LATIN-AMERICAN STUDENT GROUPS WITHDRAW FROM IUS CONGRESS
{The April 16 number of the English edition of Granma, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist party of Cuba, reports that eleven Latin-American student delegations attending the Ninth Congress of the International Union of Students (IUS) at Ulan Bator, Mongolia, March 27 to April 5, withdrew from the gathering when the Executive Committee of the IUS refused to put on the agenda the question of expelling the University Federations of Chile (UFUCH).
(Previously, at meetings of the IUS Executive Committee held in Prague March 13-16, the Latin-Americans had charged that the UFUCH, which is headed by the youth of the Chilean Christian Democrat party, had been exposed as one of the recipients of CIA funds.
[The representatives of the eleven Latin-American organizations cited the information brought to public attention by the U.S. magazine Ramparts.
(After these delegates withdrew, only a minority of seven Latin-American organizations were left at the congress.
[This minority was further reduced when two members of the three-man delegation of the University Federation of Venezuela withdrew and, along with them, one member of the two-man delegation of the National University Students' Federation of Colombia.
[The representatives of the eleven Latin-American student organizations is- ‘sued the following statement explaining their action. ]
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The organizations which have signed this statement have assumed an important position: We withdraw from the sessions of the Ninth Congress of the International Union of Students, being held at Ulan Bator, Mongolia, from March 27 to April 5. The basis for this decision has been stated verbally by each one of our delegations in the Congress. Pend~ ing later declarations by our organizations, detailing the basis of this attitude, stemming from a synthesis of our individual opinions on the IUS, and its principles, nature and activities during the last few years, we address ourselves to the international revolutionary, democratic and progressive student movement in order to clearly explain the basic criteria for our present position.
We do not wish to repeat what facts show clearly, but we once more affirm that our guiding principle is a determined struggle to the death against imperialism (primarily Yankee imperialism), colonialism and neocolonialism, and for authentic and genuine independence, national liberation and a true peace with dignity. We are struggling for these fundamental objectives, which we regard as principles whose defense and validity in practice constitute an absolute and immediate imperative.
These principles completely determine our concept of unity. We are struggling for that unity and for the incorporation of the revolutionary, democratic and progressive forces and will not admit within our midst reactionary organizations that do not reflect the dreams and aspirations of the student bodies of their respective countries in their policy or activities. To accept them is to flagrantly violate our own principles, which we have defended and will resolutely continue to defend. All our efforts in this Ninth Congress of the IUS have therefore been aimed at strengthening anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist principles through discussion. Unfortunately, frank and objective discussion was lacking in the discussion of point three of the agenda, the Latin American organizations' charges against the Union of University Federations of Chile (UFUCH), owing to antidemocratic and arbitrary procedures.
Our arguments and accusations, contained in a well-documented report, were ignored and evaded, particularly by the UFUCH, and later, totally or partially recognized by other organizations, and even by a member of the Chilean delegation itself.
However, the result was rejection of the document and of our proposal to expel UFUCH from the IUS until such time as events and the student struggle changethe present reactionary policy of that organization. A majority in the Congress has rejected expulsion of UFUCH, that is, has approved its remaining within the ranks of progressives and revolutionaries as if it were really one of them. This decision constitutes a violation of the principles on which the International Union of Students is based, because: UFUCH through its reactionary and proimperialist Christian Democrat leadership that dictates its political line of action, is not representative of the dreams and aspirations of the progressive student movement of Chile; because UFUCH's objectives and actions have accorded with those of Cuban counterrevolutionaries in exile; because UFUCH has maintained a proven divisionist attitude within the heart of the Latin American student movement, the best examples of which have been its participation in the divisionist
conference of Guatemala, in the socalled 4th CLAE that was held in Natal, Brazil, and its boycott of the 4th CLAE Congress of Latin American students held in Havana, Cuba.
Because the UFUCH, as was proved in a scandal, accounts of which appeared in the press, is a body whose actions reflect close ties with organizations financed by the CIA such as the World Organization of University Students and the International Students' Conference (ISC), and some UFUCH leaders collaborate directly with the Central Intelligence Agency; because UFUCH maintained an irresponsible attitude, the role of accomplice in the brutal crime committee by the government party that controls it, against the workers of the El Salvador Mine; because, in yet another violation of the IUS's constitution on anti-colonialist and unitarian principles, it has systematically opposed the participation of those student unions whose countries do not have universities, the latter fact a direct result of colonial exploitation. This is also reflected in UFUCH's demagogy. Since 1964 it has belonged to the Executive Committee of the IUS together with organizations of the colonial countries, while at the same time maintaining a colonialist attitude in collaboration with the ISC, systematically denying IUS representativeness in such a way as to attack the members of the Executive Committee, the IUS itself, and its principles. These examples, among others, corroborated by reality and exhaustively explained and duly recorded by the Congress itself, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the reactionary and proimperialist nature of UFUCH, imposed by its Christian Democrat leadership.
A majority of the Congress, far from having demonstrated the contrary, and ignoring the solid arguments presented, chose to maintain the UFUCH within the UYS, thus violating the most elementary principles upon which that organization was founded.
This action is not at odds with the IUS's general policy, the erroneous conception of unity and cooperation which it has been following, its false concepts of the bases for unity within the student movement; rather it has been a direct consequence of this policy. Experience itself will confirm our stand and make it clear to those honest elements in whom we place our confidence. Again we state, in order to clear up honest doubts and silence the obstructionists, that with this attitude we do not attack Chilean students since we consider that the reactionary Christian Democrat leadership has betrayed their highest aspirations; not only does it not represent them, but is in flagrant contradiction with them. To believe otherwise is to side with the ideology responsible for the massacre of workers at the El Salvador Mine; it is to believe that Chilean students support that reactionary ideology. We have a much higher concept of Chilean students, whose people have written glorious pages in history.
We will never accept a situation where a majority of the Congress seeks to decide on such a grave and delicate problem, directly concerning questions of principle, on the basis of superficial discussion and an artificial analysis -as shown in the a priori statements that some delegations irresponsibly issued in opposition to our charges and arguments, just after the discussion had begun.
Much less do we accept a situation where the conclusions are a product of the arbitrariness and abnormality which have in essence characterized the course of the debates and their final conclusions. Nor do we accept the charge that our attitude is divisive, much less sectarian, as has been insinuated in various disrespectful and intolerable addresses.
We fight for unity, that unity which is upheld in the uncompromising principles of the world-wide revolutionary democratic and progressive student movement, which was faithfully reflected in the spirit and content of the 4th CLAE, held in Havana, under the slogan of "For anti-imperialist unity among Latin American students." Let us remember that the UFUCH did its very best, unsuccessfully, to establish a boycott of that conference and destroy it.
We are confident that our action is a direct contribution to the cause of the fighting peoples, whose struggle is to build the world of the future; we are in complete solidarity with their efforts. Our determination is inspired in the defense of anti-imperialist principles and in the preservation of their real values -- not only theoretical but also practical and effective. We consider it a concrete contribution to solidarity with the embattled peoples, and especially with the heroic people of Viet Nam.
We prefer this determined attitude to the false, sterile discussions in which organizations such as UFUCH are active participants. There are serious charges based on facts, against the UFUCH, and those who today defend its position directly or indirectly will be answerable to history.
We are aware of our responsibility. We are and will continue struggling for the fulfillment of the highest aspirations of our students, and our peoples, prepared to travel the most difficult roads, moving with sure step ever forward to victory.
The document is signed by the following Latin American student organizations:
Federation of University Students for the Independence of Puerto Rico (FUPI).
University Students' Federation of Cuba (FEU).
University Federation of Venezuela (FCU).
Federation of University Students of Ecuador (FEUE).
National University Students'
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