The initiative emerged during the July/August 2006 Israeli aggression on Lebanon, it was raised by solidarity delegations that went there although the intensive bombings. This initiative met an enthusiastic welcome, on the Arab as well as on the international level, it reflects the need of the forces that are opposed to the war logic and to the colonial hegemony to meet, debate and coordinate.

The Lebanese Communist Party, Hezbollah, the National Unity Tribune, the People’s Movement and Samidoun (the network of civil society’s associations) are launching the invitation from Lebanon.

For information or all questions concerning the organization of the participation, please contact the following address:
Beirutresistance2006 no-log.org

Deadline for the inscription: 22 Octob

 Invitation for an International Meeting in Beirut In Support of the Resistance

November16-19, 2006

 General Political Framework:

Lebanon is under permanent Israeli-American aggression. The military aggression which lasted 33 days broke all the rules and limits set up by international conventions and demonstrated the model the new imperial order attempts to establish in all fields, economical, political as well as social: the hegemony of power, free from any regulation, free from any law: It is the Jungle!

The United States was directly involved in managing the war. At any moment, it may play a more active role. The US is developing strategies complementing military actions that aim to provoke internal confrontation among the Lebanese, leading to disorder and disintegration. This, in turn, is part of a larger regional plan that targets all those opposed to the American hegemony, mainly Iran and Syria, but also states that are allied with Washington. Any degree of coherence among the countries in the region and any kind of dissent is to be countered. Such a strategy threatens the cohesion of these states and lead to their fragmentation. As US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice said, the goal is to create a “New Middle East.” This is reminiscent of how the US also justified its war on Iraq as aimed at creating a “Greater Middle East.”

Together with Israel, the US is determined to disarm Hezbollah because it hinders their efforts to achieve hegemony in the region, and to achieve the destruction and annexion of Palestine with the complicit silence of the international community.

Despite the brutality of the Israel’s war machinery, the resistance was able to bring an end to the aggression. The refusal of the Lebanese people to face the bombings with resignation; the effectiveness of the resistance movement and the emergence of a broad political current, including islamic, democrats, progressives, and communists, as well as a popular movement that was coherent and organized despite its diversity – all these contributed to preserve the national unity that was subjected to constant strain during the aggression. Regardless of their political convictions, the Lebanese people were able to confront and impede the plans of the US and Israel.

In spite of this, Washington and Tel-Aviv are determined to achieve by political means those that they weren’t able to achieve by military means. The decisions taken during the G8 meeting at the beginning of the war, along with the participation of several governments in carrying out the aggression, indicate the current deficiency of the international community which is not able to stop the US and Israel in their plans.

Another US-Israeli attack on Lebanon will be launched as soon as the opportunity presents itself. It is for this reason that we have to prepare to forestall it.

 Objectives:

This international conference is being organized to:

1. Welcome the resistance of the Lebanese people

2. Discuss ways to support the resistance

3. Refuse and condemn the aggression in its direct aspect as in Lebanon, or in its more permanent and destructive aspect as in Iraq and Palestine, and (further) the ones in preparation against Iran and Syria, and in the whole region.

 The international conference also aims at:

I - Examining the elements that constituted the attack and its strategies. We hope to establish real coordination between all forces and groups to prevent the next aggression. Five workshops are proposed. Access to each one will be restricted to assure effectiveness. These are:

1. Legal and judiciary, which include going through the International Court of Justice, people’s tribunal proposal (Russell type), and citizens procedure

2. Global media

3. Reconstruction and urban planning

4. Arab networking

5. Strategy

A steering group will prepare for each one of the workshops.

II - Reinforcing international solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for the entirety of their national rights.

III -. Supporting the main Iraqi demand to end the occupation

 Logistical aspects:

The conference is hold in Beirut on November16-19, 2006. A committee is in charge of inviting participants. It’s composed of a Lebanese core including Communist Party, Hezbollah, National Unity Tribune, People Movement and Samidoun civil society network
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 Programme

Thursday 16-11:

6 P.M – Opening session.

Friday 17-11:

– 9 am / 1pm – Workshops meetings –are present in each workshop meeting only the concerned participants.

– 1 pm / 3 pm– Lunch

– 3 pm / 7 pm – Visit of southern suburbs of Beirut

– At the same time, and for Arab participants, a meeting on building an Arab network

– 7 pm / 10 pm – Film screening, theater …

Saturday 18-11:

– 9 am / 1 pm- Workshops meetings

– 1 pm / 3 pm – Lunch

– 3 pm / 7 pm – General meeting to present and discuss the workshops outcomes.

Sunday 18-11

– 9 am / 11 am: Approval of decisions taken in the workshops and General Political Statement

– 11 am: Visit of south Lebanon.

This meeting in Beirut aims at establishing the bases of a process within the framework set hereupon. It will not come up with all the required conclusions, but it will rather create an active and lasting tool for our work. Other dates in the process are already retain: WSF of Nairobi next January and Cairo Conference in March 2007. The success of the meeting will rely on the capacity of representatives from around the world to discuss and coordinate, as a way to add and give strength to the resisting forces in general and in every field. It aims at improving the resistance capacity to face the new imperial attack, including a step further.
Let’s give ourselves tools to move from a condemnation action to an effective action.