Public meeting with Member of European Parliament and Social Forum’s leader
Abduljabbar al Kubaysi, secretary general of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance (IPA), is scheduled to address the Austrian public on March 24 in Vienna. For a Arab community a separated meeting is planned for March 25. Kubaysi has been invited by the Anti-imperialist Camp.
Al Kubaysi is mentor and spearhead of a common political front to be built by the forces of the Iraqi resistance and opposition to the US occupation. He was arrested by the US occupation forces in 2004 and kept as a political prisoner in the high profile detention centre at Baghdad’s airport. In an attempt to relax the situation around the elections of December 15 as well as to woo parts of the Sunni-based resistance some dozen of high ranking political prisoners were released – among those also al Kubaysi.
Kubaysi’s visit in Austria is part of a tour which includes Spain, Italy, France and other countries. Despite the fact that Kubaysi was released from US detention his tour comes in a period of renewed European rapprochement with Washington and thus could create troubles.
While recently the crucial help provided by the German intelligence to the US aggression on Iraq has been revealed, Awni al Kalemji, the IPA’s spokesman, was banned from raising his voice in Germany in an unprecedented unconstitutional move by the regime. At the same time the EU is driving the escalation against Iran in full complicity with the US.
For Kubaysi’s appearance the support of Karin Resetarits, Member of European Parliament, and Leo Gabriel, a leader of the Austrian Social Forum, could be secured. Both support the legitimacy of the resistance against foreign occupation as stipulated by international law.
An intense campaign by the pro-US and Zionist lobby as not only led to the cancellation of several halls but also to the defamation of Kubaysi’s co-orators as anti-Semites.
Anti-imperialist Camp
