"Communists' Experience with Alliances
and Co-operation"
Press Release issued by the Communist Party of Greece
WDIE has received the following press release, by way of
the New Worker E-mail News Group, on the meeting of communist and
workers’ parties held in Athens from June 23-26, 2000.
In the three-day meeting, hosted in Athens by the CPG, on
the topic Communists' Experience With Alliances and Co-operation, 60 Communist
and Workers' Parties from 47 countries took part. A number of parties, although
having expressed the wish to participate, were not able to attend, for reasons
independent of their will, concerning the situation in their countries.
During the three-day proceedings, there was a rich debate
and an exchange of views on the topics of the meeting.
There was also a general consensus as far as the usefulness
and the necessity of such meetings among Communist and Workers' Parties.
Many speakers referred to the need for continuing and
intensifying such meetings, showing that, in spite of the existing difficult
international and local conditions, the Communist and Workers' Parties continue
to struggle, to meet and exchange their experiences and to constitute a real
active force in all continents.
It was also stressed that the alliance policies of each
party are inseparably linked with the day-to-day struggles on the national
level but also link the national and international aspects of the struggle.
Many of the participants also referred to the need for initiatives for
convening international meetings with specific topics as well as regional
meetings (America, Africa, Asia, Europe), while developing the ones that took
place.
It was also noted that, in spite of the varying views that
naturally exist among the parties, in these meetings, including the present
one, common views do emerge among the parties in the struggle against
imperialism, its aggressiveness and its methods of international exploitation
of the working people.
It was noticed that the gap between the so-called North and
South continually broadens at the expense of the peoples of the South, that
constitute the majority of the world population, a fact that has turned the
South into an important field of confrontation with imperialism.
It was also stressed that the manifestations in Seattle,
Davos, Washington, and Bangkok as well as the manifestations organised during
every EU Summit Meeting (as the recent ones in Portugal) constitute a new
element of communists' experience. They are manifestations against the policies
of international trade and financial institutions influenced by imperialism
like WTO, IMF and the World Bank that have led many countries and peoples to
dependence and subjugation through huge indebtedness. The new possibilities
offered by these manifestations and the need for a more active and co-ordinated
participation of the communists were also mentioned.
A number of speakers referred to the new order that
imperialism is trying to impose with the new NATO strategy, the bombings in
Yugoslavia and the creation of a new international law based on the dominance
of the strongest. The importance of mass reactions directed against imperialist
hegemonic policies of the USA, NATO and the EU leading quarters, against the
Rapid Deployment Forces in the making and the forces of crises management,
Europe's militarisation and the new US anti-ballistic missile system, against
nuclear weapons, imperialist interventions and military occupation, against the
change of borders, and the economic blockage was also stressed.
In their speeches the participants pointed out the
particular importance of co-ordination of the struggle of trade union movements
and organisations focusing on capitalist restructuring and the attack against
labour rights and gains. The struggle against TNCs and their attack against
labour, as well as the co-ordination of this struggle in all their subsidiaries
and branches located in various countries were also noted. Many speakers
stressed the need for international co-ordination of such struggles and of the
particular contribution of communists.
The participants underlined serious concern for the growing
bans, persecutions and discriminations against communist parties, communists
and, generally, against those resisting capitalist barbarity and imperialist
interventions.
In the meeting, the first issue of the Information
Bulletin, in which each Communist and Workers' Party can publish its
documents, was made available. At the same time, the first positive results
from the operation of the Rapid Information Centre through Internet, under the
name of SOLIDNET.ORG were presented.
We believe that the ideas developed by the representatives
of the Communist and Workers' Parties in this meeting will contribute to the
efforts of the Parties to respond to the increasing requirements of the
existing situation, to co-ordinate and to confront the mounting imperialist
aggressiveness and to respond to the need of humanity for a socialist solution.
In the sessions held over the three days, the participants
had the opportunity to develop their bilateral relations, to contact other
parties, to exchange views.
We believe that the international meeting, in spite of
difficulties and different approaches on a number of issues, will contribute to
the co-ordination and common action of the Communist and Workers' Parties.
Athens 25th June 2000
