BY JACK WILLEY AND ANNE HOWIE
CAIRO, Egypt - On March 8, the day following an international meeting evaluating the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students held in Havana last July and August, more than 20 representatives of youth organizations from around the world participated here in an informal meeting with Mark McLeanan, a representative of Sinn Fein, to discuss the Irish freedom struggle and Sinn Fein's assessment of last summer's festival. That was the first youth festival Sinn Fein had participated in.

McLeanan, who works in the Sinn Fein press office in Belfast, Northern Ireland, had come to Cairo to participate in the evaluation meeting of the festival, but due to a long flight delay, arrived after it had ended. Rasheed Ali, General Secretary of the World Federation of Democratic Youth and leader of the Sudanese Youth Union, chaired the gathering and introduced the Sinn Fein representative.

McLeanan opened with greetings on behalf of Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams. He gave a brief history of the Irish freedom struggle, tracing the roots of the Republican movement to the United Irishmen, an organization that fought at the end of the 18th century against British domination of Ireland. He spoke about the civil rights movement by Catholics that exploded in the late 1960s in the northern six counties of Ireland, which are under direct British domination.

In reviewing some of the recent developments in Ireland, McLeanan explained how the inclusion of Sinn Fein in the all- party peace talks organized by the British government is the product of the rise in the Irish struggle. He also denounced Westminster's February 20 expulsion of Sinn Fein from the talks on the pretext of unsubstantiated claims that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was responsible for two recent shootings.

During the question and answer period, the representative of the Tudeh Party of Iran said he considered Sinn Fein the political wing of the IRA and asked about the relationship between the two groups. McLeanan replied, "The IRA is a guerrilla army and Sinn Fein is a political party. They are two separate organizations that share the same analysis of the Irish struggle, but neither dictates policy to the other." Sinn Fein represents the majority of people fighting for an Irish republic. This was reflected in the last election in the northern counties in which Sinn Fein received 100,000 votes, he said. Sinn Fein is also gaining strength in the Irish Republic. For the first time in 15 years, a Sinn Fein member won a seat in the Irish parliament last year.

Anne Howie, of the Communist League in the United Kingdom talked about the impact the advances in the Irish struggle have had in the working class in Britain and elsewhere. In the last few years, she said, there's growing openness in the trade unions and work places to discuss the Irish struggle and England's history of colonial domination. The ability of Sinn Fein leaders to travel and the breaking down of media censorship are further reflections of this.

In response to a question about the effects of British imperialism on youth in Ireland, McLeanan said the most damning legacy of imperialism in Ireland is reflected in the massive emigration of young people out of Ireland, to Britain and all over the world. He dubbed this migration "Ireland's biggest export."

Asked by Leyde Rodríguez of the Union of Young Communists of Cuba about the recent youth festival, McLeanan said Sinn Fein saw the event as an opportunity to get a wider hearing for the Irish freedom struggle. Included in their delegation to the Havana festival was Gerry Kelly, a central leader of Sinn Fein and a veteran of Long Kesh prison, where many Irish political prisoners are held. Kelly spoke at the anti- imperialist tribunal in Havana, one of the main political events of the festival, attended by more than 1,400 delegates. Festival participants submitted evidence to the tribunal of the crimes of U.S., British and other imperialist powers. Kelly explained the history and legacy of British domination of Ireland.

In addition, Sinn Fein had met with a wide range of organizations from around the world, McLeanan said, and has kept links with them in the months since. Participants in the meeting with McLeanan came from Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Sudan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Sinn Fein representative invited the organizations present to attend the forthcoming Ard Fheis, the national conference of Sinn Fein scheduled for April.  
 
 
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