Commemorative Meeting to Pay Tribute to
Comrade Kim Il Sung
The Korea Friendship and Solidarity Campaign (KFSC) held a
well-attended meeting at the Conway Hall in London on Saturday, July 1, to mark
the anniversary of the passing away of President Kim Il Sung on July 8, 1994.
The meeting was chaired by Keith Bennett, Chairman of the
KFSC, and the Permanent Representative and Deputy Permanent Representative of
the DPRK Mission to the International Maritime Organisation in London attended
as guests of honour.
In his opening address, Keith Bennett outlined the life and
work of President Kim Il Sung. He also focused on the present situation,
especially last month’s North-South Summit. He explained how, when Comrade
Kim Il Sung and his guerrilla comrades in arms were enduring having to sleep in
the snow and under the stars during the struggle to liberate the country from
Japanese imperialism, they never, even in their worst nightmares, dreamed that
the great event of national liberation would be followed by the tragedy of
partition. President Kim Il Sung had said that since the day the country was
divided, there had not been a single day when he had not thought about how to
resolve this problem. Keith Bennett pointed out that now the North-South Summit
has also underlined the way that Comrade Kim Jong Il has been successfully
working for the same cause. Referring to the fact that the United States and
Britain have stated that they welcome the Summit and the Joint Declaration,
Keith Bennett stressed, "We must do what we can, responsibly, to ensure
that, in this instance, our government’s deeds match its words."
Following his address, all participants stood for one
minute’s silence, after which the Song of General Kim Il Sung was played.
In his speech, Andy Brooks, General Secretary of the New
Communist Party, emphasised that Kim Il Sung was both a great man and a great
leader. He said that the lasting tribute to Kim Il Sung is actually to be seen
in the people of Democratic Korea and the Party which he led, the Workers’
Party of Korea.
Chris Coleman, National Spokesperson of RCPB(ML), who spoke
next, stressed that the North-South Summit was a victory for the DPRK and the
Korean people, achieved by adhering firmly to the correct line laid down by
Comrade Kim Il Sung. Chris Coleman called for concerted efforts to ensure that
Britain open full diplomatic relations with the DPRK and for continued
campaigning to force all US troops to leave Korea.
Mushtaq Lasharie, Chairman of Third World Solidarity, and
Len Aldis, General Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society, also
addressed the meeting.
The final speaker was Eric Trevett, Honorary President of
the KFSC, who, as then leader of the NCP had led its delegation to the DPRK in
1990, said that Comrade Kim Il Sung had played an important role in rallying
the revolutionary and progressive forces of the world following the collapse of
the Soviet Union.
The meeting received a message of warm greetings and total
solidarity from Professor Mohammed Arif, General Secretary of the British
Afro-Asian Solidarity Organisation (BAASO). Professor Arif, who met President
Kim Il Sung in 1990, had been due to speak at the meeting, but was
unfortunately prevented by illness.
The meeting adopted a letter to Comrade Kim Jong Il, the
text of which is reproduced below.
The meeting was followed by a reception in a lively and
friendly atmosphere.
