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. . Capitalist Imperialism or Socialist Communism? ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: SolidNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 10:36 AM Subject: CP of Greece, A. Paparigha: NO to War in Iraq - Solidarity with Palestine 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, A. Paparigha: NO to War in Iraq - Solidarity with Palestine --------------------------------------------------- From: Communist Party of Greece, sat, 21 Sept, 2002 http://www.kke.gr , mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ==================================================================================== Excerpts from the speech of Aleka Paparigha, GS of the CC of the CPG delivered at the 28th Festival KNE-Odigitis. Addressing the thousands of visitors, she spoke in detail of the genocide of the Palestinians by Israel and of the war on Iraq being prepared by the USA. She called on young men and women as well as on people of all ages to strengthen the movement of solidarity with the struggling people of Palestine and the demonstrations and protests of the mass movement against the new war, just as they did against the war on Yugoslavia. She stressed that: «Today whoever wishes neither to support nor to show indifference to an attack on Iraq should declare resoundingly that the Greek government must not make any of the US-NATO installations, nor any armed forces or facilities, available in this dirty war». «Everything shows that the die has been cast. A fresh round of war on the people of Iraq is being prepared for intensively, with alternating pretexts and abundant hypocrisy. A new criminal raid is under way in Ramallah, the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories which are under continuous occupation not just in the areas claimed, but also in those that have supposedly been handed over to Palestinian control. The government of Israel claims that it is carrying out this offensive to defend itself against suicide operations, while in reality it wants to destroy the Palestinian Authority itself. Actual events show this. In the six weeks that passed without suicide attacks, the Israeli army killed 71 Palestinians, one of whom was a ten year-old child. The spiral of bloodshed will not stop as long as the Palestinians do not acquire their own independent state. We cannot and must not allow the plans for the humiliation and subjugation of this people to be pushed through. Heading the campaign being prepared against Iraq floats the black banner of the US crusade with its motto against the common threat of «terrorism» and for the «deterrent strike». Never before in the last ten years has there been such a reaction and to such a degree from various sides and for different reasons to preparations for war. Many, such as European and Arab governments, fear it, while monopoly groups are thinking mainly of their investments and of competition. Those who sincerely do not want it are the peoples, not just because they understand that it is the Iraqi people that will pay the price, but because they realise that there will be a continuation, that it will be followed by other such imperialist operations. But this war is, nonetheless, being prepared methodically and everything indicates that many of those who exorcise it now will legitimise it». The stance of the EU The General Secretary of the CC of the CP of Greece stressed, «How has the USA managed to have everyone - both allies and opponents - under its thumb? How can a state, even the most powerful one on earth, impose its will on the majority of the others? How is it possible for all of them to follow the criminal choices made by just one? Is it not the weakness of the many compared to the power of the one which led us to the tragic wars on Yugoslavia and Afghanistan ? If all those who refuse or hesitate today wanted to, they could stop it. This time they can isolate the USA and leave it alone with Great Britain. Then why do they do this ? Because to date they have given a helping hand to successive moves made by the USA. That which is driving the USA into this outrageous offensive and driving its allies into helping it is something much deeper and far more substantial: it is the very warlike, militaristic nature of the capitalist system at the stage of imperialism. Using weapons they open the way for capital. Using weapons they settle their rivalries when other means do not suffice. Most governments, including the Greek government, are falling in with the criminal plans for the so-called fight against terrorism because they are more afraid of the peoples than they are of the USA. The will to crush peoples and movements prevails. They seek to involve the peoples of their countries in the game of competition and the fight over petroleum markets and not just this. What did the EU and the other governments of strong and independent countries do when the US administration withdrew from the ABM Treaty? And when it threw all the anti-missile and anti-nuclear agreements that had been reached with the USSR in the trash basket? What did the European governments, including the Greek government, do when the USA announced its campaign against terrorism after the terrorist attacks of September 11th? They also seized the opportunity to announce a crusade to crush terrorism, in reality a war on radical, left and communist ideas, using terrorism as a pretext and vehicle. They are seeking to incriminate historic movements in our country, the struggle of the National Resistance and the Democratic Army of Greece and the fight against the dictatorship, but also the daily struggles of the people over the serious economic and democratic problems. They have passed unprecedented guidelines and laws in order to put a brake on popular movements and deflect them. They are seeking to turn a part of the public into informers and stool pigeons for the sake of national security and order. Here the words of the great poet Odysseus Elytis would apply: «when you hear the word 'order', it smells of human flesh». The globalisation of state terrorism against the peoples: that is the true content of the present campaign. Every party should take a position Speaking of the stance which the Greek people should maintain, Aleka Paparigha underscored that «Now we are all more mature, experienced and stronger than we were at the beginning of the nineties when the Gulf Waear took place. We must react and we shall. The Greek people must stand up to its full stature as it did during the dirty war unleashed on Yugoslavia. We must continue and connect this struggle with our solidarity with the Palestinian people. Now in a more mass, dynamic and unifying way we must send out the message everywhere: -STOP THE WAR -STOP STATE TERRORISM -NO TO NEW PRISON BARS FOR THE PEOPLES -NO TO THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS TO PUT DOWN POPULAR MOVEMENTS -NO TO THE BARBED WIRE OF LAWS ON TERRORISM The Greek people is called upon to voice this resounding NO, with mobilisations, mass political activities and demonstrations of solidarity. And we have additional reasons. The war would be waged in our region. Greece would be used as a springboard and beachhead. The consequences, both immediate and middle-term, would burden developments in the Aegean and Cyprus, and this in a period when the Aegean is divided in half by provocative US and Turkish manoeuvres and violations. In the PASOK government the US has, unfortunately, found a most willing ally, while it also uses many of its own mouthpieces here in Greece. We address ourselves to the government, which bears the first responsibility, but also to the other parties in parliament: Abandon the pretexts that the war can be legitimised by the UN, when we know what the balance of power is and when it is well known that the only role which the UN is permitted to play is, in the majority of cases, to cover up barbarity through the Security Council. If you believe in it, this NO to the war must hold and be valid, not just until the eve of its outbreak but also afterwards. Today whoever wishes neither to support nor to show indifference to an attack on Iraq should declare resoundingly that the Greek government must not make any of the US-NATO installations available, nor any armed forces or facilities, in this dirty war. Otherwise it will all just be a lot of diplomatic talk intended for domestic consumption, with complicity and connivance (in the war). Something different from what happened in the cases of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Bosnia and FYROM must be done. *End* --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^^=============================================================== This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu 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 ==^^===============================================================
