Peace Conference

Organized by the Hungarian Social Forum a peace conference has taken
place in Budapest on 20th March 2004 against the occupation of Iraq, for
the withdrawal of foreign troops, included the hungarian ones and for
the restitution of self-determination of iraqui people. We have asked
the demolishment of the wall between Israel and Palestina, the guarantee
of self-determination of palestinian people and supported israelian and
palestinian social and political forces fighting for the peaceful
cooperation of their peoples.

Conference’s participants have condemned
war and terrorism together, considering them two faces of the same
medal: instruments of domination employed by extremists groups of
interest. We have observed a minute of silence in the memory of people
killed in the terrorist attack of Madrid, 11th March as well as of the
victims of 11th september 2001, of people died in the wars on Afganistan
and Iraq, included the american soldiers, victims of war policy of the
Bush administration.

Peace conference in Hungary has been blessed by archbishop of
Hungary, cardinal Peter Erdo and greeted by the deputy president of the
National Assembly, the socialist Laszlo Mandur emphesizing the
importance of large scale joining forces for peace, reached together.
The following peoples rised to speak at our conference:

Bishop Bela Harmati; President of Trade Union Confederation SZEF, Endre
Szabo; President of Association of People living Under the Social
Minimum (LAET), Andrea Molnar; Member of the Presidency of Hungarian
Socialist Party, President of the Commission of Education and Science of
the National Assembly, Gyorgy Janosi; Deputy President of Hungarian
Workers Party (communist) and Pres. of Movement for the Democracy (TDM)
Attila Vajnai; President of Humanist Party, Tibor Varady; Sociologist
Zsuzsa Hegedus; Director of motion pictures, Ferenc Kosa; President of
Leftwing Youth Front, Peter Szekely; Philosopher Zoltan Endreffy,
representing the catholic periodical "Merleg", member of Pax Romana;
Gyorgy Bisztrai, Gyongyver Kiss Bajnok and Daniel Bajnok, all
representing the Bokor catholic basis community.

Conference has been introduced by Endre Simó after the poem "Before
Easter" of Mihaly Babits recited by actress Ildiko Pecsi.

During the peace conference an important consensus has been reached also
on the necessity to act at the defense of human and social rights, the
democracy and freedoms put in danger by war and terrorism.

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