The logo of the conference correspondents with its anti-U.S. hegemony message

By Dalia Yusuf, IOL Staff

CAIRO, December 11 (IslamOnline.net) - Hundreds of Arab and international activists are expected to flock in Cairo on Saturday, December 13, for a two-day popular conference on U.S. hegemony and the foreign occupation of Iraq and Palestine.

The conference, to be held under the slogan: "Yes to resistance in Palestine and Iraq. No to capitalist globalization and U.S. hegemony", is to witness several workshops and sessions.

"Many international and Arab activists from different political parties and affiliations have sent papers that will be discussed during the conference’s sessions and workshops," Abdel-Aziz Al-Husseini, one of the organizers, told IslamOnline.net.

Among the prominent participants are veteran British politician Tony Benn, British MP Jeremy Corbyn, head of the Focus on the Global South Center Walden Bello.

Staunch anti-war opponents British lawmaker George Galloway and British activist John Rees, are to turn up for the event, organized by the international campaign against U.S. and Zionist Occupations (ICAUZO).

Also, delegates from several foreign countries including the U.S., Britain, Italy, Spain, Korea, Japan and the Philippines are to join colleagues from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Palestine and Iraq, said the organizers.

Different This Year

Unlike the first Cairo conference which was held in December 2002 in the run up to the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq, organizers and participants are keen on having as much independent and popular gathering as possible.

"We want to keep ourselves away from businessmen funds and the five star hotels," Wail Khalil, another organizer, told IOL.

"People should exchange their experiences and to feel of each others. We want it ‘people to people conference,’ " he added with a clear enthusiastic tone.

Most of the participants will be covering the costs of their travel and accommodation, organizers said, adding that volunteers in Cairo reiterated readiness to host some of the guests.

Many observers fear that this conference could not turn away last year’s – which had been characterized with much inflammatory speeches and less action – especially that the occupation of Iraq is now a fait accompli and Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians continue unabated.

But according to this year agenda, there will be a series of workshops aiming to exchange visions as well as practical experiences among the activists throughout the world.

Husseini underlined that the discussions will center on supporting resistance in Palestine and Iraq and global.

For Rees, the founder of the "Stop The War" coalition in the U.K., the Cairo conference this year will address "the most important issues that could formulate specific strategies to deal with the current situations."

This will be the second year Rees participates in the conference.

"This year many activists , not only from Britain but also from the whole Europe, will attend the event; they will be from different political, religious and ethnical backgrounds," he added, asserting that their aim is "to show their solidarity and sympathy with Iraq and Palestine."

Some observers see this year conference as a chance for Egyptian and Arab activists to acquire the experience of their European counterparts who succeeded in going beyond the stage of mobilizing people and organizing demonstrations, becoming key players inside their societies and being able to pressure their governments.

Most of Arab countries gave an implicit support for the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq, despite prevailing popular opposition and whipped up anti-American sentiments.

For More Information About the conference, Click HERE