4 February 2003
Earlier today, the South African Communist Party endorsed and signed the Cairo Declaration Against US Hegemony and War on Iraq and in Solidarity with Palestine. The SACP calls on all political parties, organisations, religious institutions, business leaders and traditional leaders in South Africa to endorse the Cairo Declaration
(available from http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Resources/cairo).
The Cairo Declaration was released and adopted by an international meeting organised by the Egyptian Popular Campaign to Confront U.S Aggression convened in Cairo in December 2002.
The Cairo Declaration reaffirms the need for world solidarity with the people of Iraq and Palestine, recognising that war and aggression against them is but part of a US project of global domination and subjugation. Solidarity with Iraq and Palestine is integral to the internationalist struggle against neo-liberal globalisation. The Cairo meeting is not an isolated event, but an extension of a protracted international struggle against imperialism, from Seattle and Genoa to Lisbon and Florence, to Cordoba and Cairo.
The SACP also calls on all South Africans to pray for peace in homes, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples starting with the Manyano Prayer Services this Thursday.
The SACP uses this opportunity to also condemn the stance of the Democratic Alliance on the war. According to today’s Sowetan, the DA warns South Africans from mobilising against the US war apparently because the USA has just announced a multi-billion dollar package to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and that the USA has started a free trade agreement with African countries. The SACP is not surprised at this DA stance. The DA is a reactionary and conservative political party which puts the interests of profiteers and multinational companies ahead of peace and social justice. In essence, the DA is calling on South Africans to accept imperialist benevolence and ignore the just and legitimate struggle for a fairer world. By taking the stance it has taken, the DA has permanently painted itself as a lapdgog of imperialism which will bow with every piece of crumbs thrown to it by the USA and allied powers. South Africa is a sovereign country which must promote its interests and those of the developing world without begging Western powers. As the Freedom Charter says, South Africa must strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiations – not war.
The SACP is a member of the Stop the War Campaign which includes the African National Congress, Congress of South African Trade Unions, South African National Civics Organisation, ANC Youth League, ANC Women’s League, Congress of South African Students, South African Students’ Congress, South African Council of Churches, Church of the Province of Southern Africa (Anglican Church), Musicians’ Union of South Africa, Media Review Network, Treatment Action Campaign and the Institute for Global Dialogue.
The aims of the Campaign are to:
CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information & Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339-3621/2, Fax – 011 339-4244, Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - mazibuko@sacp.org.za