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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1976)
i I 4 Portland Observer Third World Wrapup by Koy Harvey O A U Decision Prolong* Angolan W ar sy The O AU stalemate on the question of the recognition of the Peoples Republic of Angola was a victory for reaction, but as Guinean president Sekou Toure noted last week, the lack of a wholehearted backing of the M P L A by the O A U will mean the end of the O AU, and the formation of new inatitutions and al liances that are more meaningful. Most probably thia will be worked out within the Committee of 77 non aligned nations - or the group of nineteen which recently met in Paris. The head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Adebayo Adebeji, said January 6th in Addis Ababa "African states are more conscious everyday of the necessity of strengthening their economic relations with the socialist camp...recent ECA statistics are testimony to the fact that the current economic crisis in Africa has been provoked by Western capitalist countries." The vote in the O A U was split 23 to 23. None of the 23 countries which did not vote for recognition of the M PLA 's People's Republic of Angola has officially recognized the F N L A U N IT A Huambo concoction as a government. The following O A U members have recognized the RPA: Algeria, Somalia. Mozambique, Tan zania, Guinea, Guinea Bisaau. Congo- Brazzaville, Cape Verde, Niger, Sao Tome. Libya, Burundi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Sudan, Madagascar, Comoros, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Marui tania and Mauritius. Other nations which have recognized the RPA: Bulgaria. Brazil, Cuba. Czechoslovakia, Laos, Iraq, Governments of North and South Vietnam, North Korea, German Democratic Republic, Poland, Rumania, Syria, Sweden. South Yemen, Yugoslavia and USSR. While the fighting in Angola will be prolonged as a consequence of the stalemate in Addis Ababa, out of the wreckage of the O A U the leading Black African countries will increasingly merge with the pro-development Arab sector - and the Socialist bloc. Typical of this kind of arrangement is the Group of nineteen Third World countries which have called for Soviet block participation in global economic reconstruction a move toward bypassing the International Monetary Fund and the bankrupt dollar. i Economic W arfare The mechanism used to frighten wavering African states (in particular Ethiopia, Gambia, Upper Volta, Uganda) from recognition of the RPA was economic blackmail. Next week in this column we will analyze this in detail, but a taste of economic warfare used by the IM F can be seen in last week's funeral IM F Washington meeting. The IM F issued extraordinary and explicit de mands for import reductions, currency devaluations, government spending cuts and industrial investment-slashing for IM F member nations - as a precondition lor loans (IM F conduits capital from the Chase and First National City and other banks or rather it collects debt for those banks). The short term loans issued to member countries are immediately to be returned to the very banks (to pay off old loans) which issued them! The IM F countries must force austerity on their working populations but get a good credit rating' with the banks. This is called ‘bilateral financing'. On top of it all. there is only about $9 billion in the IM F coffer, while the outstanding Third World debt is $60 billion not even enough capital exists to develop the labor intensive austerity programs the IM F demands: some countries are simply slated for extinction. The primary targets of the IM F maneuver are the leading Third World countries India. Mexico. Peru, Algeria and Turkey -- which have made the most substation moves toward the impkmen tation of the new world economic order (though none of these countries has forthrightly called for debt moratoria). The irony of the O AU decision is that those countries which did Kissinger's bidding will suffer most from their derisions: they are the countries to be triaged, according to the IM F World Bank scenario. On January 4th Mexico's President Echeverria sUted “to prevent World AAOVTOO/WERY UAVÀ1W • ! major obstacle to further NBA progress, growth and development. In the face of massive and mounting opposition to is leadership, Baraka submitted his resignation as Secretary General before the new structure was adopted in Dayton. In submitting his resignstion Baraks expressed an interest in being elected to the Executive Council under the new structure. However in the North regional caucus election for representation on the Executive Council, Baraka was defeated in his bid for election. W hile all ideological points ol view and political factions, including the Congress of African People remains welcome within the N B A , the newly elected Executive Council has resolved that disruption tactics will not be tolerated and that any future disruption by the Congress of African People will be met with total expulsion from the NBA. The Dayton Mandate provides the foundation for the launching of a new era in the development of the National Black Political Assembly. The present NBA leadership is determied to offer a new leadership style characterized by an energetic effort to work co-operatively with Black Elected Officials. National, regional and local Civil Rights organiza lions, human rights groups, labor organi zations, and grass roots community organizations around concrete issues of Jim Watson, at a Socialist W orker's Party forum, called for the U.S. to quit Angola •• and leave the nationalist groupings to fight it out amongst themselves. Watson said “the dominant nationalist group is the Popular Move ment for the Liberation of Angola -- M P L A .” Watson said “the imperialists in Washington are not united on the question of Angola, and see as foolhardy Kissinger's determination to stop the M P L A in Africa..." Under questioning Watson could not say what section of capital Kissinger represented. "Ford is in a bind, because he wants detente in an election year -- while the Soviets want detente too - Angola is one of their bargaining chips.“ Having analyzed the conflict in Angola in that fashion, Watson went on to say “there is not a whole lot of difference between the F N L A (National Front), U N IT A (National Union) and the M P L A (i-opular Movement) in terms of program." Under questioning the speaker said he was unaware that U N IT A and the F N L A had coalesced (in Huambo) as an anti communist force to destroy the pro-socialist M PLA . Questioned by the audience as to whether it didn't make some difference that F N L A and U N IT A got their financial support from the C IA . South Africa, and N A T O countries, while the M P L A was supported by the C O M ECO N countries and other prt> Socialist coun tries, Watson replied that it was “not an indictment of their politics that their monies came from various places..." The SW P's mayoral candidate Kontanis add ed: “I t is not a principled question where you get your money, but what you do with it..." Or, added another SW P member, 'what you say you will do with it.’ Jim Watson said that the statements of the three groups in Angola were virtually identical: "None of the move ments has an anti-capitalist policy or program...all support sustained foreign investment...” As an indictment of the M P L A the speaker offered these events: 1. M P L A forced striking dockers to go bark to work. 2. M P L A was willing to collect $500 million from Gulf Oil. 3. M P L A called for the Portuguese troops to intervene in Angola. Discussion of these events was not permitted in the meeting (question period). Dockers striking while the young PRA govern ment is under attack by the C IA financed F N L A from the north, and South African troops from the south would appro priately be viewed as C IA instigated activity. On the third point the M P L A called for intervention by the M F A. at a time when the M F A was closely aligned with the Portuguese Communist Party (the soldiers group which became the S U V ). During that period the M F A published documents identifying the F N L A and U N IT A as counter-gangs created by the C IA and the Portuguese secret police (respectively). As for point continues to fund its countergang concoc tions in Angola, more Black African nations will commit troops to the People's Republic of Angola. Meanwhile the M P L A has consolidated its hold in the northern enclave of Cabinda - last week capturing some 100 white South African prisoners, New Solidarity reports. In the south the M P L A army faces South African troops - with no U N IT A /F N L A troops with them - in Quibala, just a hundred miles south of Luanda. A t press conferences in Addis Ababa and Luanda, U N IT A prisoners told reporters: “South Africans provide the cannon, we provide the fodder." CATALOG OVERSTOCK SALE REGULAR LOW CATALOG PRICES, HURRY! mutual concern. An immediate dialogue with many of these groups is expected to being immediately. Programatically, the NBA can be expected to press forward vigorously with its 1976 political strategy and its 1976 National Black Political Convention in Cincinati, Ohio March 17th-21st, 1976. The NBA's “76 political strategy calls for a Black candidate for the Presidency, as an independent,” the selection of a Peoples Cabinet, and the adoption of a 1976 platform of issues of vital concern to Blacks and other oppressed national minorities. Among the issues expected to receive detailed attention are National Health Insurance, Tax Reform, and Full Employment legislation. The NBA is also expected to launch a drive to register a significant number of the same six million Blacks who remain unregistered in the U.S. Plans for a series of State Conventions are also underway. The Assembly plans a massive effort in the southern states where with the exception of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ken tucky, no assemblies have been active since Gary in 1972. The State Conven tions will elect the 5,000 delegates to the national convention, and prepare recom mendation and resolution on issues. The ratification of the platform and nomina tion of the Black Presidential Candidate will occur at the National Black Political Convention at Cincinati in March. number two, Watson was unaware of the new world economic order and what that represents for the development of the Third World; raw materials for industrial development: an international develop ment bank type arrangement. An SW P member summed up his group’s position: “Americans shouldn't try to formulate Angolan policy. W hat is important is that all American involve ment should cease. That is the radical demand." Now what's a radical? I t is this w riter's objective view that a radical is a physically grown up proto human who has w et its diapers and screams loudly for someone to change them. The more loudly the radical screams, the more 'm ilitant' it is. The radical says “the world is a mess” but rather than actually formulate program - and take responsi bility for the implementation of that program -- the radical says "do some thing!" Several members of the SW P forum audience including this w riter expected to hear a cautious defense of the M P L A - the group which in fact has been the only movement in Angola which fought the NATO-backed Portuguese, while UPA - G R A E - F N L A - U N IT A countergangs spent their time fighting the M P L A . This w riter was not prepared for the SWP's m oral in te lle c tu a l debasem ent which could not distinguish the M P L A from the CIA-South African financed counter gangs in Angola. port ol Angola is only the beginning of g deeper Nigerian engagement in southern Africa.” I t is likely that if the U.S. 18% to82% off SAVE 34% SAVE *60 BOYS’ COLORFUL KNIT UNDERWEAR REGULARLY 1.49 K odcl* polyester cotton knit underwear with contrast trim . B rief in rib-knit w ith elastic leg- band. 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Social W orker, and Community Organizer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Secretary John W arfield - Chairman of the Afro American Studies and Research Center. University of Texas at Austin: Treasurer State Representative Ixtia Deberry. M ajority Whip. Tennessee State leg islature, Memphis, Tennessee. The decisions of this meeting climaxed more than three years of struggle to define the purpose of the NBA, outline a political direction, and adopt clear procedures for action. W ithin the last year in particular serious internal con flirts largely provoked by playw riler, political activist, Am iri Baraka ot Ne wark. New Jersey and the Congress of African People which he heads, Baraka's disruptive tactics, harassment and intimidation of the delegates, and abrasive leadership style had become the W ar I I I the new world economic order is needed: the response we want is a favorable chain reaction from all coun tries, including industrial nations...our defeat would mean ruin for all.” The coalescing of the leading Third World countries will again occur at the second session of the North South talks January 26th: the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC). I t is probable that the organizing efforts of the leading O AU countries will be directed toward the CIEC, rather than trying to herd various C IA and Rocke feller African satrapies into a pro development decision of any kind. 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