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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol 35 no. 7. 19 April 1972

[ Report on the Paris World Assembly for the Peace and Independence of the Indochinese Peoples]

Wellington C.O.V. delegates, Joris de Bres and Geoff Bertram, both postgraduate students at Oxford, were New Zealand's only representatives at the recent "Paris World Assembly for the Peace and Independence of the Indochinese Peoples" where they formed a very small drop in a very large bucket of 1,200 delegates from 80 countries. Most other delegations had a far broader range including a number of trade unionists who held a special session to discuss international Trade Union action against the war. The absence of New Zealand trade union delegates was regretted.

The Assembly was preceded by America's chief negotiator at the Paris Peace Talks, William F. Porter, suspending the Peace Talks to protest against the invasion of "communist-controlled agitators" into the "neutral area" of the Talks. As was expected the renewed suspension was followed, in the old pattern, by the heaviest U.S. air-raids on Indo-China for months.

In the plenary sessions of the conference the Nixon 8-point plan was denounced as a plan of war and not of peace. Several stirring speeches were also made by members of the 140-strong American delegation, but the interest of the conference was in its four commissions.

In these the Americans again made the major contribution as in the Politics Commission with their repeated emphasis on the inter-related nature of Nixon's domestic and foreign policies of repression, rather than the usual humanitarian condemnation of a "horrible war". But the avoidance of Nixon's visit to China meant the Commission did not discuss the most immediate problems. The Economic Commission which covered little fresh ground was also a disappointment and the most important new material was provided by the Commission on New Aspects of the War which examined the new level of intensity and sophistication of the electronic air war in Indochina since the beginning of the withdrawal of U.S. ground forces. This was termed by some as the "Third Indochinese War, 1968-?!!" Bombs, unexploded and in fragments were on display and a film and slide-show illustrated the possible damage of the new bombs and the increasing use of unmanned machinery and electronic targeting which has completely broken down distinctions between soldier and civilian.

The commission on Action called for an international co-ordinated effort against such corporations as Honeywell, ITT, and General Electric which have helped in the profitable development of these horrifying techniques. The Action Commission also outlined the role of the International Anti-War movement as supporting the two main groups opposing the Nixon government's policy in Indo-China; (a) the Indo-Chinese themselves and (b) the American people. Support for the first involved financing the reconstruction of hospitals and schools and a campaign for the recognition of the Provisional Revolutionary Government South Vietnam, the Royal Government of National Unity of Cambodia and the Government of the Demo cratic Republic of Vietnam, and withdrawal of recognition of the Thieu government.

Discussion on support for the American people emphasised the importance of 1972 as an election year in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, and the Americans urged international support for their special action days April 1, April 15, April 22 and May 1-15. Other suggested activities were: action at U.S. bases and among U.S. troops and the calling of inter-trade union meetings.

In the meantime there's the National Antiwar Conference next weekend April 22 and 23 at Auckland University.

Geoff Bertram and Joris de Bres hand a letter of solidarity to Quong Ming, Ambassador of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, in Paris recently.

Geoff Bertram and Joris de Bres hand a letter of solidarity to Quong Ming, Ambassador of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, in Paris recently.