Once more we are gathered as annually happens since 1998 in Athens, the representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties from all around the world, this time under the auspicious of the Portuguese Communist Party. We appreciate the opportunity offered by the Portuguese comrades to join ourselves under their kindness warmth, this very familiar Portuguese hospitality. We are thankful that the high organizational level of this meeting is going to assure plain conditions to develop fruitful results.
The Communist Party of Brazil is flattered of being a part of it. We consider that of sharing information and perspectives with its siblings is of great value for our same struggle to free the workers of the whole world.
In these hard conditions created to develop the anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist and pro-socialism, after regressive/retroactive happenings in the late decades of 21st Century, it is promising that in Communist and Workers Parties of all Continents are putting efforts to perform an outstanding role in the objective process observed nowadays of retaking social and political fights in different levels and multiple shapes. Our experience revealed that our struggles is to demand longer time and resigned maturity, our efforts are not isolated from the current political disputes, from the confronting with new the political class struggles phenomenon or from the manifestation of new ways (forward/of/to) political transitions. Furthermore, our struggle is not isolated from the ideological and theoretic dispute in defense and in order to development the Scientific Socialism, Marxism-Leninism and Internationalism.
The Communist and Workers Parties Meeting is bounded as an irrefutable place/space to settle a common sense about the world state of affairs warm issues – keeping each organization’s autonomy, looking forward to encourage campaigns and same initiatives alike exercise internationalist solidarity.
Since the U.S. Imperialism has put in practice the “Preventive Wars” doctrine, this Meeting has had the merit to condemn this belligerent policy many times and without weak sentences. This Meeting has also the merit of announcing the most unrestricted solidarity to the people and to the countries victimized by the imperialist aggressions.
Belongs to this Meeting the merit, considering its humble possibilities, of revealing the face of the excuses gave by the U.S. Government to attack and occupy Afghanistan and Iraq. In such countries, the U.S. troop’s presence had not only helped to recover democracy as had provoked backwards into the political, economics and social plans.
It was this meeting’s merit to (repel/fight) illusions as to avoid any chance of collaboration with that pretended democratic meaning of the U.S. intrusion and its presumed attempt to civilize Middle East.
For our Party, all declarations and motions passed in the last eight meetings were of great value. It improved our arguments and gave us a conviction factor which guide our intervention and action in other social and political scenarios of which we are part: São Paulo Forum, World Social Forum, Latin America regional related meetings, just like the intervention of our militants in struggles and mass directed campaigns, mainly in the struggle for Peace and against the imperialist war.
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1 – There are great challenges to the communists in the current History quarter, due to the serious threatens coming from a Power Political and Economical System which enduring and expansion reside in the extinction of democratic and social achievements, in the annihilation of National Sovereignty of countries and independent people and in the menace to World Peace. Humanity is found immerse in a conservative loop that is translated to a huge imperialist offensive, especially North American Imperialism that goes against the fundamental interests of workers and peoples. In the Political Scene, the characteristic of our time is the imperialist offensive to establish control over the world through militarization and war, as well as through a diplomacy practice that ignores the international right and multilateral organizations. In spite of its democratic and human rights demagogic tool used as an excuse to make war, political liberties are spoiled, (estado policial é hipertrofiado), civil rights are bankrupted and human rights are vandalized. To demonstrate that we have the current U.S. “Patriot Act”, the anti-terror legislation, the war prisoners tortures in Abu Graib and Guantanamo and their illegal transportation.
2 – To reach its hegemonic goals, submitting all regions to its control, US is directing its attention to the Middle East region. There is located the most abundant Oil reserves of the World. Its direct control is essential, when it is already manifested with alarm signs of an energetic crisis. Just like one more element of the systemic capitalist crisis as well as another evidence of US economic parasitism. They take the upfront in the control of the energetic sources in spite of their allies and enemies. Moreover, from the strategic point of view, the region control will be of great value when US are going to confront its main rival, China.
Those are the main background reasons to define a priority strategic plan for the Bush Administration – entitled Plan to Reconstruct Iraq. The “Preventive” Wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, just like the Israeli war against Lebanon in the late July and August and the Palestinian incessant destruction which is blocking a creation of its independent National State are part of that Plan. Likewise, it is the ambition for military and political control over the region what makes US aggressive policy to target Syria and Iran, such countries does not submit themselves to the North American Control.
3 – Focusing its offensive on the Middle East region does not mean that US are not acting on other regions of the world. Particularly Latin America that North American imperialists consider as their influence area and region of their exclusive economic and political domain, keeps being a target of the US offensive. Directly or through local elites, U.S. makes a stronger offensive in that continent, specially after what was configured as an advanced trend, the local people struggle for democracy to elect popular, progressive or even a mix of socialist and anti-imperialist governments.
Expressions of this imperialist offensive are:
a) The attempt, failed by Lula reelection, of putting Brazil again in the axis of the national power, the most conservative forces of Brazilian society, openly neoliberals and pro-imperialists.
b) The enforcement and solidification of Washington aggressive positions related to Cuba, with the announcement of a new “Transition Plan” what reveals the danger of unchain trembling actions against the socialist Caribbean country.
c) The stronger offensive against Bolivarian Venezuela. There are outnumbered facts, being the most recent the direct action of the U.S. State Department to block Venezuela assignment to the United Nations two-year term Latin America and Caribbean seat. Further successive US vetoes to Venezuela buying military equipments from Spain, France and Brazil.
d) The Planning and current Execution of a Coup d´Etat in Bolivia, the attempt to empty the Constitution Assembly powers, the Bolivia´s four western provinces “uprising”, among then the most rich is Santa Cruz, including secession threat, Brazilian elite hard reaction against the (hydrocarbonetos) nationalization, U.S. reaction to the Bolivarian policy of Coke (folha) production and its local elites against (Rural Land ; Agrarian) Reform.
e) Whether by direct interference or by inserted forces and yet provoking frauds in Peru, México, Colombia and Ecuador electoral processes, won those candidates neoliberals and submissive to U.S. Excepting by Ecuador that has not conclude its electoral process until now.
f) Free Trade agreements with Chile, Peru, Colombia and Panama, including Cafta-RD, center American countries and Dominican Republic, mean in reality the existence of a sort of FTAA without Mercosul and Caricom. These Free Trade Agreements are followed by a campaign to empty Mercosul and the attempt to implode it off, provoking the resignation of Paraguay and Uruguay from this Agreement encouraging a crisis between Brazil and Argentina.
4 – The current occurrences reveal the destructive capacity of the North American Imperialism, based on its nuclear and military superiority, on its terror methods, on the economic and social inequality of the weakest countries, on blackmails, on inputting fear and promoting entire people holocaust often. However, looking thru a multilateral point of view, the current days are far from assign victory to that Superpower, but yet, these days evidence its gathered losses. Further more far away is US Imperialism from its zenith and days of glory. The facts we witness reveal, on the other hand, larger (difficulties/obstacles) that US Imperialism has to impose itself, beginning by its domestic economy. Although its publicity means is announcing an expansion period, the reality aims to another direction. U.S. is today a parasite Nation that consumes much more than produces, gathering an incredible commercial deficit on its current account and on its Balance of Payments. Dazzled by its “Dollar Dictatorship”, that country is incorrect about its presumed debt
5 – In the political upfront, U.S. Imperialism has been successively defeated. The aggression war and Iraq occupation is a consumed fail. There is no media acrobacy, no maneuver to create a democracy caricature – when in reality they are creating a poppet and collaborationist regimen, a government that betrayal the people and deny the national sovereign – no repressive measure, no increase in military troops or mobilization of its apparatus, as NATO in Afghanistan, not even the country artificial division as have cogitated the Pentagon strategists. Nothing will be able to hide what is open to the eyes – the lousing U.S. fail in Iraq, with unavoidable internal political consequences and the weakness of the Bush Administration.
6 – We can say the same about the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Israel is the striker of north American interests over that Region and over Lebanon where during 32 days the neofacists Israeli tormented the population, in front of the quiet sight of an “international community” paralyzed by the plainsong of Ms. Rice: “the birth pangs of a new Middle East”, said the Secretary of State while Israeli air force was imposing a genocide. In Lebanon, the national resistance, heterogenic in a ethnical dilacerations and (confessionais) scenario capable of rejecting aggressors and defeat North American and Israeli plans. Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine, as well as the Iranian and Syria national sovereign exercising against US pressure are cabal demonstrations that there is no room for a neocolonialist future ahead or military domain over nations, even considering the most unequal power correlation. The 20th Century, with its popular revolutions experiences and national freedom struggles had already let a legacy to the peoples – the conscience of being imperative to defend the national cause. In a great measure, the revolutionary potentiality inside the developing situation resides in this factor – the resistance of the (aggressed/injured) peoples by north American imperialism preventive wars.
7 – In Latin America, although in a completely diverse context, with many rhythms and shapes, according to the political culture developed there and the peculiarities of each country, the resistance to the US domination strategy keeps growing. FTAA is a failed neocolonialist project. The dogmatic medicine of the so called “Washington (Council/concence)” and the political adjustments of neoliberal character spoiled still more the economic situation, turning to increase dependence and fragilities of regional countries as well as social crises. It was created a unbearable political situation to the neoliberal governments, many among them were defeat by popular vote. Right wings were taken out of government In Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, emerging to entirely new conditions in which revolutionary forces and Communist Parties (were not used/did not use) to take action because of pre circumstances.
8 – It does mean something that at least one of these political processes, the Venezuela process – in where had a virtuous arrangement of mass mobilization and electoral victory and action of a leadership full of revolutionary convictions – Venezuela went deep into the anti-imperialist combat as subjective and objective conditions to postulate socialism as background alternative. Obviously, with peculiars character and shape proper of their national reality.
9 – It also has (reveste-se) its meaning that Cuban revolution turn progressively the obstacles created by the imperialist blocking. Cuba has overcame economic hardships and has succeeding in the consolidation and improvement of a system that is so called Social, in reference to the social issue. Cuba, its heroic history, its strong policy and its internationalism, Cuban Revolution keeps inspiring present generations of combatants in Latin America and all around the world that are fighting for national independence and social progress. (Recent realization A Late “Not aligned”) Countries Meeting in Havana was one more contribution which that socialist island gave to gather democratic and independent forces in the struggle against the US hegemony.
10 – Lula da Silva’s reelection, after a first period of government stamped by a objectively unfavorable situation touching the economic fragilities of the country, vis-à-vis international financial capital and subjectively conditioned by a moderate political vision trending to conciliation, what is a positive point, that goes much further the national and regional barriers. Brazilian Communists worship this important achievement over the Brazilian Right winged, antidemocrat, repressive, neo-liberal, antinational and antisocial has been defeated twice in presidential elections by a joint of democratic forces. The success of a government with this character helps to stop the imperialist impulse over the continent and, in spite of all objective and subjective limitations opens the best possibilities for the accumulation of forces in Brazil and Latin America. That is why Lula’s reelection was celebrated by communist parties and revolutionary leaders of all continents, in a solidarity demonstration to our people and to our country that we appreciate and we would like to repay. The solidification of patriotic forces in Latin America allows us to advance to a regional unification process, crucial to the economic development and to the US neocolonialist plans of resistance. Its dimensions are more than economic they are also social and cultural of what Mercosul, Latin America Nations Community and ALBA are important expressions.
11 – The current world situation, including its perishes and revolutionary potentialities, emphasizes in the daily order of communists and other revolutionary and progressive forces the task of retake the fight for background alternatives with a popular profile, representing a rupture with neo-liberalism and imperialism domination. It is about confronting, in theory and in practice, the challenges of a new fight for socialism, in the new conditions of the Century 21st.Tactical and strategic procedures, programmatic launch pads, alliances, methods and ways to fight that will be related to the particular conditions of combat on each country. Today, evidences are huge that imperialism is not undefeatable and is likely to be overcome. Just like the ever stronger conviction that another world, socialist, is not only possible like (indispensavel) to find a solution to the historic obstacles seeded by the imperialist domination.