We have read with great interest the Open Letter in NSC concerning the 2^nd World Congress of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People.

We appreciate your activity for solidarity and your struggle against all attempts of the Imperialist military to expand its aggressive policy over the world. We found your Open Letter very stimulating with a view of further orientation of the International Council. The position of the Presidium of the Czech Slav Committee is the following:

It is necessary to respect the reality that the left political forces in former USSR are splintered. In view of this present division of the left political forces, the possibility for a representative Soviet delegation to take part in the 2^nd World Congress is problematical and unlikely. Without such representative delegation the World Congress shall not be able to achieve the necessary results.

That is why we recommend the postponement of the 2^nd World Congress. There exist many more reasons for the postponement of the next Congress, besides those that have already been mentioned in your Open Letter.

Regardless of this situation, the activity of the International Council should not be diminished and the very useful Northstar Compass must light-up all the progressive forces against imperialism.

Yours truly,
Dr. Dean Mirko Svoboda CSc
First Chairman of the Czech Slav Committee

WHAT NEXT?

The Open Letter that was published in NSC on behalf of the Executive Committee of the International Council is a letter that is meant to open up a discussion and a dialogue. The question as to where and as to when this Congress should be held must be analyzed according to the present political situation.

First of all, to hold it in Russia or in Ukraine or some other former Soviet republics, is not practical, since first of all the crisis in the communist movement there was not solved but went into a deeper crisis. The latest crisis was the defeat of the CPRF, headed by Zyuganov in the last Russian Duma elections. This defeat first of all must be addressed by the Russian communists, who should analyze and come up with realistic solutions to the crisis of a swing to the right. The disunity question must be addressed first of all and make concrete proposals that can be followed in order to rectify the present situation.

One of the reasons of this crisis is the departure from Lenin and his teachings about the need of working with the working class. This cardinal failure to be together with the working class gave rise to the influence of revisionism and reformism, loss of faith by many workers and the rise of nationalism as a solution to the problems. Today in Russia, whether some agree or disagree, or like it or not like it, most of the people believe in the policy as put forward by Putin, and to think that this will change soon is just wishful thinking.

In this age of global imperialism new problems arise that must be resolved. The International Council and Northstar Compass and its knowledge and understanding of the situation in former USSR must be very cognizant of this situation. Imperialism and its war machine, using the supposed reason of fighting world terrorism, are utilizing the United Nations as a cover and thus manipulating this world organization under the falsehood of fighting terrorism all over the world- and in this way have their hands on the resources of the countries. Under this false idea, it is waging individual wars and its own terrorism, which cannot conquer everyone, but in its wake there are tragedies and deaths of thousands of individual peoples and nations.

The situation in the developing countries is in serious crisis where the average wage is less then one dollar per day, while the developed countries utilize 80% of the worlds resources while the economic conditions in the developing countries gets worse, so that sickness, deaths and the growth of children dying is becoming an epidemic.

The ecological problems more and more are causing deaths and sicknesses for generations to come. This is a fight that must be carried out against the results of globalization and its aftermath, plus the results of the manipulation of finances to help the developing countries by some of the international money institutions. We must struggle against this phenomena.

The struggle against globalization and imperialism cannot become a xenophobia, extreme nationalism bordering on fascism, racism or fundamentalism. Northstar Compass has a role to play in outlining and explaining these tendencies, which cause moral principles of civilization.

The rulers of the present globalized imperialism know fully well the some of the weaknesses of the masses. Therefore they try by all means to undermine socialist thoughts and socialism as a science, heap abuse and discredit Stalin and the epoch of socialism in the USSR and in other countries. They are threatening heroic Cuba as well as North Korea and China for the so-called crimes of human rights, while they themselves are the biggest villains as far as human rights are concerned - as an example, the concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay, the aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq, and not too long ago against Yugoslavia and now Haiti.

Socialism is called upon to struggle against this global menace of imperialism and expose its terrible threat to the world.

In conclusion, I am suggesting that we postpone the 2nd World Congress. This will give us time on the pages of Northstar Compass to open up wide discussion about our future work and tactics. I am certain that in the progressive and in the communist movement we shall find the means to overcome this present danger, so that the Congress will represent the might and effectiveness of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People.

Dean, Professor Mirko Svoboda
Member of the International Council