The Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference, Cairo, Egypt - Dec. 26 - Jan 1, 1958

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R000700140014-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 32
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 19, 1997
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: January 1, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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The Afro--i 8ian Soiidar y, :,::onfe ren
Cairn. Egypt - Dee 26 . %_ 1. 195
-Origins of the Conference
In December, 1957, she first general gathering sponsored
by the Asian Solidarity Committees since their inception in
Mar ch-..-.pril, 1955, will take place in Cairo, Egypt. Like
the constituent gathering. which took place in the week
ppreceding the }fro-F sian ("Bandung") Conference o states
in Indonesia, this gathering is closely linked to the
International Communist attempt to ally itself pith and
infiltrate the countries of the uncommitted world, a
tttrmtgh action at the non-governmental level., constitutes
a maneuver to exert pressure upon the governments of these
countries.
In spite of a number of attempts made from late 1915
on by the U SR and China to bring about a second afro-Asian
conference of governments. no such conference has over been
held, and the five Colombo countries (India,
Ceylon. and Indonesia) which were given the responsibility
at Bandung for convening such a conference, have, with the
exception of Ceylon, shown little enthusiasm for a second
gathering.
(55"7.- 10~
l yS
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It is, however, interesting to note that as early as the
end of September of 1955. Egyptian sources sought to encourage
the convening of the conference there, and President Naar
himself was involved in efforts to bring the conference
to Cairo.
Central issues which contributed to the failures to
bring about a second Bandung Conference included the insistence
of some of the Colombo powers an the inclusion of Israel. the
thorny question of the propriety of Soviet participation,
the reluctance of states participating in the Baghdad and
EE..TO pacts to expose themselves to criticism at such a
gathering, satisfaction with the cooperative efforts and
consultative opportunities available within the framework
of the United Nations, and concern that, it the gathering
*ere to take place in the Near East-in either Cairo or Damascus--
it might be exploited primarily as a forum for extremist
Arab nationalism.
The first significant step toward the convening of
the Solidarity Conference in Cairo as an alternative at the
"popular" level to a second Bandung Conference occured in
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October, 1956, in Tokyo, when the Egyptian Ambassador Osman
Obeid was the principal speaker at a meeting called by the
Japan Asia Solidarity Committee. The meeting was attended
by a Soviet representative, observers from a number of
other Asian embassies, and by Japanese representing virtually
every major front group and activity in which the Japanese
Communist Party was then involved. At least one member
of the Central Standing Directorate of the Japanese Cf, was
present. \rnbassador Obeid defended his government's rapproche-
ment with the USSR, the nationalization of the Suez Canal,
and the general anti-colonial orientation of its policy.
At the time of the Suez crisis (Nov. -Dec. , 1956) Egyptians
with records of activity in the Peace Partisans, and various
Egyptian Communist groupings over the years appealed, neces-
sarily with the approval of the Government of Egypt, to
the major international Communist Fronts. Those appealed to
included the World Peace Council, the 'World Federation of
Trade Unions, and the 'World Federation of Democratic
Youth, all of which promptly expressed their support of the
igyptian seople in their struggle against imperialism.
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From this time forward. the Communist interest in using the
Middle East, and particularly Egypt, as a focus for its
unity-cif-action campaign based on Afro-Asian solidarity rapidly
emerge
Subsequently, in November, 1956, an Egyptian delegate
E. 'alai attended the All-ludia Peace Congress in Calcutta
and in his speech to the Congress, praised Afro-Asian Solidarity
on the Egyptian issue, and praised Communist China.
he had recently visited. He is believed to be identical with
Muhammad Fuad Jalai, a mambe r a
the Egyptian National Committee
of the Afro-Asian Solidarity organisation, a deputy speaker
of the Egyptian National Assembly, and a participant in the
Arab People's Conference sponsored by Middle East Peace
Partisans in September, 1956.
In December. 1956. Abd a1 Rahman Yhamissi, a prominent
Egyptian Communist newsman employed by Anwar Sadat on the news-
paper Al Gumhuriya, attended a meeting in Moscow sponsored by
the Soviet Peace Committee.
The next step toward the Conference occured in February,
1957, after the Suez crisis had subsided. At the conclusion
of the Asian Writers Conference held in Iadis?4in December.
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1956a another attempt at creating a regional Communist front
which proved a failure from the Communist point of view--a good
will mission from the Asian Solidarity Committee proceeded
to Cairo, arriving on 1 February. This delegation was composed
of individuals in India to attend the Writers Conference, and
included Dr. Anup Singh, a member of the Indian Parliament,
Yang Shuo, a novelist from Communist China, Masahar*
.Hatanaka, a Japanese journalist, and Anatoli Sofronov, a Soviet
writer. The group was received by Naar and entertained b
Muharrtmed F Ja amd a aesrnbe r of ~-r ~ratians , amost
them .ties JournaU..sts Union. During this visit the group proposed
that an Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference be held in Cairo in
Octobers 1957. and received the endorsement of President Naar
for the idea. Hatanaka in March, 1957, during the course of a
month's visit to the USSR. after his departure from Egypt stated
the decision to expand the Asian Solidarity organization into an
Afro-Asian body was made in India in December. 1956.
This period also saw the launching of efforts to organize
an Arab-Asian Lawyers' Conference, and an Afro-Asian Trade
Union Conference, in both of which Communist personalities
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played leading roles.
In June Nesterov of the Soviet Peace Committee (also CPIT,
etc. ) en route to the World Peace Council meeting in Ceylon
issued a )*tat statement, in T+akye? + with ICI CO Ratoyama,
the former Prime Uixister and current President of the Japan
Soviet 1 society, support the Cairo Conference planned for the
autumn. In July, i &lid Mukhi -al-Din's newspaper Al hiasa'a
published a summary of an interview given by Chou n-Lai earlier
in the year. in which Chou favored the convening of a new
conference of Asia and African countries. It is not clear rra*e, ar
in a statement made in Moscow on 26 July 1957 by iii. Ali
oamidjojo of Indonesia, whether the popular--i. e. , non-
governmental conference; was being endorsed, or whether renewed
efforts were being made to bring about a second Bandung conference
at the governmental level. In any event, more recent information
suggests that both are desired, with the popular conference serving,
as in April 1955, as the precupsor of the governmental conference.
Today. however, the popular conference also appears to have the
function of exerting pressure on reluctant governments to induce
them to participate in a true second Bandung Conference.
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No further concrete steps were taken, however, until
the beginning of August, 1957. There are, however,
indications that Anwar Sadat was in communication with
Dr. Anup Singh concerning the plans for the gathering, and
two of the Egyptian delegates who attended the World Peace
Council meeting in Ceylon in June, 1957 --Ahmad Abd -al -
R.ahnnan Shargawi ant Ahrnad Lutfi Al-Khuli--have been closely
identified with Khalid Mnkhi-al-Din on the staff of his
government-supported newspaper, Al Masa's since October,
1956, and February, 1937, respectively. The Chinese representa-
tive on the Preparatory Committee eventually not up in
October, 1957--Tang Ming-Chou, was also present at this June
Meeting in Ceylon.
At the beginning of August, the Japanese sponsors of the
3rd World Conference for the Prohibition of the Atomic and
Hydrogen Bomb sent a telegram to Egypt urgently inviting
an Egyptian representative to participate in the gathering.
Khalid Muirhi-al-Din managed to secure President Nasr's
permission to make the trip, and flew to Tokyo, where, after
discussions with leaders of the Asian Solidarity Committees
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of Japan, India, and Communist China, a joint statement
was issued that an Afro-Asian Countries Conference of people's
representatives would meet in Cairo in early October, 1957.
This statement war made within three days of Mukhi-al-Din's
arrival, and foes days prior to the opening of the anti-
Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Conference. The Chinese appeared to
take the lead in favoring the Egyptian participation in the
matter, and invited Mukhi-al-Diu to make a three-week visit
to China after the end of the Conference. The wife of
the Secretary General of the Communist Party of India was
present as an Indian delegate and participated in discussions
with the Egyptian delegate. According to the statement, travel
and living expenses for the Conference were to be borne by
the Egyptian Peace Committee and/or the Government of Egypt.
The fact that it was necessary for the Japanese group to
send a telegram to Cairo in order to gain Egyptian participation
appears somewhat surprising in view of the fact that Hatanaka
had stated as far back as IS March 1957 that 'President Naer had
promised to send an Egyptian delegate to 3rd World Conference on
Prohibition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.
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The Pre rotor C,mmtttee convenes 21-g3 October 1957)
Finally, in early October, a preparatory committee
was invited to convene in Cairo. The original invitation
was sent out on behalf of the Egyptian hosts by Yusuf -as -Sibs
and went to Dr. Anup Singh as the secretary of the Asian
Solidarity Committees, and directly to a number of other countries,
principally in Africa, where Solidarity Committees did not exist,
Twenty-one countries eventually were represented at the
preparatory committee meetings which were held on 21-23
October 1957. These included, as representatives of already
existing Solidarity Committees;
a. India - Dr. Anup Singh - Vice Chairman and Chairman
of the subcommittee to study the agenda; member of
the subcommittee for press affairs; Indian Member of
Parliament; secretary of the Afro-Asian Solidarity
Committee for India; participated in All-.India Conference
Against Nuclear Weapons (India Peace Committee-
b. Japan - Tokosaburo Dan - member of subcommittee for
press affairs; Japan Peace Council; World Peace Council;
Asian Solidarity Committee. Soroda Sunao - a leading
figure of the liberal Democratic Party and former Parliamentary
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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China - Tang Ming-thou - World Peace Council
member; member of Chinese National assembly.
USSR - P. Azimov - Rector of University of
Turkmenistan; member of Soviet Committee for
.fro-.Asian Solidarity.
North Vietnam - Nguyen Luc
uy - rnembe r of
North Vietnam Solidarity Committee.
f. Mongolia - (not identified)
ricers and Peasants Party; member of Burma
of the Burmese Peace Council; member of Burma
Burma - Yebaw Myer Myint - General Secretar
Trade Union Congress (CP controlled).
The Chinese delegate arrived on 16 October, a week
prior to the opening of the regular meetings.
The other countries participating were represented by
indivtduals selected in a number of diffe rent ways - in a few
instances they were designated by their governments to attend;
in others the representatives are fugitives from their own
countries. They comprised:
a. Indonesia - (not identified)
b. Iraq - JABIRUMAR-(ugitive from justice, who sought
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refuge in Syria in January 1957.
c. Jordan - Abdullah al-Rirnawi - former Minister of
State; Ba*athist and C?J contact. Refuge* in Syria.
Note: Another unconfirmed report stated that Shafiq Irshaydat
and Hahya Harsaadi of Jordan participated.
d. Lebanon - (not identified)
e. Libya - All Rajib - Editor of Defunct Pro-Egyptian
Libyan newspaper Al Liwa.
f. Syria - Ali But* - Left-wing populist deputy; ex-minister}
long associated with Syrian Communist leaders; elected to
parliament with Co
at support 1947; Frequent visitor
to USSR and Communist China. Active participant in World
Peace Council activities for many yearn. Michel .Afiaq -
Right-wing theortician of the Arab Soviet Resurtection Party
(Ba'ath).
Tunisia - Yusuf &I-Rowe issi-Denounced as Nazi g' by
Habib Bourgiba as early as 1943.
h. Turkey - Suat Beige - Faculty of Ankara University.
i. Algeria - Muhammad Tawtiq ?1-.Irfadaai - possible member of
F. L. N. (Algerian national liberation forces. )
j. s udan - (not identified)
_11-
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?z,. Ceylon -
1. Afghanistan - -Abdul Rashid Latifi - Head of Afghan
Information Office, Cairo; formerly in Afghan Foreign
Office. One source reported that Salah-al-Din Saljugi,
Afghan Ambassador to Egypt, was also present.
rn. Cambodia - Huot Sambath - Former Minister of Education;
friendly to USSR and Chie,, missions in Cambodia;4
opportunist.
n. Japan - Sonoda Su
V
mo -
ice Chairman of preparatory
meeting. Those identified as representing lr:gypt are:
Anwar Sadat - Chairman of the preparato$y committee;
Secretary Central of the Islamic Congress; member of Egyptian
RCC, editor of ;=,1 Qurnuhuriya, which has been. consistently
pro-Soviet. Newly designated head of the national union -
one party political organization in Egypt.
0. Cameroon* - Felix Mournie - past President of Knion des
Pl-' r'pL,E5 C 6Rat'vx"
Peoples Cameroon x. Founder of Peace Committee for
North Carneroons. Deported successively from french and
British Cameroon* since rz3id 1457
.
* A. B . Peper - Newly a toted aimbassadbr to :gyp*_
a
p
in
&.ST AS-o- tan Lawyer LonferenceR NN'. 1957, and in past
has be
h
en
en of the Ceylon elan Solidarit Committee .
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Khabd Mukhi-al-Din - editor of Al Masai self-admitted
Communist; member of RCC; Peace Partisan; Egyptian
representative in Satellite arms procurement.
Yusuf al-Sibai - Chairman of sub-committee for adr inistr-,,?
tine arrangements; member of sub-committee for
press affairs; former naval officer; author; critic;
salia.
editor of Resalia.
Muhammad Hasanayan Haykal - Editor of Al Ahram confidant
of Nasir.
An Egyptian Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee was created in
in preparation for the meeting, with the following participants:
Anwar Sadat - see above
Khalid Mukhi-al-Din - see above
Taha Husayn - leading literary and cultural figure; and-US.
Ahmed Baba-al-Din - leftist editor
Muhammad Fahmi al-Sayyid - member of National Assembly.
legal adviser and brother-ins-law
to Nasr.
Muhammad Hasanayan Haykal - set above
Abd-al-Qadir Hatim - deputy. and director of the Egyptian
Covernmeat information department
,uharru-nad Fuad Jalal - Deputy; strong supporter of friendship
with Russia; member of Egyptian Univer-
sity Graduate s Association. an object of
Communist penetration efforts.
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Ihsan Abd-al-ISuddus - editor of pro-Communist
Rose al-Yusuf
Salih Abd-al-Rafi$ - deputy
Zakariya Lutfi Gomaa - anti-U. S. intelleetusl
Naguib Mahfous
Abd al Axis Sadik
Activities of the Preparatory Committee
The preparatory committee set up two sub-committees, one
for administrative arrangements and the other to study the agenda.
A further sub-committee for press affairs was also created and
charged with the preparation of press bulletins. The crucial agenda
committee met on 22 October 1957 under the chairmanship of Khalid
Mukhi al-Din. and postponed discussion of the agenda in order to
prepare a message in support of the people of Syria. This led to the
first evidence of disagreement. when the Turkish delegate, supported
by the Cambodian delegate refused to concur in or sign the final
text. These two delegates also refused to endorse a sable to the
Secretary General of the United Nations canine for the setting up of
a commission to study the Syrian situation on the scene. Another
message to the UN denouncing French military measures in Algeria
was also approved. again with the Turkish delegate abstaining.
With reference to administrative matters the preparatory
committee decided on Arabia, French and English as the official
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languages for the conference and hoped to obtain simultaneous translation
facilities. They also decided that five man delegations will be invited
and that two of the five delegates will have all their expenses paid,
ostensibly by the Egyptian Solidarity Committee, and that the other
three delegates will receive free lodging. Additionally, observers
will be welcome but will receive no financial assistance.
The agenda adopted by the preparatory committee comprises the
following topics:
a. A review of the present international situation and
its effects on the Afro-Asian peoples,
b. Opposition to imperialism and the attainment of the
people's right of independence and sovereignty.
c. War in Algeria.
d. The banning of the use of atomic weapons and the
halting of the atomic tests.
e. Racial discrimination and segregation.
f. Support of economic and technical cooperation among
the Afro-Asian peoples.
g. Greater cultural exchanges between Asian and African
countries.
It. Other matter submitted by delegates.
The plan for the work of the actual conference in December provides
for t~~ s s* tu~Cua r paUtfeat.
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for three ni cer co t e.s.. ct ttvsal. political, and economic.
In addition, odker cem ttee s may be formed of repre senwive s
of countries with comnn special problems, such as the Middle
Eastern lea and ON African st##so
far a total of fifty countries are reported as plug to
send delegatims to the December Conference. In addition to the
twenty-eae listed above, the following have been identified as having
received invitations.
North Korea
Nepal
Morocco
Liberia
TbAiland
Malaya
Uganda
Cameroons
According to the Cairo press the following "non-participating"
countries have been invited to the conference: Oman, Senegal, Eritrea,
Nigeria, and Somaliland.
Interim Activities:
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arrived in Damascus foe a four-day visit. Egypt, Algeria, the
USSR, China, India, Japan
and Mongolia wrre represented. air
woo wit C:ams1OQIss..atelet ug the loom* IM awle part ictpatted' to **
%AkUd Mubhi-al-I3iu was the Egyptian repre-
sentative and appears to have acted as spokesman for the group.
`rl 4hs group later visited th.e Pre.Ident of Syria, the Prime
Minister, and the Speaker of Parliament. In addition, to these
protocol visits, they also visited he offices of two Syrian political
Parties, the Populists and Communists. * Indian. Chinese. and
Egyptian representatives made speeches attacking imperialists, and
supporting Syria.
* The decision to visit these two parties, one of which is basically
a consres^rra era tionslakst party, US" at first glance seem peculiar,
but it should be noted that the Communist natal front alliance
strategy in Syria has to a significant degree involved cooperation
by the Communist Party with individual left-wir>g Populist leaders
who have strengthened their position in the Populist party appreciably
fince the A gusett1957. domestic crisis. This had not, however.
prevented the Coatm untsts from coepvarating with the radical Ba'ath
party as Well.
17
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There I. reason to believe that a permanent secretariat has
been established and that the preparatory committee intends to
rT~n in in more or less continuous session between now and the
conference. Even after the closure of the formal meetings, the
body has continued to issue pronouncements on Syria, Algeria,
and other issues.
On 30 October an appeal was issued to all Egyptian individuals
and organisations to express themselves in favor of the anti-nuclear
weapons resolution formulated at the Tokyo Conference in early
August, 1957.
Further meetings of the permanent secretariat were scheduled
to take place on 2 and 3 November.
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Left-Populist Ali Buzo, Syrian member of the preparatory
committee, had an electoral agreement with Communist Georges
Uwayshatq when the two were running in the September, 1954,
elections, has long been active in Peace Partisan activity, and
to date has not given any evidence of opposing the further extension
of Communist infiltration and influence in the Syrian Government.
Cu the other hand, Georges Uwayshaq was reported expelled from
the Communist Party of Syria as September,. 1957.
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bjactives anu ' 'r ?atment of . ;rincipal herpes
N..ik r< all unity-of?action fforrts of 1at :i atioaal ?:onn nunisrta_, thirb
con: renc 1;,r t-i: s r, ,port it .t a fc
a. :xertif n of inil ;nc
b. 3srtfittra.tioa
the first hsatiung, it is apparent
iuca t o govern-iricias an-, gr*14
i. naa re? an adopt the `, vl;t/form `un2#t analysis
,of thy. Esrc bl-rns and aourct s of tensi4a in Africa
with particular e.m?r