqi organizations as possible, with the possibility of working towards a 
>conference on war and occupation in Baghdad.
>
>2.    We commit ourselves to prepare the conditions to participate in the 
>construction of one or more Occupation Watch Centers in Iraq. The goals 
>will be to function as a monitoring and information center on the military
>occupation and any US-appointed government, including documentation of
>possible war crimes and other violations of human and democratic rights. 
>They will also include monitoring the role of foreign companies and war 
>profiteers in Iraq.
>
>3.    We commit ourselves to developing multiple methods of engaging 
>directly with Iraqis, including mass delegations to Iraq, with the goal of 
>establishing broad ties between Iraqi organizations and individuals, and glob
>al civil society, particularly the anti-war, anti-globalization and World 
>Social Forum movements. We also commit ourselves to creating a new global 
>Iraq information website, as well as other means of coordinating informat
>ion and resources.
>
>4.    Based on the proposals of the Turkish, Japanese, South African and 
>Latin American movements, we commit ourselves to building an International 
>People's Tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators of the Iraq war and occup
>ation, to be held in several countries with a team of international 
>prosecutors and judges.
>
>5.    We call for an international boycott of US products on 4 July 2004, 
>the United States independence day and support other initiatives to 
>boycott US products.
>
>
>PLAN OF ACTION ON GLOBALIZATION AND MILITARISM
>We endorse the call from the Hemispheric and Global Assembly Against the 
>FTAA and the WTO for a week of action against the WTO during its 
>ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico. In particular, we urge peace and 
>people¹s or
>ganisations to mobilise on September 9 against the WTO and on September 13 
>against globalisation and war. We endorse the call from the recent Chiapas 
>conference for a "targeted boycott" of Coke, McDonalds, Texaco, CNN, an
>d Fox during this week of protest.
>
>We condemn the growing McCarthyite atmosphere being fostered in the US by 
>the Bush government. We call for a "World Says No to Bush" campaign to 
>culminate during the Republican convention in New York in September 2004. Th
>is campaign would aim to mobilise millions worldwide in a global 
>referendum designed to undermine the legitimacy of "Emperor" Bush.
>
>We call for a strategic focus on the proliferation of US military bases 
>around the world. We commit ourselves to working for a global day of 
>action against such bases in the first half of 2004 to be coordinated by 
>the Asi
>an Peace Alliance.
>
>Noting the worldwide escalation in military spending, we call for a global 
>campaign for general disarmament. We extend an invitation to peace and 
>disarmament groups not represented at the Jakarta conference to contact our
>  network to facilitate coordinated initiatives which could include a
>global day of action.
>
>We endorse a day of action against corporate looters, particularly 
>Halliburton and Bechtel as well as their subsidiaries. This action will be 
>coordinated through a working group of this conference.
>
>Jakarta, 21 May 2003
>
>For more information contact Herbert Docena, herbert at focusphilippines.org
>
>
>
>Focus on the Global South (FOCUS)
>c/o CUSRI, Chulalongkorn University
>Bangkok 10330 THAILAND
>Tel: 662 218 7363/7364/7365/7383
>Fax: 662 255 9976
>E-mail: N.Bullard at focusweb.org
>Web Page   http://www.focusweb.org