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Global and Local Analysis & Action ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: SolidNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 12:37 PM Subject: CP of Greece, Address to the International Conference of Solidarity to the Palestinian People, Cyprus,Nicosia 5-6 April 2002 http://www.solidnet.org News, documents and calls for action from communist and workers' parties. The items are the responsibility of the authors. Join the mailing list: info/subscribe/unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] . ===================================================================================== CP of Greece, Address to the International Conference of Solidarity to the Palestinian People, Cyprus, Nicosia 5-6 April 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Communist Party of Greece, Tue, 16 Apr 2002 http://www.kke.gr , mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ==================================================================================== Address of Costas Alissandrakis Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece and of the European Parliament to the International Conference of Solidarity to the Palestinian People Nicosia, 5-6 April 2002 Dear friends and comrades, On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece, I would like to thank AKEL for its initiative to organize this international conference of solidarity to the Palestinian people and for inviting our party. It is worth noting not only the time, but also the place where this conference is being held. The heroic island of Cyprus is also, in part, under foreign occupation. Of course, the Turkish troops are not inside the presidential building of the Republic of Cyprus, still they are only a few kilometers away, at the other side of the green line that cuts in two the historic city of Nicosia and the entire island. Our party has always been for a solution of the Cyprus question and the termination of foreign occupation according to the resolutions of the United Nations. Dear friends and comrades, Until ten days ago one could speak of the barbarity of the state of Israel. Until ten days ago one could speak about genocide against the Palestinian people, about war crimes, about state terrorism. One could also speak about the heroic struggle of the people of Palestine who, at the face of a fully armed opponent, stand with their bare hands and their soul. Today, one weak after the new invasion of the Israeli army in Ramallah, words such as the above are incapable of describing the reality, which by far surpasses what we have witnessed so far. The attacking, as well as the attacked side, have both exceeded themselves, the former in barbarity and the latter in heroism, endurance, selflessness, and belief in the right of their cause. The besieged free people of Ramallah, first of all President Arafat, show to the entire world what a small people who, using the words of our poet Yannis Ritsos «fights for the bread of the entire world, for light and for song», can do. At this point, I wish to express our unlimited solidarity to the struggle of the Palestinian people for their own motherland, for peace and for life, as well as to president Arafat. The events in Palestine, as well as the boundless imperialist aggression that we are facing during the last years, cannot but induce us to remark how different the world is today, without the Soviet Union and the international socialist community. The so-called «new world order» is particularly inventive in continuous transfigurations, one more dreadful that the other. The massacre of Palestine is taking place, once more, under the cold and indifferent eyes of the so-called «international community». We heard the president of the U.S. yesterday to accept all the arguments that Israel employs to justify its horrendous acts and, at the end, to ask Israel to gradually withdraw its armed forces from the Palestinian towns! No further proof is necessary for one to realize who is behind the Israeli agression, where from do the criminal Sharon and his government draw their power to murder civilians and to destroy the vital infrastructure of the Palestinian land. The outcome of the suicide attacks that cause civilian deaths is certainly appalling, but this can in no way be put on an equal footing with the murder of civilians by an organized state, nor can it be placed at the same level as the executions of leaders of Palestinian organizations. Concerning the friendly advice of the head of the biggest terrorist organization of the world towards his collaborators, it is probably in the framework of seeking Arab support for his adventurist plans against Iraq, Iran and other countries. At the other side of the Atlantic there a is also an overflow of hypocrisy, The «civilized» European Union, which wants to present itself as a counter balance to the american policy of aggression, follows a policy of equal distance with respect to the aggressor and the victim, when it does not take a position in favor of the aggressor. A characteristic example is the statement adopted during the Barcelona summit held in March 15-16. One reads in the statement «As the legitimate authority, the Palestinian Authority bears the full responsibility for fighting terrorism with all the legitimate means at its disposal». And, in order to somewhat soften the impressions, the next phrase reads «Israel, notwithstanding its right to fight terrorism, must immediately withdraw its military forces from areas placed under the control of the PA, stop extra-judicial executions, lift the closures and restrictions, freeze settlements and respect international law» Apart from words there also deeds. The EU has singed an association agreement with Israel, imports products under favorable terms (even products that originate in settlements within the occupied territories), European arms industries feed Israel's war machine. Consequently there are mechanisms of intervention, which could have been used. Apparently what is lacking is the will to exert pressure and thus the high representative of Javier Solana and the acting president of the the Council Spanish foreign minister Jose Pique, heard without any reaction that Sharon did not permit them to meet president Arafat. In contrast with the governments, the people have expressed their sensitivity at the face of what goes on in Palestine. As on previous occasions, the Greek people responded to the appeal of peace organizations and personalities such as Manolis Glezos and Mikis Theodorakis and are demonstrating for the people of Palestine. A delegation of the Greek parliament from all political parties, together with trade union leaders and personalities visited Palestine where they faced the brutal attack of the Israelis. The youth organizations of all political parties coordinate their activities. The rally of striking workers two days ago, called for by the Worker's Front of Struggle (PAME), was transformed to a demonstration against Israeli aggression. The embassy of Israel is practically under siege by continuous demonstrations and a big concert is organized for next week. The resolution adopted during the meeting of communist and workers' parties of SE Mediterranean and the Red Sea, hosted by our party in Athens late January, stressed that the source of violence is the Israeli occupation. Within the movement for peace in the Middle East, peace forces within Israel occupy a prominent position. Among those, the Communist Party of Israel, the organization «Peace Now», as well as the brave Israeli soldiers and officers who refuse to become killers of their neighbors. Dear friends and comrades, Under the present circumstances, one wonders who will force Israel to end the siege, to stop the massacre, to withdraw from the Palestinian territory, to stop the settlements, to accept the return of the refugees, to comply with the UN resolutions for independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and the agreements that followed. Despite the difficulties, despite the negative balance of forces at the international level, there exist two elements that make us optimistic. One is the resistance and the determination of the people of Palestine. The other is international solidarity. History has shown on many occasions that, whatever the power of the oppressors, the oppressed proved stronger at the end. *End* --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
