Part 2 - DW062 001 020 002

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2 Foreword by Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan; Senior Vice-Chairman, Pakistan People's Party; former Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan. I have had the privilege of glancing through the Proceedings of the International Seminar on US-imposed sanctions and blockades on third world countries, held under the auspices of the Third World Solidarity organisation, with Mr. Mushtaq Lasharie as its Chairman, in association with the International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions which has been called for by Mr. Jaime Ballesteros and others, and the Institute for Independence Studies, whose Secretary is Mr. Hugh Stephens. This seminar is a healthy and constructive step, however small a beginning. It will constitute a guideline for the oppressed people the world over, especially those of the third world countries. A radical feature of the function was that it was sponsored and addressed by true representatives of the working people. The speakers, while vehemently condemning the sanctions which constitute a continuing crime against humanity against the victim countries, gave various suggestions on how to force the US imperialists and the West to refrain from these criminal acts. The paper contributed by a revolutionary activist, Mr. Hugh Stephens, is thought-provoking. In his scholarly exposition of the situation, the details of the high-handedness of the US imperialists, the indifferent attitude of the West and the miseries with which the victim countries are confronted, are vividly explained. May I, however, add that the masses of the people of the non-aligned countries should persuade their respective governments to convene a special meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement to discuss this vital question, causing starvation, sickness and killings and other untold sufferings on innocent people in tens of thousands daily. The call for the formation of an International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions by Mr. Jaime Ballesteros is indeed laudable. I will, however, with respect to Mr. Jaime, suggest that if this Commission is linked with the International Commission of Inquiry led by Mr. Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General of the USA, it will elicit an extensive response, as Mr Ramsey Clark enjoys worldwide recognition as an established champion of peace and exponent of the cause of the oppressed. Sheikh Mohammad Rashid London August 1st 1994

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