Yesterday, on Tuesday March 6th, the plenary discussion of the International Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases began envisioning agreements. Consolidation, visioning and joint solidarity work were key themes.

Participants in this event dedicated a great part of Tuesday morning to discussions concerning objectives and strategies that will guide future activities of the Global Network Against Military Bases.

In order to facilitate the dialogue, the work was divided by language, according to which, at the end of the day, groups shared what they had achieved. Various points of agreement emerged which will facilitate production of the final document. A principle objective put forward by this debate was to build greater visibility of the network as an active global organization that is a catalyst in opposition to foreign military intervention.

The group of organizations will work on joint actions to heighten the impact of their interventions for which reason they dedicated a substantial part of their work to communications as much internally as externally. They also proposed to provide solidarity to struggle and resistance through local initiatives by means of exchange of experiences, research support and nonviolent direct protests.

They are aiming to create a permanent research group that will provide up-to-date information on the exact number of American military bases around the world, their activities and the impact that they are having on local communities. With this information they intend to facilitate the network`s activities as much globally as locally.

An additional point of convergence concerned the clean-up which needs to take place in areas where military bases have been based. Once troops and facilities withdraw from a country, it is necessary to clean up the community such that residents are able to resume their daily life.

The Italian delegation requested that a statement of solidarity be sent to the people of Vicenza for their ongoing struggle against a new North American base in their town. "It is easier to prevent a new base from being established than to try to have one removed," said the spokeswoman for this delegation.

They proposed to include this subject in the final declaration that will be signed today.