N° 18 INFORMATION BULLETIN (2009)

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New phenomena in the international framework. Worsening national, social, environmental and interimperialist contradictions and problems.

The struggle for peace, democracy, sovereignty, progress and socialism and unity of action of Communist and Workers’ Parties

8 14 17 20 25 34 42 47 54 57 61 67 71 77 80 84 89

[ PART ONE]

21-23 NOVEMBER 2008, SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL

In this issue contributions by 3

Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism [PADS] Communist Party of Brazil Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Greece Communist Party of India (Marxist) Iraqi Communist Party Workers’ Party of Ireland Communist Party of Luxembourg Communist Party of Norway Communist Party of Pakistan Communist Party of the Russian Federation Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Communist Party of Sweden Syrian Communist Party Communist Party USA

Documents 95 97 99

Press release by CP of Brazil Sao Paolo Proclamation: Socialism is the alternative Resolution in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean Peoples

Solidarity statements 102 Motion in Solidarity to the Colombian People 104 Resolution to Support the Korean People Struggle to Safeguard and Develop the Socialist Cause 105 Resolution to Condemn the Criminal Blockade by the Government of the United States Against Cuba 107 Resolution In Solidarity With the Five Heroes Imprisoned by the Empire 109 Stop Political Repression in Georgia 110 Against the Imperialist threats and for Peace and Democracy in the region and in Iran 112 Kosovo Resolution 113 Motion On The Bicentennial of Independence in Latin America and the Caribbean 115 Motion for the rights of Palestinian people

117 Parties that participated 118 Redlinks πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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Many thanks to Workerãs Party of Ireland and the Communist Party og Vietnam for providing the English edition.

Special thanks to the department of propaganda of the Communist Party of Brazil for the cover.

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THE CRISIS THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM has

Algerian party for Democracy and Socialism [PADS] BOUDJENAH NEDJADI

just entered on a worldwide level will without doubt be a factor sharpening the class struggles, accelerating the process of awareness among the workers and within the youth and also exacerbating inter-imperialist contradictions, as within the alliances between the upper bourgeoisie and the middle class, increasing the danger of wars and conflicts at different levels.

We are certainly entering a new phase of capitalist decomposition. This phase will favour the rise of the revolutionary workers movement but also holds dangers with the inevitable trend towards the use by the monopolistic bourgeoisie of authoritarian and openly dictatorial methods to stamp out this movement. We must expect from American upper sectors of the bourgeoisie an attempt to maintain its supremacy by force over the other rival capitalist countries and replace the inter-capitalist compromises practiced through the international institutions founded after the World War Two by brutal methods or by war.

The bourgeois ideology is already deeply unsettled. The ultra-liberal doctrines of state disengagement from the economic sphere are in full flight. Frightened by the growth of the crisis the capitalist states have massively intervened in the financial sphere, abandoning the fallacious principle of disengagement. Of course, the capitalist states have never been disengaged from the protection of capitalist interests, namely those of the military-financial oligarchy. Ultra-liberalism has been the answer to the trends towards lowering of the profit ratio which appeared in the 70’s. It has been used as an ideological cover for the concessions that the bourgeoisie had been forced to accede to the workers, especially after the constitution of a vast socialist system and the formation of influential communist parties within the πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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citadels of capitalism. It has consisted of breaking the achievements of workers struggles, in creating a space without barriers for the circulation of multinational capital and the return of profits without any hindrance or control, in imposing the renunciation of any economic policy for the sovereign development of countries trapped in the net of finance capital. It has served to justify the transfer of complete industrial sectors to countries where wages are lower because of the lack of trade unions and social protection or to states which have accepted the multinational demands to surmount their economic underdevelopment and build their own productive national systems.

The capitalist system has benefited from a temporary respite thanks to the transfers of industry which have allowed the reduction of labour costs, the destruction of the socialist system which has created a vast market for the imperialist bourgeoisie, with, as a counterpart, a huge increase in debt for some of the former socialist countries, to the capturing of the national surplus of many countries by the means of debt.

The attacks against the gains made by workers, the decrease in their share in the distribution of income, in spite of the constant productivity increases, the despoliation of the people’s wealth, are processes inherent to the insurmountable contradictions of capitalism. These contradictions are in fact the fundamental cause of this new crisis.

The emergency measures taken by the capitalist states to preserve their system can, for a short period of time, postpone the transition towards a new step in the development of the crisis but it will not prevent it.

As Marx demonstrated, the barriers to the development of capitalism are capitalist production relations and capitalist property itself. The solutions for temporarily surmounting the crisis of overproduction prepares the way for further crisis, greater and more dangerous.

The price will be heavy, for the workers and the popular masses, as well as for large sections of the middle strata - new taxes, inflation on a worldwide scale, with an unprecedented rocketing of the price of basic food products threatening hundreds of millions of people in the world with death, accompanying an unprecedented process of capital mergers and concentrations. To force workers to accept and to snatch from them even more surplus value, the bourgeoisie blackmails them with the bankruptcy of the bank system. It threatens factory closures and the instability of middle class savings if the masses do not accept its “solutions”. It resorts to a sort of sacred union in the face of the crisis, and for this purpose, it relies upon the complicity of social democracy and of the trade unions leaders who practice class collaboration. It profits by the setbacks in the workers movement to liquidate the last economic and social sectors still belonging to the state, committing them to the multinational companies, greedy for the profits which are guaranteed by the monopoly on public services: gas, electricity, postage, transportation. At a time when broad fractions of the people are concerned with the diminution of their purchasing power and are gradually drowning in destitution, the bourgeoisie grows richer in a scandalous way. Under the pretext of πB - 1/2009 Algerian Party for Democracy & Socialism

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stimulating a restart of the economy, it cuts taxes for the richest people.

The imperialist bourgeoisie will try to place the effects of the crisis onto the backs of non-organized workers, especially in Asia and Africa.

We are certainly at the threshold of an awakening of new proletarian forces against the monopolistic hegemony of the bourgeoisie. The crisis bears in itself the danger of immense misfortune for workers and peoples, but also contains the seeds for the most powerful rise of a worker and popular anti-imperialist movement because the internationalization of capital of these last years has created a vast worldwide proletariat larger than in 1917. This new and young proletariat begins to feel that its different national elements are exploited by the same class whatever its language and its religion. It is a big army with an incontestable revolutionary potential which has been created on an international level.

The crisis leads to a reflection upon the few privileges conceded by the upper bourgeoisie to the middle class. It will provoke tensions in the relations with the capitalism of so called “emergent” countries.

It is our duty to provide an intense political and ideological effort to demystify the rescue plans conceived by the USA, EU, G20, to unveil in front of the masses their real class content, to show that they only aim for the capitalists to accumulate more riches and to impoverish the poorest people. The bank nationalizations are only vast swindling covering the socialization of the losses of the big shareholders on the backs of the workers and employed.

Our slogans must unmask the aim of these operations, convert the legitimate anger into the struggle to overthrow the capitalist system, dissipate the social democratic or centrist illusions about the so called “virtues” of Keynesian inspired regulation. We must fight against the ideological operations which try to dissociate the so called “financial” capitalism from the “real production” sector.

The renegades, the “penitents” of socialism, the liquidators, try to make believe that it is possible to stop the capitalist crisis by merely squeezing the speculators and by regulating the economy with the reorientation of bank credit towards the production sector. These themes can be utilized for “pedagogic purposes” by communists to isolate the financial oligarchies in the public opinion, to contribute to the development of the mass movement, even around limited tasks. But our problem is to show what a revolutionary power would do to put the productive forces at the service of the creators of wealth after its socialization. These so called realistic “analyses” lead to a postponement of the rise in workers’ consciousness, tie up in a “strait-jacket” their potential for radical struggle against the bourgeoisie, and concede an indefinite postponement to the exploiters. Others who pretend to be “Marxists” try to adjourn the fight for the abolition of capitalism to an undetermined date, putting forward the ridiculous but paralyzing idea that “this crisis is probably not the last one.”

The crisis which has just burst out creates the material possibility for the young workers who have endured for years the πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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ideological bludgeon of the bourgeoisie in the schools, the media, and religious organizations, to break free in the struggle from the weight of the criminalization of communism, to develop their own experience of the class struggle, to discover what their fathers had discovered about the necessity of a communist party, of class trade unions, of the struggle for socialism, for the conquest of power, and the socialization of the principal means of production. This demands that we take the political and ideological steps to help the youth in preparation for the task of overthrowing the capitalist order. We must combine firmness in the reaffirmation of our principles and aims with adaptability in the formation of tactical transitory slogans, in connection with the realities and level of consciousness of the exploited and oppressed people, namely in the countries where religious prejudices are utilized to postpone or hinder working class consciousness.

In most capitalist countries the fundamental issue is the subjective conditions for advance towards the socialist revolution.

Humanity cannot wait. Capitalism accumulates great dangers threatening the destruction of the planet and humankind. The problem for us is to think about the slogans which mobilize the working class and the exploited people in the world around the necessity to abolish the regime of capitalism, to bring with them large sections which, without being for socialism, do not want the domination of the capitalist oligarchies any more.

In Algeria, the bureaucratic comprador bourgeoisie works to minimize the reper-

cussions of this crisis. The economic situation is characterized by an artificial easiness only due to an increase in incomes brought about by oil export and its dissipation in the massive import of consumption goods for the exclusive benefit of the privileged ruling classes.

Algeria has struggled for more than 20 years in a deep structural crisis provoked by the rupture with the progressive orientations of the 60’s and the 70’s. The national modern industrial capacities built in this period are two thirds destroyed. Agriculture stagnates. Imports have supplanted national production under the pressure of a comprador bourgeoisie which has betrayed the national interest and has allied itself with imperialism and with the retrograde monarchies of the Gulf. This active wing of the bourgeoisie has been supported by the prominent members of feudalism which was strongly attacked in the 70’s. It has benefited from the complicity of the embryonic sectors of the industrial bourgeoisie which consider the public sector as a barrier to their expansion and which try to connect directly with the multinational companies.

Today, these very sectors are complaining because of the lack of national protection.

The situation of the working class and of the small peasantry has seriously worsened because of the liquidation of hundreds of public companies and massive lay offs. Workers employed in the private sector do not have any rights. Trade unions are not tolerated.

Algeria has become a commercial agency favouring the discharge of the surplus goods from other capitalist countries. A lasting drop in oil prices will provoke even πB - 1/2009 Algerian Party for Democracy & Socialism

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more catastrophic effects for the masses.

The ruling classes have found shelters. They have laid their hands on the best earths, and on the infrastructures of the privatized public undertakings. They have fraudulently abstracted an important part of the oil income and converted it to real estate in France and other places. This bureaucratic comprador bourgeoisie exerts its dictatorship under a façade of democracy by combining a policy of repression and the instrumentation of re-

ligion to choke the formation of an independent workers movement and even the formation of middle class parties which would not agree with it.

The Algerian communists are working day after day to realize their aims by spending all their energy building a vanguard Marxist Leninist party able to impel and to orient vast popular basic forces which will lead towards radical political, economic and social changes.

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PCdoB SUPPORTS THE PEOPLES’ STRUGGLE.

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Communist party of Brazil RENATO RABELO

In a short period, liberalism - victorious in the 1990s, a time when it euphorically proclaimed its eternal life - causes today through the development of its policies, a major disaster for mankind. The neoliberal paradigms, so absolute during that period, shattered as they faced the realities of life.

The world is being shaken with the emergence of an economic and financial crisis of vast magnitude. Capitalism is going through one of the most serious crises of its long history.

The great crisis - which has at its epicenter, the supreme imperialist power - includes the whole system on a global scale, involving financial and productive plans, and through its depth and scope, could bring heavy losses to the workers and peoples around the world, as well as a strong negative impact on countries seeking a sovereign development. Given its dimensions, this crisis could further shake up the current world order led by the USA.

THE FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC crisis of capitalism – global and systemic. Our party has made clear in its last Congresses - and Seminars with broad national and international participation - that the recurring economic and financial crises in the 1980s and 1990s had shown the limits of a historical capitalism, based upon contradictory processes that possessed a structural character, derived from the fundamental elements of the system.

The present crisis, which contains the cumulative effects of its predecessors, has achieved greater magnitude. It is not a passing phenomenon, which further aggravates the structural character of capitalism, which becomes increasingly powerless to democratize society (to universalize healthcare and improve the quality of eduπB - 1/2009 communist party of Brazil

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cation and expand workers’ rights), defend our sovereignty and promote national development; or follow the path of social progress (to improve the quality of life for most of the nation). Therefore, this crisis cannot be solved effectively within the framework of the capitalist system. The truth is upon us: time will prove that the only way out is socialism.

The crisis will tend to get worse throughout the next few years, with the establishment of a framework that is already in a state of recession in developed capitalist countries and the proliferation of bankruptcy, negatively affecting the productive sectors.

In the countries of the so-called periphery, there is a drop in levels of economic activity and the flight of capital with the possibility of a new round of currency exchange crises, aggravating the external vulnerability. This crisis is already beginning to rapidly increase the rate of unemployment in the United States and Europe and could reach numbers unprecedented since the 2nd World War. It could also have serious harmful social effects throughout the world.

The systemic failure of the proclaimed and imposed neo-liberal model cannot be disguised, especially after the Washington Consensus - which heavily promoted financial deregulation, the free circulation of capital and goods, the privatization of public enterprises, institutionalized speculation and the removal of workers’ rights.

However, before the disaster, it seemed to many justifiable for the dominating power to provide a ready intervention from the capitalist States, using trillions of US dollars, in an attempt to save the system in its criti-

cal phase, transferring huge amounts of public wealth and raising the State deficit, to protect large capital and the financial oligarchy.

In this desperation to save the system, the recent presence of Alan Greenspan, Chairman of FED (American Central Bank) for the first time in more than a decade in the House of Representatives of the United States is enlightening. Faced with the parliamentarians, while presenting the reasons for the crisis, he said that for these last 40 years, he thought that his model was right.

But today, in face of the oncoming disaster, acknowledges that his vision of the world, his ideology was erroneous. This is an eloquent sign that explains the situation of profound ideological crisis experienced by capitalism.

The logic of the senile dominant capitalist ideology defends austerity in public spending, imposes wage squeezes and job losses, but asserts on the other hand that the capitalist State has every right to scandalously overspend unprecedented amounts, to rescue the big capitalists from the abyss. Such actions are major aggressions against workers, and will not resolve the serious social problems created by the crisis. On the contrary, they could cause heavy setbacks. In fact, the current times show that capitalism is incapable of being redirected towards the goal of social progress.

The objective causes of the crisis in effect, intrinsic to the very accumulation of capital, have their peculiarities at the present stage. We, at PCdoB, think, that the application of neo-liberal policies unleashed huge financing, reaching an unprecedented πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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volume of fictitious capital, which came to act intensively on the sphere of production.

In order to meet their demands for geometric profits, the capitalists expect its fulfillment through the titles of the futures market and institutionalized speculation through the multitude of securities and derivatives based on private and public rising debts, generated in the form of credits.

Thus, the relationship between productive capital and financial capital is shattered making the system extremely vulnerable. In short, we can clearly see a situation of overproduction and over-accumulation of capital - fundamental phenomena of the crisis of capitalism.

THE WORLD SITUATION IS AGGRAVATED WITH THE CURRENT CRISIS. This crisis breaks out within a global framework in which the beginning of the 21st Century is marked by a large and intense offensive of US imperialism, with a unilateral expansionist and militaristic foreign policy, - the “preventive” war of the Bush Doctrine leading to a situation of great instability and uncertainty, in a more disparate and unequal world. This extensive and violent onslaught against the peoples and sovereign nations - to maintain the unipolar US supremacy – goes against the interests of peoples and countries in the world. As a result, there is the upsurge of a countermovement that is developing various forms of resistance and counter-supremacy.

Also, the beginning of this century is marked by a continuous imposition of the neo-liberal policies of dominant interests of the monopoly capitalists - whose core is

New York City – and who are contrary to the interests of workers, peoples and countries who are fighting for a sovereign national development. Such imposition has generated a broad desire for change that has resulted, mainly in Latin America, in an increasing democratic, progressive, popular, anti-imperialist movement.

In short, the global reality is characterized on one hand by the imperialist offensive and neo-liberal dominance and, on the other, by increasing resistance from peoples and nations at various levels and growth among the developing countries of poles and blocks of counter-supremacy with the rapid economic rise of China, and the recovery of Russia besides other dynamic poles in the so-called periphery. To this overall situation, can be added the major failures of US imperialism in its wars of occupation and domination. These global trends are already forming a contentious process that indicates the existence of a world in transition, which expresses the whole global framework of a relative decline of US unipolar supremacy.

Now, the outbreak of this crisis of major proportions can impact on the ongoing transition in the power relations of the international system, adversely affecting mechanisms that sustain American supremacy especially those relating to the freeing of global financial and currency markets dominated by the US dollar. Around the socalled periphery of the system, new players who will occupy the role of powers of regional or global influence - as the People’s Republic of China - can act according to the sovereign position of the national governπB - 1/2009 communist party of Brazil

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ment and the interests of its people, against the trend of devastation from the central capitalist countries. By building strategic partnerships among the G-20, in the WTO, G-5, BRIC, IBSA, Intercontinental Summits expanding their domestic markets and intensifying exchange trading in the search for an alternative.

In any case, the crisis may increase the contradictions that lead to the decline and decay of the unipolar supremacy of the USA, it may be carried within a framework of major conflicts, enabling the transition to a new order, a new epoch.

In the current scene the capitalist powers seek to formulate a solution favorable to them. On Nov. 15, 2008 the international summit, the G-20, was held in Washington D.C., which implicitly recognized the G-7 as obsolete. However, this was done during the change of governments in the USA, under the sponsorship of George Bush, that is going out despised by the majority of the people of the United States. The Final Declaration issued by the summit, which reflects the supremacy of the empire, stresses the reform of neo-liberalism.

In our opinion, the election of Barack Obama reflects an objective reality of the trend of changes in the USA, and represents the defeat of the Bush’s bellicose and genocidal policies. Meanwhile, the PCdoB has no illusions about the possibility to change the imperialist system through cooperation between Republicans and Democrats in the government.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES may reach their goals of unity for the defense of their inter-

ests in these events - and above all working in cooperation with one another - to maintain a level of upward growth of their economies; reasserting their sovereignty; and defending the interests of their people and world peace. The mechanisms of sovereign integration in Latin America and the Caribbean - Mercosur, Alba, the Andean Pact, UNASUL, South American Defense Council, South Bank etc. - are initiatives that can strengthen those areas in face of the imperialist supremacy and at the same time, strengthen the sovereignty of each country.

THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW STRUGGLE FOR SOCIALISM. The events triggered by this crisis open a new phase in a political and ideological struggle between capitalism and socialism. We went from the beginning of the decade of the 1990s – from the assertion of our identity and the defense of communist revolutionary principles – to the current reaffirmation of the socialist alternative. The ideological orphanhood of capitalism has become more evident in the worsening of the class struggle around the world, as the path of the current capitalist crisis.

Nowadays, within each country, as in historical periods of transformation, the union of the working class and peoples organized into movements of ample political fronts and strong social bases can build a powerful force of masses, which could win from the dominant capitalist sectors important concessions; prevent radical actions from the right wing, and pave the way for long strides toward the revolutionary path.

PCdoB believes that the success of the new struggle for socialism lies in matching πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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the development and improvement of advanced revolutionary thinking to our times and the fundamental aspirations of workers and the masses. The revolutionary theory for our time, is being forged from the most positive lessons from the last century of socialists’ experiences, their successes and its setbacks. From the actual experience of socialist countries that have not succumbed to the counter-revolution - but maintained their institutions that emerged from the revolution and reaffirmed their socialist perspective - and also from the recent experience of the initial process of progressive and revolutionary struggles in Latin America and in other fronts of advanced struggles.

THE POLITICAL PROCESSES of the progressive and revolutionary direction are objectively contradictory, and have no preset paths, as the ways of the rising wave of democratic and popular struggles will depend on the conditions of the historical period and the peculiarities of each country and will be subject to steps and transitions that allow the achievement of the major objective of socialism.

From the rich experience of the socialist construction of the past century comes the idea that there is no single model for the socialist path and that the transition from capitalism to socialism requires a transition period - which begins with the conquest of political power by social classes forming the majority of the nation, especially the proletariat, interested in transformation. This transition does not cover total socialization, but objectively, can be carried out in stages

and with its own laws. It may be more or less long depending on the level of economic development and the social and historical particularities of each country, and the conditions of the process of revolutionary transformation in the world.

In our experience in Brazil, the existence of a strong Communist Party that knows to unite the advanced political forces and enjoy great influence and prestige among the working classes and popular sectors of society - is an essential and decisive factor for the successful tactics of the Party. This tactic seeks to boost the Lula’s government moves towards the assertion of national sovereignty, the process of democratization, the progress of the integration and the social solidarity of the continent, and thus to bring the social movement’s alternative to culminate in the transition to socialism: the strategic objective of the PCdoB. We defend the building of a great revolutionary, renewed, internationalist party, composed of extensive militancy, directed by cadres committed to the new struggle for socialism of this century, integrated with the lives of workers and the people and effectively meeting their basic aspirations.

In terms of the current historical period even in terms of the prevalence of a general defensive strategy of the revolutionary movement – intervention in concrete political progress occupies an important place in our strategic and tactical thinking, This political progress is led by the accumulation of forces in the revolutionary sense, having as an axis the growth of the Communist Party, the most advanced political forces and the level of organization of people. πB - 1/2009 communist party of Brazil

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This process of accumulation of forces is formed on the particular conditions of our experience in Brazil in the inter-relationship of several basic and essential tasks:

1) articulation of the initiative to build broad political fronts, acting in the sphere of institutions, governments and parliaments, 2) with the intervention that follows the direction of giving the key role to the mobilization and organization of the working masses and the people, the main source of growth and strength of the Party-driving basic changes, 3) and at the same time, a permanent role for the struggle of ideas, in order to support and revive the revolutionary perspective, the socialist alternative.

At this juncture, when mankind lives through one of the most complex and difficult periods in its history - exacerbated by a systemic crisis of capitalism, which triggers other global crises producing serious threats to the peoples and countries - the PCdoB strongly supports the struggle of workers and peoples for their rights and reinforces the importance of unity of the communists and revolutionaries and the opportunity, at this moment, to build ample fronts with progressive political forces that represent multiple social layers affected by the crisis.

Long live the 10th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties!

In conclusion, the PCdoB raises further their conviction that it is possible to build a new society, to advance civilization, free of oppression and capitalist exploitation: to build socialism. Our Party appreciates the various efforts to build unity, the forums and attempts of groups of the left forces in every continent to search for alternatives to neoliberalism and political conservative.

For our party, this multilateral international forum of the communists and bilateral meetings are essential for strengthening the common drive around our class interests and the construction of the socialist alternative, remembering the different paths.

Also deserving our commitment is participation in forums which bring together progressive and anti-imperialist forces in support of national sovereignty and the defense of workers and peoples’ interests around the world.

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14

Brazilian communist party IVAN PINHEIRO

PCB, THE OLDEST POLITICAL PARTY BRAZILIAN, FOUNDED IN 1922, WELCOMES THE COMMUNISTS OF THE WORLD We are at home. Not because we are in Brazil. Our country is the world. We are at home, because the place of the Brazilian Communist Party is the international communist movement. Founded under the influence of the Russian Revolution, PCB is proud to have been in solidarity with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - despite some differences and criticism - until the collapse of the experiences of the construction of socialism in eastern Europe. For 50 years we sympathized with the glorious Cuban Revolution. Whatever the cost, the international communist movement counted on our Party, in victories and defeats, errors and success.

This meeting could not be more timely: the most serious crisis in the history of capitalism knocks on the doors of humanity, announcing several negative consequences for the proletariat.

IN AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE THE CRISIS, capital does not think twice about plundering the public resources to save bankers and oligopolies; doesn’t hesitate for a minute to mount a greater attack on wages, social and labor rights, besides decreasing the quality of public services; will not prevaricate one moment before deepening exploitation and barbarity, without caring about the escalation of hunger and misery; shall not vacillate in resorting to further wars and military attacks, nor the criminalization and repression of social movements and popular and revolutionary organizations .

This crisis, despite its structural components, is not necessarily, alone, the final criπB - 1/2009 Brazilian communist party

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sis of capitalism. However, dialectically, it may create the conditions - with the probable upsurge of class struggle in the world – to highlight the role of the proletariat and, depending on certain factors, positively influence the correlation of forces, opening up opportunities for the advancement of the fight for the overthrow of capitalism, in the perspective of socialism.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNISTS and the degree of unity of action and involvement in the mass movements will be decisive, in this difficult situation we face.

The crisis buries the illusions of those who wished to humanize capitalism. There is no more space in increasingly globalised capitalism, for national developmental illusions, based on alliances of workers with the so called national bourgeoisie.

Increasingly the crisis emphasizes in the world the contradiction between capital and labor, not only in developed or emerging countries, as is the case of Brazil, which is partly subordinated to imperialism. One needs only look at less developed countries, such as Bolivia and Venezuela, to understand the illusion of alliances with the national bourgeoisie. Observe the violence of the Bolivian bourgeoisie, in the face of a revolution that is not socialist, but still democratic and cultural, and the hatred which nourishes the Venezuelan bourgeoisie against the Bolivarian revolution.

At this stage of capitalism, and especially due to its profound crisis, it will highlight increasingly the centrality of work. Myths constructed by neoliberalism, such as the “minimum”, “free market” and “the end of

the working class” are being placed in the dustbin of history.

Contrary to what the prophets of the end of history and the reformists say, the proletariat increases in the world, in quantity and quality. In developed countries, despite the current fragility and the fragmentation of the workers and union movement, there are great opportunities for the class struggle to intensify.

This doesn’t mean underestimate the struggles of people in peripheral countries.

Latin America, for example, will continue to be an important stage in the fight against the capital, where important processes seeking social changes seek articulation around the ALBA, in contraposition to imperialist fractions contesting the hegemony of markets and natural resources in the region, including sectors of the Brazilian bourgeoisie.

IN LATIN AMERICA, there is a matter that deserves the attention of international communist solidarity: the defeat of the paramilitary and terrorist state in Colombia is part of the fight to strengthen the defense of Socialist Cuba and deepen the changing processes in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and, possibly, in Paraguay and in other countries.

In Colombia, our efforts must be concentrated in the search for a democratic peace, with social and economic justice, as has just been conceptualized by the XX Congress of the Colombian Communist Party. In addition to our unfettered solidarity this heroic Party - which is faced with the open violence of terrorism of the State - we πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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cannot collaborate, by omission, with the demonization and criminalization of political insurgent organizations, such as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) because we do not have the right to choose the forms of struggle of each people.

The same applies to insurgent organizations in other countries. Imperialism needs to defeat them so they do not serve as an example. We must not forget that are not conventional forces, but insurgents, the forces that are resisting imperialism in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Depending on the development of the crisis of capitalism, no form of fight can be ruled out.

We propose to add to the efforts that have been made by Colombian intellectuals and the Secretariat of the FARC, through public letters. We believe that the new letter that is being prepared by intellectuals, in response to signs of constructive insurgent organization, should not be addressed only to the local people and actors.

To force the fascist Uribe government to recognize the political, economic and social content on the Colombian conflict, we must fight for UNASUR to call for the initiation of a political process, as was done to avoid the upsurge of Bolivian conflict, which also has characteristics of political violence. Uribe cannot ignore the role of UNASUR in conflicts, nor allege interference, because he appeared personally at the meeting of this organ in Santiago, to deal with Bolivian issues.

Finally, comrades, the PCB considers that, while expressing the desire of the majority of the American people for change,

the advent of the Obama government will not change the essence of Yankee imperialism, particularly in foreign policy.

Imperialism will use this change as a façade to attempt to divert peoples from the necessary fight to face the effects of the crisis of capitalism and to build socialism.

Comrades: Sooner than we imagined and our enemies wanted, our Parties are returning to have validity and real attributes.

This Meeting needs to take concrete steps to establish closer ties between our Parties and the unity of action of revolutionaries, in the world. Our responsibility increases from now on.

Long live the Communist and Workers parties !

Long live workers’ internationalism!

Proletarians of all countries unite!

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THE CURRENT HISTORICAL STAGE is char-

Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia HASSAN CHARFO

acterized by the loss of the international balance of forces as a result of the collapse of the European socialist camp. It is characterized from the beginning of the nineties by the continuing and sharpening of the contradiction between the labour and capital, and the persistence of the aggressiveness of the representatives of the capitalist system.

But at the same time resistance against this state of affairs, against injustice and imperialist hegemony over the world has been gradually growing. The beginning of the 21st century is characterized by further provocative offensive actions against sovereign states with the aim of achieving the permanent hegemony of the USA. That creates the need to react and respond: for the time being disparate and insufficiently collaborative oppositions have arisen against that hegemony. There are for example movements against the war and military occupation, there are regrouping of social and peace movements. With different intensity, the struggle of workers for their rights and the struggle of nations for their social and national emancipation continues. There are Blocs of countries, striving for a new political and economic order. The countries of socialist orientation have not only been succeeding in defending that orientation but they became an example of an active and successful approach. They are providing solid aid and political support to other countries. At the same time they are subject of solidarity from progressive and democratic forces throughout the whole world.

Changing the unipolar character of our world is our primary task. To achieve peace, security and social progress, there is NO other way than focusing on this task. That is why we welcome the attempt for the emancipation of the Russian Federation.

That is why we have to focus on the indeπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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pendence of each country, of Europe and of the EU in particular, from the international policy of USA. Only by such an approach is it possible to change the international balance of forces.

The Third Communist International of 1919 – 1943 was an effective militant organization and forum of cooperation in the anti-fascist struggle at the international level. First of all, because it unified the communist parties and it was closed to the reformist and social democratic parties. Furthermore, the Comintern leaned on the power and support of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet State. The dissolution of the Communist International was a serious historical mistake.

Today, the communists have no international organization and NO one country is helping, by its economic and political possibility, the communist movement. The strongest communist parties do not take as their own task the question of unification of the communist movement. The justification given for this is the following: the former Comintern made mistakes; and the necessity for the fullest collaboration of all left forces in the present time.

Yes, collaboration of the largest left forces is Inevitable. But the creation of an international network of Marxist-Leninist parties, really fighting against capitalism, is not in contradiction with that broader cooperation; on the contrary, it is a necessary condition for it. It is inevitable not only that the communists should create inside the large leftist movement and organizations their own pole, but also that they should be organized as an independent force.

To achieve this objective, it is necessary to strive for the unity of action of the communist movement. Common actions will lead not only towards creating political and ideological unity, but also to the development of organizational forms of cooperation, that will lead to a higher form of cooperation. To achieve this objective is still a long way ahead of us. We are witnesses of a certain phenomenon of both marking and exclusion of some communist parties from participation in international meetings of communist and workers’ parties. By this approach, we will not achieve either the unity of action or any organizational unity of communist parties.

Our party, regardless of these difficulties, will continue in this attempt for tighter cooperation between communists and other left forces to achieve their desirable unity of action against increasing the dangers of militarism, neo-liberalism and war.

THE CPBM (Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia) has ever striven for the cooperation of communist and left parties, and its international activity is based on a totally open approach, and is not prejudiced in advance towards any discussion. At the same time, it stands on its sovereignty and respects the sovereignty of other parties.

Above all, the CPBM tries to stress the things and elements, which join various parties together, and tries to build bridges for mutual understanding.

The CPBM takes a status of observer in the European Left Party (ELP). The status of observer poses a certain compromise in the framework of the CPBM, and therefore it secures also an important consensus. πB - 1/2009 communist party of Bohemia and Moravia

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The focus of the CPBM’s approach is a demand that the ELP in its activity should fully respect democratic standards and be an all-European party. From the standpoint of a number of EL member parties, the EL represents only a minor portion of relevant political subjects. With a few exceptions, it joins together only parties from the European Union (moreover, not all those parties). The parties which work in the countries of the former USSR and Balkans as well as a great number of the radical left parties of Northern Europe and also of Western Europe itself, almost all remain outside.

In the Czech Republic, the CPBM faces a primitive anticommunism. On its 17th meeting in October 30, the Senate, with participation of only 38 senators out of a total of 81, discussed the Final Report of the Temporary Commission for the Examination of the Constitutionality of the CPBM. That non-quorate meeting has passed, by only 30 votes, a resolution by which the Senate finds numerous indications of the violation of the Constitution of the Czech Republic by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia. For example, they reproach the CPBM for its Marxist outlook, for its position toward the conflict in Caucasus, and for other subjective interpretations. The Senate resolution asks the government to take the case to the Supreme Administrative Court.

will absolutely surely contribute to defeating the attainment of this goal.

Today, in the period of the new economic and financial crisis, the communists have a big chance to prove that the crises are an integral part of capitalist system. The new-liberal policy of the new-conservationists and the imperialist globalization just deepen the extent and impact of the crisis on the largest middle and poor strata of inhabitants. Joint actions of the communists against its impact will contribute to deepening the consciousness of the need for socialism, of the order which ensures proportional economic and social development, the mobilization of financial national resources and their distribution in favour of society.

THE STRUGGLE FOR THE COMMUNIST Character of our party continues on various front lines. The politics of anticommunism strives, in its final aim, to liquidate the communist character of our party. The unity of action of communist and workers’ parties πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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AS WE ALL KNOW OUR TACTICS must con-

20

Communist party in Denmark BETTY F. CARLSSON

tinuously be adjusted according to the present situation. The strategy in our struggle for socialism is fixed, but since we last met there have been some substantial changes in the strength of the classes.

Therefore adjustments in tactics are necessary, and this meeting is therefore held at just the right time.

LIBERALISM. Capitalism and its liberalistic form have created a stronger exploitation in recent years and the profit of big capital has reached record levels. This is first of all the result of speculation, of wars, armament, increasing exploitation of labour, and the conquering of new markets.

CAPITALISM HAS COME NEAR TO ITS GOAL OF THE DEREGULATION OF SOCIETY. Among the new markets that capitalism has won, we should mention the former socialist countries, which at the same time have secured cheap labour and easy labour conditions and environmental rules.

Another way of creating new markets for capitalism is by the heavy trend of privatisations that has been seen all over the world. Enormous wealth, which was before the property of the people through state ownership or other forms of public property, has been handed over to capital. Parallel to this, through the now compulsory outsourcing to the private sector, capital has created a safe market with steady payments from the people in the form of taxes.

To be able to finance these revenues for capital, societies have been forced to cut down on public spending except for the military forces. Denmark is not the only rundown country with growing poverty, as a consequence of this policy.

The strategy of capital has been planned in detail and then carried through. πB - 1/2009 communist party in Denmark

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IDEOLOGICAL METHODS Also capital has in order to fulfill its strategy continuously adjusted its tactics to be able to carry its big project through. In our part of the world the EU has been the main instrument, and the stream of new and still more constrictive treaties has cemented the possibilities for capital in all EU countries. To get the peoples of EU to accept this, capital and the right wing politicians have tried to sell the EU project as a necessary kind of cooperation, a project for peace in Europe, a necessary cooperation to secure the environment, etc.

This tactic has unfortunately had a broad success not least by the help it got from the social democratic parties and nowadays also from parties, that formerly called themselves socialist and left wing parties. - ‘You have to be present at the table. We must have influence from inside – the EU will always be there so we must just try to improve the EU’ - Those kinds of arguments have been used.

But the greediness of capital has been so great and so unashamedly anti-social, that revolts from the peoples has been the result. Not all have clearly understood that the real enemy is the EU as an institution for capital. But still the revolt was clear in the referenda held about EU treaties, where the peoples with a few exceptions objected.

Another method of capital has been to spread out the possibilities for speculation in stocks to wider parts of the population.

First of all this has been done via compulsory savings in labour market pension schemes, which was something new in the Nordic countries, where rather fair pensions

were before funded via taxation. By an erosion of the value of the public pension schemes the people was prompted to have private pension schemes, where the savings were invested in stocks and bonds by the banks and pension funds.

This casino economy was also promoted by so-called ‘employee shares’ and options. This ‘legalised’ speculation in stocks, and has led to a weakening of the class consciousness about the total opposite interests of the employees and the employers, and capital. At the same time a strict policy has been carried through concerning the housing market. Owner-occupied dwellings have been encouraged by the costs of rented dwellings, and the dwellings have become a crucial object of speculation. The housing market has given an enormous profit for the financial sector, which gave loans to private people and to construction companies. The artificially-created exorbitant prices in the housing market affected large numbers among the population. For some groups of people this gave the possibility to have an artificial over consumption, and for others the appreciation of the price of housing was used to supplement a stagnating wage income. For younger families especially, high prices have made it impossible to find an affordable home. The prices of the dwellings were set on the basis of expectations of demand in the future, but when the demand was not there anymore, the collapse was the result. This is a classical example of the greediness of capital that in the end will lead to its own death. Anyone with any common sense could see that this bubble would collapse. Together with the πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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casino economy, this has lead to the many collapses in the financial sector. You can say that the bank robbery came from insiders.

The division of the working people into those, who could supplement their wages with loans on their more and more exorbitant houses and those who could not, has split the working class in the struggle for better economical life conditions. This is a part of capital’s ‘divide and rule’ strategy.

This policy also includes whipping up xenophobia in our part of the world. This policy was built up and systematized and later extended in the form of the ‘War against terror’, that is clearly racist but also hits progressive forces all over.

The division of the labour market into an A and a B group with better conditions for some chosen groups, the exclusion of other groups from important goods and services, massive attacks on the trade unions, and a division of pensioners according to whether they have or do not have private pensions schemes, has also been an integrated part of the capitalist strategy to destroy the unity of the working class.

On the ideological level capitalists have succeeded in selling their idea of society as ‘one big business - best run by bourgeois forces’ This idea has succeeded in many socalled ‘western countries’ regardless of where in the world they are, and bourgeois governments have for decades had the power in many countries.

NEW PHENOMENON. The present collapse of the capitalist financial system has totally disproved the allegation of the success of liberalism. The present crisis is so deep and

serious for the whole system, that measures normally hated by capital and the ruling elites have been carried out in a hurry. The decisions to give huge state subsidies to finance capital were the first action. Also subsidies to chosen sectors that are threatened by bankruptcy have been given and will be given shortly. The supervision of financial systems has been extended, and the great problems caused by the free floating of capital between the borders are under discussion.

Unfortunately it is characteristic, that the capitalists themselves are more conscious of the fact that these big problems could lead to the collapse of capitalism as a system, than the main population.

To the economic and financial crisis is added the ecological crisis. On that matter also, short-sighted views have been dominating. Our Earth is succumbing to pollution and the uncontrolled abuse of natural resources. In spite of fine speeches the desire for immediate profits has been more important than the consequences for the Earth in the longer run. The agreements made are useless as the countries’ daily policies oppose them.

For example, among others, are policies on traffic matters, energy, Wars and armament, devastation of woodland, and so on.

Natural disasters have become a cruel part of everyday life.

There is nothing new in a situation where the working class will have to pay the highest price for the capitalist crisis. We are for the moment just seeing the tip of the iceberg and the current problems for the peoples. The future will show that the aim of πB - 1/2009 communist party in Denmark

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capitalism is what our right wing premier minister called the ‘minimal-state’ where common values in society are subordinated to the needs of capital. The losers are the social security system, the educational system, research and so on.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THIS SITUATION. What can we do as communists in this situation, where the most obvious solution is to get rid of the capitalist system?

Our political line and views and slogans shall of course first and foremost be very clear and targeted in our criticisms. We must coordinate our political actions and initiatives. We have via Solidnet observed that other communist parties have formulated extensive programmes for bringing the working class out of the crisis in a way that will secure the peoples who are hit most.

On the same time it is our duty to formulate the demand for a total change in the way society is run, and which kinds of changes that will be necessary. We are surely the ones who have the alternative.

And we have to look unprejudiced on the movements that arise even though they do not realize themselves to be a part of the working class movements.

On the international level we have seen one big continent, Latin America, that stands up against imperialism and the US dictatorship. Maybe socialism is not on the agenda right now, but the uprising in Latin America is a very important step on the road. It will demonstrate the strength people have, if they are united, and will demonstrate the possibilities for a better life for

each person, for communities and for all people in the world!

The popular movements demanding changes in society were also clear in the campaigns up to the newly presidential election in the US. In Denmark and in the EU countries we have seen lots of protests against the policy of the EU that are in fact protests against capitalism and liberalism.

In Denmark we have this spring and summer had an exceptional rebellion against the liberalist privatisations and inroads on our collective rights, in the social security systems, in the health system, and in education. There was massive popular support for the long strikes and other actions of the nurses, the teachers, and among those taking care of children and the elderly.

The people demanded and are still demanding that the taxes should be used to ensure better day-care institutions, schools, hospitals, and a safe situation for the elderly. On the other hand the great majority demands that less money is used on the military and that Denmark should withdraw from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to most polls the majority for the right wing in the parliament is not a reality any more.

But this important change did not come before we saw the collapse of the financial system and the coming economic crisis. For the first time in many years the most xenophobic and right wing party is losing popular support.

We communists always have big obligations when popular movements really are πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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moving. We are the ones that shall show the aims, formulate the right concrete demands and bring the necessary organisation into the movements. We need victories even when they maybe not will be big.

We have the strategy. Good tactics are needed. Our international and regional cooperation gives us the best opportunities for success in our common struggle.

πB - 1/2009 communist party in Denmark

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WE WOULD LIKE TO SALUTE all the partic-

Communist party of Greece DIMITRIS KOUTSOUMPAS

ipants in the 10th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties, and especially the comrades of the Communist Party of Brazil. Having followed the route Athens-Lisbon-Minsk, our meeting has been held in Europe for nine years. Today, it has “spread its wings” for the first time and takes place here in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The fact that the Meeting takes place in the American continent shows on the one hand the unlimited power of the international communist movement; that, although it remains in a state of crisis after the counterrevolutionary overthrow of the socialist states, it still expresses the desire for progressive changes all over the world. On the other hand, it shows our solidarity with the struggle of the peoples in Latin America, with socialist Cuba that continues to resist. It also shows the interest of the communist and other anti-imperialist minded people from all over the world in the positive as well as complicated and contradictory developments unfolding in this region.

DEVELOPMENTS in the past year are characterised mainly by the crisis that broke out initially in the USA and then spread to all the powerful capitalist countries. This element has brought to light and confirmed the positions that have been projected by the communist movement for decades.

Nowadays, it underlines - more distinctly than in the past - the necessity to struggle for an alternative form of development as proposed by our movement; it brings forward the issue of the capitalist ownership of the means of production, the need for their socialisation and the issue of workers’ and peoples’ power.

The recent economic developments in the USA and the EU highlight once again πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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the fact that no capitalist economy can avoid the periodic outbreak of crises. In a period of a crisis, the basic irreconcilable contradiction between the socialisation of production and the exploitation of the wealth it produces by the capitalists becomes more obvious. All the contradictions of the capitalist economy consolidate and break out violently. The problem derives from capitalist production and not from the currency circulation.

The pursuit of additional profit by the rival companies and sectors intensifies all the disproportions and contradictions of the capitalist economy. The various sectors develop unevenly, based on no rules, and as a result the contradiction between production and mass consumption increases. At the same time, speculation in the financial system increases. Thus, the crisis manifests itself through the destruction of productive forces, the closure and takeover of businesses.

The crisis phenomena in the economy of the USA, the member-states of the EU and in the rest of the world that manifested themselves through a trend of bankruptcies in the financial system constitute the manifestations of the anarchic nature of capitalist development. They derive from the decay and parasitism caused by the private and stock ownership of the concentrated means of production that breeds daily the buying and selling of shares - papers of no value promising a future profit - through banks, stock markets and insurance companies.

The imperialist blocs are strongly concerned about the stability of the capitalist system in the face of a deeper and more synchronised crisis.

The actual proposals aiming at crisis management underline one more key issue: the bourgeois management in all its versions – old liberal or social-democratic – cannot avoid the consequences of the anarchic capitalist development. As the basic contradiction between capital and labour intensifies, capitalism will suffer from even deeper, bigger and irreversible contradictions. The shareholders-parasites, who make profit from companies of which they do not even know where they are based or what they produce, are symbols of the obsolete exploitative system.

The strategy of capital restructurings, implemented in recent years by right-wing, left-wing, centre-left and centre-right governments, is not just a policy of choosing a “neo-liberal” management model. In fact, this strategy reflects the needs of capitalism at the international level in a whole historical period, characterised by the development of its inherent tendency for the exportation of capital and goods.

THE FACT THAT CRISIS has been the destiny of all capitalist economies and it will be so in the future shows that capitalism is not almighty.

No management policy can relieve the system from its internal decay no matter whether the state bails out the over-indebted banks and other companies, or leaves it to the market to decide upon their bailout or depreciation. The working class and the people in every country have no interest in paying once again for the system to overcome its crisis. The workers and especially the communists should turn their back on πB - 1/2009 communist party of Greece

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the misleading views about “regulation”, “purification” and “humanisation” of capitalism that puts the blame on neo-liberalism only in order to save capitalism.

Irrespective of the depth and the range of the current economic crisis, the bourgeois powers, the administrators of the system, are reasonably anxious about the danger of not being in the position to control the consequences that might endanger their political stability.

In our opinion, what the bourgeoisie considers a threat to its economic and political stability is a hope for labour and peoples’ forces, as long as the communist parties and the anti-imperialist movement do not lose sight of the only real way out. In other words, we should utilise this situation to the maximum in order to promote the process of unity among the working class as well as its social and political alliance with the other popular strata at the national, regional and international level. Furthermore, the working class should increase its class militancy along with its ability to struggle against the class enemy and consolidate in the frame of this struggle the vanguard segments of the popular forces. The crisis requires a counterattack by the working class movement as well as the intensification of the class struggle around anti-imperialist goals in favour of the workers. Workers should follow the line of irreconcilable resistance and struggle, and not the line of conciliation, compromise and “consensus” that will enable the capitalists to heal their wounds. The united popular forces should attack the “wounded beast” and not give it time to heal its wounds and recover. The

strategy of the international communist movement and the strategy of the communist parties at national level should promote the rallying of forces in the class oriented trade union movement, in the anti-imperialist movement, in a peoples’ alliance in order to lead the people to the social ownership of the concentrated means of production, the central planning of social production, and workers control. All these require an overthrow at the level of power in the various capitalist countries.

OUR ERA IS THE ERA OF IMPERIALISM and imperialist wars. Lenin made an economic and social analysis of the modern era and resulted in the scientifically founded conclusion that monopolies are the complete material preparation for socialism and therefore imperialism is the threshold of the socialist revolution.

Scientific communism’s description of the character of our era as an era of social revolutions takes into account the dialectical relationship between economy and politics throughout history. It is also true that the movement of the working class finds itself as the focal point of our era as well as the fact that the main contradiction nowadays is the contradiction between labour and capital. Consequently, the working class should focus its action on this point and its party should formulate the appropriate strategy and tactics.

The counterrevolution in the period 1990-1991 that marked the end of the 20th century has not changed the character of our era which is an era of social revolutions.

The character of the revolution does not deπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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pend on the balance of forces at national or international level neither on the situation of the communist movement. Nowadays, the whole world lives under conditions of the intensification of the main contradiction of capitalism. Capitalist society has got into an advanced stage of the maturation of the material conditions for the socialist revolution.

The necessity of socialism emerges in all the aspects of modern history and developments. The need for objective conclusions to be drawn from the viewpoint of the scientific theory of socialism-communism regarding the building of socialism in the 20th century has been more strongly demonstrated. Without such an assessment, even if it must be acted on leaving some issues still unresolved, it will not be possible for the communist movement to regroup or to achieve a formulation as comprehensive as possible of the strategy of the revolutionary labour and communist movement under modern conditions. This applies to all communist parties acting under any conditions whatsoever.

KKE BELIEVES that any reluctance to investigate the reasons for the victory of the counter-revolution is equivalent to agnosticism, and leaves the field open to the anticommunist views of bourgeois ideology and opportunism. In the 18th Congress of our Party in February 2009, apart from the review of the CC and its new tasks, we will also debate another important document, the theses of KKE on socialism. In this text we make an effort to research the causes of the defeat in the USSR. We focus on meas-

ures that affected the character of the socialist power and economy as well as on issues that exercised a negative influence on the creation of a united strategy of the communist movement against imperialism. At the same time, we make an effort to generalize the theoretical theses of our party for socialism and present summarily our positions on socialism.

Of course this issue is not merely an issue for our party. It concerns all communist Parties and above all, those that have experienced the building of socialism. Your contribution to further deepening the research on this issue will give us great pleasure. Our text is based on the “basic conclusions on the victory of the counterrevolution” adopted by the national conference of our Party in 1995; however, it has been extended with issues concerning socialist economy and strategy added. The general idea of the text is totally opposed to the reformist and opportunist views on the “national particularities of socialism” spread in the past by the current of euro-communism. The text also defends the laws of socialist-communist construction as well as the achievements of socialism in the 20th century. At the same time we try to draw some conclusions regarding the process of building socialism, the shortcomings, the mistakes and the causes of the defeat. For the elaboration of this text, we took into account the studies of many Marxist scientists from many countries, official texts and documents as well as debates in the former socialist countries.

Since we are in Latin America please allow me to quote an important point formulated

by Che Guevara in an article about the soπB - 1/2009 communist party of Greece

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cialist economy and building: “in the socialist economy there must be a tendency for the strongest possible eradication of the old categories such as the market, money and therefore the lever of the material motivation, in other words the conditions that cause its emergence”.

NOWADAYS, intra-imperialist rivalries are evolving on all levels – economic, military and political – and between the various groups of states as well. The hotspots of war that appeared after the creation of new markets in the former socialist countries are still hot, or at risk of being kindled anew, as rivalry is intensifying, above all, to control the sources and pipelines of oil and natural gas.

Under these conditions, the US and NATO are deploying new missiles in Europe; while the US fomented the Georgian offensive against South Osetiya that provoked the response by Russia. The Caucasus region is becoming a hot zone of US-Russian competition, entailing new dangers of a more general conflagration in the region, in which the EU, NATO, and other regional forces are also involved.

Rivalry is intensifying as regards the military presence and political influence of various imperialist centres in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as well as in the Arctic. Military spending is increasing, as are arms exports and plans to produce and deploy new nuclear weapons.

The trend towards changes in the correlation of forces in the world market continues to deepen and has become predominant throughout the past four years. A trend

is developing for US positions in the international market to be lost or disputed. This trend is reflected in the reduction of the US share of GWP despite the fact that it still holds first place. At the same time China and EU have upgraded their position while there is a gradual improvement of Russia’s, India’s, and Brazil’s share in the GWP. The EU as a whole strengthened its position in the international capitalist market.

At the same time, there is growing rivalry between the dominant imperialist forces of its member-states: Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy etc. France is developing discernible cooperation initiatives in Eastern Europe, in Ukraine and in the Caucasus. It played a leading role in the new initiative of the “Mediterranean Union”, a Euro - Mediterranean free trade zone, aiming to upgrade its influence in the region. The initial French government proposal was addressed only to EU member states bordering on the Mediterranean, so that France would acquire a leading role.

Germany objected, with the result that a compromise proposal was worked out by the European Commission that included all EU member states.

The US has created its own support within the EU, e.g. by forming an arc that includes the Baltic states, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Albania and FYROM, which act as a group in the deployment of the US missile “shield” in Europe and more generally in support of the economic and political interests of the USBritish axis.

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and centripetal), both within itself and in relation to rival alliances.

Russia has crystallised its strategic energy alliances with Germany and Italy in the North and South Stream natural gas pipelines and has utilised the countries through which they pass to increase its geopolitical influence within NATO (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary).

To the degree that Russian plans are realised, the rival plans of the US will be either weakened or cancelled. Capitalist Russia, with its enormous deposits of natural resources, its nuclear arsenal, and the infrastructures inherited from the USSR, as well as a skilled work force, has the prerequisites to upgrade its position in the imperialist pyramid. This eventuality does not constitute a guarantee for the peoples against the US and other imperialist centres – as was the case with the USSR, the socialist system and the Warsaw Pact as a whole – because the character of present-day Russia is imperialist.

It has been proved that the “multipolar world” is a world of sharpened intra-imperialist competition. On no account should the communist movement support the one or the other imperialist in the frame of their rivalry. On the contrary, it must utilise the intra-imperialist contradictions. The response of the communist movement should be the resolute development of the anti-imperialist struggle, the struggle against the military bases, the US anti-missile shield, the military occupation missions that serve imperialist interests and imperialist organisations such as the EU and NATO.

THE INTRA-IMPERIALIST RIVALRIES are manifested even in the field of environmen-

tal policy, between transnational monopolies and as well as between capitalist states.

Thus the visible climate changes - which, to some degree are the result of anarchic development based on the criterion of capitalist profit and the commercialisation of land and energy - are exploited by the various imperialist centers to develop a new market for energy conservation technology products as well as the trade in pollutants. Some organisations often present the causes for the phenomenon of climate change in a fragmentary way and inflate its consequences.

The environmental issue as well as other issues concerning the democratic demands for the modern needs of the workers cannot be detached from and regarded as irrelevant to the policy of the monopolies and the plans of the imperialist organisations. The struggle for the environment constitutes an integral part of anti-monopoly anti-imperialist struggle. Under certain conditions and lead by the Communist Party this struggle can unite all the social and political forces that will benefit from the overthrow of imperialism and the building of a new society.

THE VOTE AGAINST THE “NEW” EURO-TREATY as the “European Constitution” was renamed- by the people of Ireland on 12th June 2008, in conjunction with the increase of popular discontent and the growing tendency in all member states to dispute the EU, gives a new thrust to deepening and stepping up the anti-imperialist struggle by the labour and popular movement. These movements should become the pole of anπB - 1/2009 communist party of Greece

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ti-imperialist struggle and cooperation in Europe, the countervailing force against imperialist wars, anti-popular policies and their agencies, the pole to break with and overthrow the EU. This positive development is very much dependent on the action and initiatives of the communist parties that have a clear-cut analysis about the nature of the EU as an interstate imperialist union, and on stepping up the struggle against reformism and opportunism.

The EU intends to demolish the rights of the working class, it shields the political system of the bourgeoisie and reinforces repressive mechanisms.

EU members are working out joint offensive and reactionary theories in order to control the labour movement.

The EU is in the front ranks of the outrageous falsification of history with its antiStalinist and anti-communist campaign that equates socialism and communism with overt forms of dictatorship by the bourgeois class and by Nazi and fascist regimes. It is obvious that if the peoples want to take steps forward they need to oppose to the EU, its choices, its policies, and not comply with its reactionary measures; they need to break the chain of EU commitments.

THE DEVELOPMENTS in the international imperialist system bring forward the need for a faster strengthening of the communist parties in our countries. Nowadays there should be a communist Party in each country, competent and ready to act under any possible circumstances. A strong communist Party is required even in case of a sud-

den rise of the class struggle or in case of an unpredicted, dynamic growth of the movement with inexperienced popular masses carrying illusionary political views, in order to guide them ideologically, politically and organisationally. Also in case of backsliding or conciliation of the peoples’ struggle or the rise of opportunism and reformism in various countries, we need a strong, vanguard communist Party, to retain its forces and find its feet again in order to support the movement ideologically and politically and to be able to counterattack.

We underline that the prolongation of the crisis of the international communist movement entails dangers of even greater backsliding. The revolutionary communist forces need to take initiatives to confront the crisis, which has a broader influence on the anti-imperialist movement of the peoples, and prevents the regrouping and counter-attack of the labour movement.

The battle against social-democratic tendencies in communist parties – through the intervention of imperialist mechanisms, anti-communism and the bourgeois media – must be fought firmly and consistently by defending the historic role of the working class and its organised vanguard, the principles of Marxism-Leninism and of socialism.

This task takes on even greater significance in face of the growing anti-communist offensive in the EU and internationally.

The existence of the communist movement and the reinforcement of its communist characteristics at national and international level is a key prerequisite for the strengthening of the peoples’ struggle for peace, democracy, people’s power, progress and πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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socialism. Since its foundation, our party has accumulated varied experience concerning coalition policies and has drawn important conclusions. One of its basic conclusions is that the sacrifice of the Party itself to the various political and social alliances should be out of the question. No communist party should decide its dissolution in order to participate in wider movements; all communist parties should ensure their existence. The communist Party expresses and serves specific class interests which cannot be served by any other party no matter how progressive it claims to be.

Allow us to make some comments on an issue that concerns the communist and the revolutionary movement on general.

Lately there is an effort to condemn and reject the armed revolutionary struggle for instance in Latin America but also in general, using FARC as the excuse. This political stance, which has been widely adopted by pro-imperialist forces, but is also supported by the forces of reformism and opportunism, concerns the armed struggle against occupation and the resistance to dictatorial and despotic regimes. It also concerns the development of the revolutionary movement, the right to protect one’s self against the repression and weapons of the bourgeois class and bourgeois political forces. In essence, this stance argues that the movement should abandon the policy of breaking with and overthrowing the system.

OUR PARTY BELIEVES that the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) are particularly useful and

should be continued and developed.

At the same time our Party will continue its efforts for the pole for a more distinct presence of the communist and Workers’ Parties which are based on Marxism Leninism and struggle for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism, for socialism-communism. The IMCWP should continue focusing on issues related to the struggle against anti-communism, to assessing the main trends in the modern imperialist system, to developing resistance against capitalist restructurings, to anti-imperialist solidarity, to the class trade union grouping, and to the struggle for peace and other movements on a national and international level. Utilising our positive and negative experience alike, we are required to take concrete measures to implement the annual directions for action formulated by the IMCWP and to encourage initiatives by parties and groups of parties, through the broadest possible dissemination and discussion.

Regional and issue-oriented meetings of Communist Parties should be held more frequently and effectively than in the past, as part of the process of jointly working out issues related to assessing events and developing the ideological and political struggle against bourgeois and opportunistic trends, neo-fascist practices, nationalism and chauvinism.

The ideological front should be significantly improved on issues related to the international communist movement and the anti-imperialist struggle, so that it can respond in a more rapid and substantiated way, and deepen its assessment of strugπB - 1/2009 communist party of Greece

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gles, demands and their results, especially regarding the struggles of the working class and young people.

The Party will continue its effort to promote common action around anti-monopoly and anti-imperialist goals with those communist and workers’ movements with which there are ideological differences, without waiving the right to critical discussion of these differences.

We wish success to the 10th meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties. We firmly believe that, despite the difficulties that many parties face in their countries, we will all contribute through this meeting to the development of our struggle and the coordination of our action around common goals all over the world.

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LET ME CONGRATULATE the Communist

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Communist party of India (Marxist) SITARAN YECHURI?

Party of Brazil (PcdoB) on behalf of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for organising the 10th International meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties. We are very happy to note that the process that had started in Athens ten years ago, is continuing with fruitful interaction between the various parties taking part in these important meetings. The importance of this meeting has increased all the more this year because of the severe financial crisis that has been facing the entire world. Just a few days back the heads of G- 20 countries sat together searching for ways to wade out of this crisis. But as has been increasingly becoming evident, more and more countries are sliding into recession with its effects being felt on the entire world.

THE CURRENT CRISIS OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CAPITAL that spearheaded imperialist globalisation in the last two decades is, by much estimation, far graver than any other crisis in the history of capitalism. The crisis is still unfolding and its full ramifications will be realised only much later.

Many feel that we, as Marxists, must feel resoundingly vindicated that Karl Marx’s penetrative analysis of capitalism has, once again, proven itself to be true.

Marxists do not derive satisfaction from the vindication of their world view and revolutionary analysis at the expense of the ruin and misery of millions of victims of this capitalist crisis. As Marx himself once said, “Nothing human is alien to me”. Marxists work to ensure that the common working people are not subjected to such inhuman trepidations as being at the mercy of the rule of Capital. This shall happen only when we “change the world”, not remaining satisfied with the correctness of our “interpretation of the world”. πB - 1/2009 communist party of India

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Marxism-Leninism is inherently materialistic, creative and intrinsically dialectical.

It is hence supremely anti-dogmatic. It is a world-view that embraces the vision of liberation and expresses emancipatory ideals.

It is a tool for understanding and analysing the multitude of phenomena that constitute changing historical situations. It is a guide to action that defines programmatic objectives for the people’s struggle against all forms of exploitation, subject to the necessary adaptations as required by changing historical situations.

As a creative science, Marxism-Leninism identifies the tendencies and directions of development. In doing so it provides the possibilities for popular mass intervention in these developments in the pursuit of establishing an exploitation-free society.

It is, hence, incumbent upon all MarxistLeninists to make a concrete analysis of the concrete conditions, both internationally and domestically, in each country and on that basis to chart out the course of human liberation. Capitalism, as Marx has shown, is a system that is based on the exploitation of man by man and nation by nation. It can never be a crisis-free system. Hence, the true emancipation of humanity from such miseries is possible only through a liberation from the capitalist system.

Two decades ago, the capitalist world was in a state of delirious euphoria in the build up to tearing down the Berlin Wall.

This was accompanied by a vituperative ideological offensive: End of History, End of Ideology etc. There was great delight at the collapse of this wall that symbolised, in many ways, the Cold War and world social-

ism’s power to confront imperialism in all respects. The collapse of the Berlin Wall has been eclipsed by the virtual deletion of capitalism’s so far seemingly impregnable wall – Wall Street. The `big five’ global investment banks – Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs – that led and lorded over the world of imperialist globalisation have either been liquidated or severely emasculated.

Such has been the gravity of the crisis that the most unabashed votary of capitalism, The Economist describes it as “capitalism at bay”. Referring to the spate of bailout packages advanced in various western capitals, it says that the future points towards “a larger role for the State and a smaller and more constrained private sector” and hoping “profoundly that this will not happen”.

WORLD CAPITALISM has embarked on a spate of nationalisations that would have surprised the former socialist USSR. When the time to defend capitalism from such a crisis comes, all ideological attacks against State or public property and nationalisation with the accompanied extolling of the virtues of private capital and their laser beamed God – the market – appear to be mercilessly abandoned.

Britain, that yesterday heralded modern privatisation, nationalised, today, most of its banking sector. Recollect that Margaret Thatcher once said, “It is not the business of the government to be in business”. The USA is pumping in $2.5 trillion of taxpayers’ money to shore up its financial system.

France’s Nicholas Sarkozy, says, “LaissezπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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faire is finished”. There is a profound paradox here. Defending capitalism, in this present crisis, means greater State intervention. This may be a paradox for capitalism’s ideologues, but the fact remains that the State of the ruling classes has always defended and enlarged the avenues for super private profits. We, in India, have our own experience of the State establishing the public sector to promote private capitalism.

At a later stage, with this objective largely achieved, the State embarks on large-scale privatisation, again to benefit private capital. All this is done behind the illusory mask of the State’s ‘neutrality’! These bailouts, as the future will testify, are designed precisely to first save and then to create new avenues for profit generation.

This crisis is an inevitable consequence of the path of globalisation that was unfolding in recent decades. In 1993, the CPI(M) had organised an international conference at Calcutta with the participation of 25 Communist and Workers’ Parties from all over the world to underline the continued relevance of Marxism in understanding contemporary world realities. At the first international meeting of communist and workers’ parties organised in 1998 in Greece, discussing the role of the Communist Parties in the current conditions, we presented the following: “The main new element in the present phase of capitalist development is the emergence of globalisation of finance capital. It has specific features, in our opinion, which distinguish it from the period when Lenin analysed imperialism. The present process is not a nation-state based finance

capital engaged in struggle with rival imperialist nation-states. In a sense, it has transcended the nation-state. This, however, is not to suggest that the relevance of the nation-state and its sovereignty has ceased, as some seek to argue.

“It is, however, important to note that the present day finance capital is highly globally mobile sucking in finance capital from individual countries dominated by finance capital originating from the advanced countries. Further, this finance capital is more pre-occupied in its search for quick speculative gains rather than its amalgamation with industrial capital leading to economic development. It, therefore, truly represents the parasite that thrives at the expense of real economic growth.

“The emergence of this finance capital is an important factor that explains the relatively low growth rates accompanied by high unemployment rates in the advanced countries. This happens because in order to appease international speculators, there is a competitive reduction in tax rates and restrictions on the size of the fiscal deficit. In other words, governments are forced to cut back expenditures and thereby deflate both employment and domestic demand leading to lower rates of growth.

“This, in turn, leads to a situation where the advanced countries turn to the third world economies and intensify exploitation. The imposition of neo-liberal policies serves this purpose of removing obstacles to the free operation of internationally mobile finance capital. In addition, it seeks to impose a new form of international division of labour, this time not through direct coloπB - 1/2009 communist party of India

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nial occupation but through coercing third world economies to dovetail to imperialist interests.” It is the consolidation of this process over the last decade that laid the basis for the current crisis.

MARX’S ANALYSIS OF CAPITALISM tells us that as capitalism develops, there is the tendency for concentration and centralisation of capital. As he said, over a period of time, there will be “fewer and fewer but larger and larger capitalists”. Accumulation under capitalism is, thus, a coercive process. So is the process of technological innovations.

Without either of these, the capitalists cannot survive the rat race where the `big fish consumes the small fish’. It is this processes that has led to the internationalisation of finance capital to gigantic levels, hitherto unknown in capitalism’s history. It is this process of globalisation that imperialism utilises to seek its political objective of economically recolonising the developing countries.

Two important features of globalisation, however, require attention to understand the present crisis. First, this process has been accompanied by growing economic inequalities both within countries between the rich and poor and between the rich and the poor countries. The Human Development Report, 2007-2008 confirms this with indisputable statistics. Forty per cent of the world’s population living on less than $2 a day accounts for 5 per cent of global income while the richest 20 per cent accounts for three quarters of world income. More than 80 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening.

Secondly, globalisation has given rise to the phenomenon of `jobless growth’. This is so because the trajectory of profit-maximisation invariably replaces human labour by investing more in developing technology rather than developing human resource capacities. The growth of employment, during this period, has always been lower than the GDP growth rate globally.

Both these features put together mean that the purchasing power of the vast majority of the world’s population has been declining. Now, capitalism inevitably plunges into a crisis when what is produced is not sold. Under these circumstances, the only way that capitalism can sustain its levels of profits is by encouraging people to procure loans whose spending will maintain the levels of economic activity.

However, when the time comes to repay these loans, there is the inevitable default.

This is precisely what happened in the USA in the current sub-prime (loans given at interest rates lower than the prime rates initially to lure borrowers, only to be re-set higher later or loans given to borrowers whose credit worthiness is suspect) crisis leading to large scale defaults.

DEFAULTS SHOULD NOT HAVE REALLY come as a big surprise. The Wall Street Journal, reported on October 12, 2007 that the wealthiest one per cent of Americans reportedly earned 21.2 per cent of all income in 2005. This increased from 19 per cent in 2004 and exceeded the previous high of 20.8 per cent in 2000. In contrast, the bottom 50 per cent earned 12.8 per cent of all income which was less than 13.4 πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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per cent in 2004 and 13 per cent in 2000.

The consequence of such growing inequalities would lead, according to Merrill Lynch, to a fall of $360 billion in consumer spending during 2008-09. Obviously, Merrill Lynch, now emasculated, did not take its own assessment seriously.

Capital, in search of higher profits, continuously creates new commodities through which it expands its market operations. As Marx had said, `production not only creates objects for the subjects, but also creates subjects for the objects’. The present day advertising industry is testimony of this. Under the rule of international finance capital, capitalism creates new financial commodities. One of these that has played havoc and generated the current crisis is the trade in `derivatives’.

According to the Bank of International Settlements, as of September 2008, the total value of derivative trade stood at a staggering $ 600 plus trillions. This has grown from $ 100 trillion in 2002. Thus, this shadow economy is 12 times larger than global GDP ($ 50 trillion) and more than six times larger than the actual trading in shares in the world’s stock exchanges ($ 100 trillions).

While these are the figures from the official commodity exchanges, it is variously estimated that the total value of financial exchanges including in derivatives, whose trade takes place even outside of the commodity exchanges, was a staggering 40 times the total global GDP. It is this speculative financial bubble, pumped to inflate to infinity, that had to burst, and, it did.

Reams of analysis seek an explanation for this crisis (obfuscating the systemically

inherent dynamics of the capitalist system), in the greed of a few, a violation of some ethical norms, a la Nobel laureate Paul Krugman’s “moral hazard” or, the lack of transparency and the weakness of regulatory mechanisms and credit rating agencies.

KARL MARX’S penetrating analysis of capitalism is reportedly being sold much more in the western capitals today than any time in recent memory (profits are to be made through these sales too!). Marx shows that despite the appearance of decisions and choices being taken or made by `free’ individuals, capitalism functions on the basis of laws that operate independently of the will or desire of individual capitalists. Take the issue of exploitation under capitalism.

Exploitation takes place in the capitalist production process irrespective of the ‘morality’ of the capitalists as the value of the product produced by labour is always greater than the value this labour power (measured as wages) commands in the market. This surplus value generated by the labour process under capitalist production is the source of profit whose maximisation is the raison d’etre of capitalism.

Profits, thus, can be generated only through exploitation. The overthrow of capitalism is, therefore, not only a moral question, it is a scientific necessity if exploitation of man by man must end, if human emancipation has to be achieved.

In Das Kapital, Marx concluding his chapter on the genesis of the industrial capitalist states: “Capital comes dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt”. He buttresses this with a quote, in πB - 1/2009 communist party of India

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a footnote, from a worker and trade union leader (Marx consciously drew on the writings and experience of workers to validate his analysis) T. J. Dunning: “With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 per cent will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 per cent will produce eagerness; 50 per cent, positive audacity; 100 per cent will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 per cent and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged.” It is this pathological drive to maximise profits at any cost, the inherent character of the capitalist system and not the individual greed of some or weakness of regulatory mechanisms that is the root cause for the present crisis.

Under globalisation, by arm twisting all independent countries to embrace financial liberalisation, the avenues for super profits were enlarged through hitherto unknown levels of speculation. Post crisis, this pressure is bound to intensify, seeking greener pastures in the third world. Thus, this process of globalisation has, once again, shown itself to be simply unsustainable.

Consequently, globalisation’s ideological mask – neo-liberalism – has shown its thorough bankruptcy.

If profits were reemployed into enlarging productive capacities, then through the consequent employment generation, the purchasing power of the people will grow leading to larger aggregate demand, which, in turn, would give a further impetus to industrialization and the growth of the real economy. The gigantic accumulation of international finance capital, however, giv-

en the inherent laws of capitalism, supercedes this process, seeking predatory profits through speculation. It, in fact, decimates this process by enveloping it under the speculative financial bubble. This is similar to when monopoly capital, emerging from free competition, decimates the latter completely.

To summarise: under globalization, with a sharp decline in the purchasing power in the hands of the majority of the world’s population, finance capital, in its eagerness for quick profits, chooses the speculative route of artificially enlarging purchasing power by advancing cheap (subprime) loans. Profits are made while these loans are spent but when repayment is due, along comes default, ruining the loan taker, but also crippling the system. To put it simply, as seen above, this is precisely what happened on a gigantic scale. Capitalism’s supreme diabolic irony lies in the fact that in the name of protecting those who have already been ruined, the banks and financial institutions are bailed out using tax payer’s resources! Indeed, privatization of profits and the nationalization of losses! In the process, intensifying exploitation further.

Marx summarises the inherent dynamics of capitalism and its historical direction: “The monopoly of capital becomes a fetter upon the mode of production, which has sprung up and flourished along with, and under it. Centralisation of the means of production and socialization of labour at last reach a point where they become incompatible with their capitalist integument. This integument is burst asunder. The knell of capitalist private property sounds. The exπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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propriators are expropriated.” In the absence of a powerful socialist political alternative, however, capitalism reemerges from every crisis, through new expropriators, by destroying a part of the productive forces, to keep intact, or, create new profit avenues rather than using these resources for people’s welfare. The true inhuman character of capitalism.

Clearly, therefore, the current phase of imperialist globalisation and its ideological construct – neo-liberalism – appears to have run its full course. Whatever be the form and content of its restructuring, capitalism is inherently an exploitative and a crisis-ridden system. This is engendered in its fundamental contradiction between its social nature of production and the individual nature of appropriation. As the CPI(M)’s Programme notes: “Despite the fact that the international correlation of forces favour imperialism at the end of the twentieth century and capitalism continues to develop productive forces with the application of new scientific and technological advances, it remains a crisis-ridden system apart from being a system of oppression, exploitation and injustice. The only system, which is an alternative to capitalism, is socialism.”

The inevitability of capitalism’s collapse is not an automatic process. Capitalism has to be overthrown. An erroneous understanding only blunts the need to constantly sharpen and strengthen the revolutionary ideological struggle of the working class and its decisive intervention under the leadership of a party wedded to MarxismLeninism — the subjective factor without which no revolutionary transformation is

possible. In those countries where this process is advancing, like in Latin America, we have already seen the electoral defeats of the neo-liberal forces.

In the absence of the advance of the revolutionary movement, capitalism will remerge, in a different form, to consolidate its predatory search for profits. As Marx and Engels said in the Communist Manifesto: “the bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of production and thereby the relations of production and with that the whole relations of society”. But such a reemergence of capitalism would be at a tremendous cost.

Remember, the great depression of 1929 laid the foundations for the rise of fascism.

All the efforts that we are witnessing today-the bailout packages, fiscal policy measures etc as spelt by the G-20 summit are efforts by the capitalist class to ‘reform the system’ and retain their hegemony at any cost and ensure that people do not turn to a socialist alternative. Though there were statements made by France and Germany accusing US and Britain as responsible for the crisis, they are together in their efforts to save capitalism and prevent the advance of Left. The current capitalist crisis tellingly demonstrates the vacuity of the “eternality” of capitalism. No amount of reform of capitalism can make it an exploitation free system. The only way to humanity’s liberation from this exploitation is the establishment of a socialist system.

The objective conditions are opening up possibilities which we can utilise in strengthening the popular movements for ending a system based on the exploitation of man by πB - 1/2009 communist party of India

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man. It is imperative to utilise the objective situation and intervene to advance the movement for social emancipation.

Only a few days back the entire world had observed the 91st anniversary of the October Revolution. The experience of socialism in the 20th century demonstrates that the disintegration of the USSR and former socialist countries in Eastern Europe negates neither the revolutionary science of Marxism-Leninism nor the pursuit of the socialist ideal. Learning from its experiences and drawing the correct lessons from its disintegration, we have to carry forward the struggle for socialism. This requires, as noted above, the sharpening of class struggles to advance the popular revolutionary movement. This advance in the immediate context will have to be taken forward in each of our countries while working for the convergence of the worldwide anti-globalisation movements into a mighty anti-imperialist people’s movement.

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DEAR

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Iraqi communist party SALAM ALI

COMRADES, I convey to you the wholehearted greetings of Iraqi Communists, and their best wishes for the success of the 10th International Meeting of Communist Worker Parties, so as to contribute to developing the role of our movement in building a global front against neoliberal globalisation and imperialism, for peace, democracy, social progress and socialism.

We express our thanks to the fraternal Communist Party of Brazil for hosting this International Meeting, which will also provide an opportunity for us to reiterate our solidarity with the peoples of Latin America and the significant achievements and victories of the social and political Left in this continent.

We also seize this opportunity to express, from this international forum, our gratitude for the international solidarity extended to the Iraqi people, the democratic forces in Iraq and to the Communist Party in the ongoing struggle, under extremely difficult and complex conditions, to end the occupation, restore full national sovereignty and independence and build a unified democratic and federal Iraq.

THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, with its enormous proportions that is storming capitalist economies today, is an expression of the internal contradictions of globalized capitalism, revealing once again the inability of the system to resolve these contradictions, and also its desperate attempts to save its collapsed financial institutions so as to secure the interests of the financial cliques, through forcing the working people to shoulder the burden by using tax payers’ money. These attempts have been best described by the expression: “Nationalizing losses and privatising profits.” πB - 1/2009 Iraqi communist party

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There is almost total agreement that the current global crisis has signalled the failure of the extreme neo-liberal model of capitalism that has been dominant for more than 20 years. New horizons have, therefore, opened up, that have promising potential for an upsurge and for broadening the struggle by forces that are not only opposed to globalisation, but are also opposed to capitalism itself.

One direct consequence of the crisis is that it has shaken one of the most important foundations of ideological hegemony that was imposed by neo-liberalism over several decades. The crisis has proved, once again, that the unconstrained market is not rational and leads to catastrophes. It has also shaken the conviction that there are no alternatives better than the present international economic system. Furthermore, it has given impetus to those who are fighting for an alternative that surpasses capitalism, with various degrees of radicalism.

Better opportunities undoubtedly exist for greater strides on the road to building a broad international movement to confront the internationalism of capital. But this requires a proper and sound basis for organisational forms that combine flexibility and effectiveness, to be able to accommodate the great diversity in the composition of the forces that are now participating, as well as those that will potentially be attracted in the future, to this international movement.

We have to take into consideration in this respect that what is required now is the mobilization of a variety of forces on both national and international levels that are diverse regarding class and social composi-

tion, ideological basis, political programs, organisational forms and world outlook.

Perhaps the bulk of these forces do not reject capitalism as a system, but only reject some of its effects and impact, and only so in some specific areas.

The consistent forces that are opposed to capitalism and that are seeking an alternative system (i.e., socialism), should be able to play an effective role in ensuring the cohesion of the movement, in developing its positions, actions and struggles, so as to enrich its social content, increase its influence and ensure its consistency and durability.

In this respect, we believe it is of utmost importance to give the necessary attention to the close interconnection between the struggle for political democracy and the struggle against imperialism and all forms of exploitation and oppression. Neglecting the dialectical interdependence between these two struggles leads to adopting onesided positions and to a lack of solidarity with forces that are fighting for national liberation and for democratic objectives that are in line with the general struggle against imperialism and neo-liberalism.

OUR 8 TH PARTY CONGRESS, held in Baghdad in May 2007, devoted special attention in its analysis of the international situation to developments in Latin America in recent years. The political report endorsed by the Congress contained a detailed section entitled: “The Victories of the Left Forces in Latin America”. I mention this to show you, especially to fraternal parties from this Continent, how these victories πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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have inspired Iraqi Communists, especially the youth.

After referring to the victories in Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Salvador, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua, that Congress Report said that this outcome has shown that Latin America is no longer the “back yard” of the US. This rise of the Left in Latin America is seen by our party as being of deep historical significance. Coming several years after the collapse of the socialist camp in Europe and the Soviet Union, it proves that the class and social struggle, the struggle for justice and freedom, cannot be extinguished and will not die, and that humanity in its striving for progress tends objectively to seek social justice, to break capitalist hegemony and build a new world.

The fall of the socialist camp may have initially caused a setback for the forces of the Left and social progress, but developments have revealed that human society has recovered its balance and self-confidence, and has begun to formulate new, previously uncharted forms to escalate the social and class struggle for justice and peace.

Our Party’s 8th Congress document concluded by saying: “Several lessons, drawn from what has happened in this Continent, need to be grasped. First and foremost among these lessons is that the world needs a comprehensive alternative project to the imperialist system. It needs a project, a vision, to inspire the imagination of peoples, to free them from the shackles and barrier of fear, and to develop their will and enormous desire to look forward to freedom, justice and equality.”

IN ADDITION TO THE DOMINANCE of the financial character of the world economy and its implications (as demonstrated by the current global crisis), there is also the unipolar world order led by the US that has also resulted in grave violations of international legitimacy and the resort to war and aggression (as was the case in the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003). The US has aimed to impose its hegemony on the world, not hesitating to ignite the flames of many “local” wars, resulting in tens and hundreds of thousands of victims.

IN THIS CONTEXT, I would like to say a few words about the situation in Iraq. Five and a half years after the US war on Iraq, the collapse of the dictatorial regime, and occupation, the struggle to end the foreign military presence continues to be closely interconnected with the struggle to rebuild the new Iraqi state and determine both its context and character. Hence the “uniqueness”, so to speak, of the situation that has unfolded in Iraq.

Under these complex and difficult conditions, a ferocious battle is continuing, not only over power and wealth, but also over formulating the political, economic, social and cultural orientation, that will determine the features of the new Iraqi state that will emerge. It can be said that national, democratic and social tasks combine and interact.

Therefore, along with the task of ending the occupation and its legacy, and of restoring full national sovereignty and independence, we have the tasks of eliminating the legacy of decades of fascist-type dictatorship, restructuring the Iraqi economy and πB - 1/2009 Iraqi communist party

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rebuilding the state on a democratic federal basis. International and regional factors interfere, making the struggle even more complex and intensified. Our party has put forward its own vision, encapsulated in the Patriotic Democratic Project, which aims at building a modern democratic state, a state based on law and institutions and the principles of citizenship, ensuring democracy and social justice, as opposed to sectarian projects and a return to dictatorship, whether nationalist or religious.

Meanwhile, Iraq is going through a crucial and critical juncture in the political battle to seize back national sovereignty. After 8 months of negotiations between the Iraqi and US governments, a draft agreement dealing with the withdrawal of American forces as well as other issues has been finally presented (last Monday) to the Iraqi parliament for discussion and possible ratification.

Our Party openly announced its detailed position regarding the contents of a previous version of the draft agreement, on 31 October 2008 (3 weeks ago) at a public meeting held in Baghdad. It was the first political movement to do so. Our party has demanded that a clearly-defined timetable for withdrawal is stated, preventing any attempt to extend the presence of American forces beyond the specified deadline. Other points were also stressed, dealing with the issue of Iraqi jurisdiction over the US military and personnel during the interim period; Iraqi control and oversight over operations; the protection of Iraqi funds abroad when the UN mandate ends; and not allowing Iraq to be used as a staging post for ag-

gression against neighbouring countries.

The party called for deleting any ambiguous language that allows for extending the presence of American forces. It demanded that the draft agreement be amended, otherwise it will be rejected. Similar demands were made by many other political forces.

The final version of the agreement, with important amendments, is now being discussed in parliament. This calls for the withdrawal of all American forces (not only “combat forces”) by the end of 2011, to be preceded by withdrawing from all cities and towns by the end of June 2009. This is a significant climb-down by the Bush administration which had always refused to set a timetable. It is worth mentioning that the plan by American president-elect Obama, for ending the war in Iraq, called for withdrawing troops within 16 months of his inauguration. But this was later amended to so-called “responsible withdrawal”, based on consulting US military commanders, and also leaving behind a “residual force” for training purposes, combating terrorism.. etc. We have no illusion that the policy of the US is not decided by this or that president, and that it is the product of diverse and contradictory interests.

If the agreement is not approved by 31st December 2008, then the Iraqi government will have to request an extension of the United Nations mandate that has governed foreign military presence since 2003 against the will of the Iraqi people. This would mean maintaining the status quo, with open-ended presence of American forces, which we believe is a worse option. πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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We must not lose sight of our objective, that is, the end of the occupation and the evacuation of all American and foreign forces, and the restoration of full sovereignty and independence. Independence will not be full and real unless the Iraqi people also exercise the right to decide their own economic and social system, and unless they can formulate policies independently in all fields. Achieving this objective requires, first and foremost, national unity and national consensus, as well as pushing ahead with the policy of national reconciliation.

Our Party, despite the enormous challenges ahead, armed with unlimited confidence in the Iraqi people and guided by their higher interests, will continue to strengthen its ties and relations with fraternal parties, and with all peace loving, progressive and democratic movements in the world in our common struggle for a better world, and in upholding the values of socialism and communism.

Long live International Solidarity!

DESPITE ENORMOUS CHALLENGES, the Iraqi Communist Party has been rebuilt across the whole of Iraq and has been actively involved in organizing hundreds of mass activities in defence of people’s and workers’ rights and interests, and expressing their aspirations. This has come with heavy sacrifices, with the martyrdom and loss of tens of comrades. Among them were cadres of the party, including a member of its Politbureau, and a secretary of its provincial party organization in Mosul, in northern Iraq. On 23rd August this year, a prominent cadre and leading intellectual, Kamil Shyaa, was cowardly assassinated in Baghdad.

In this difficult struggle, we look forward to the active solidarity of fraternal parties.

Concrete support is needed. We must look ahead as Iraq enters a new crucial phase in its fight to end the occupation, restore its national sovereignty and independence, defeat sectarianism and anti-people forces, and build a unified democratic and federal Iraq. πB - 1/2009 Iraqi communist party

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DEAR COMRADES, I wish to convey the

Workers’ party of Ireland GERRY GRAINGER

best wishes of the Workers’ Party of Ireland to the PCdoB and fraternal parties and to thank the PCdoB for the organisation of this meeting and the working conditions provided.

We are meeting at a time of major structural and systemic crisis in the world capitalist system. Those who triumphantly announced the end of history and the victory of the capitalist project have had to retreat from their positions.

AS THE CAPITALIST FORMATION develops it accumulates more and more contradictions – the conflict between capital and labour, between the dynamic nature of the forces of production and the relations of production, the pattern of boom and bust, the maximisation of profit versus human and social need and environmental sustainability etc. The contradictions of capitalism are aggravated at the highest stage of its development, imperialism. The private ownership of the means of production, the use of debt-credit to finance accumulation, the buying and selling of labour power are inherent characteristics of the system.

Every attempt by the capitalist ruling class to reconcile these contradictions, to avert the economic cataclysms and convulsions which constantly threaten the system or to lessen their effects has failed. The crises are endemic and the structural contradictions remain.

This crisis is no different in that respect.

Capitalist accumulation reflects the concentration and centralisation of production and capital together with the growing exploitation of millions of workers throughout the world. The power of the banks and finance capital characterised by increased financial speculation with its dependence on high risk financial instruments such as derivaπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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tives as opposed to productive investment has played a significant role in the current crisis.

THE CURRENT CRISIS IN CAPITALISM has laid bare the fallacies of market economics and exposed the inherent contradictions and weaknesses within the system. Many advocates of monetarism and the so-called "free" market who vehemently opposed regulation or "state intervention" are now demanding a bail-out from the state. The greed and rapaciousness of the speculators is to be subsidised and their operations recapitalised by the taxes of the working class while tax cuts and financial incentives are on offer for the capitalist class. Government debt is rising, not as a result of increased public spending on education, health and social welfare, but rather due to increased military spending and financial support, whether directly or indirectly, to prop up the capitalist system.

The advanced capitalist economies are entering a deep and prolonged recession.

The working class is likely to witness a worsening of conditions in which wages have already been forced down in real terms, pension benefits have been decimated, labour has been casualised through compulsory, part-time, temporary and agency working and "social dumping", and health, education and social welfare services are increasingly under threat. Mass unemployment, poverty and homelessness loom for millions in the capitalist world. In Ireland the Central Statistics Office estimates that unemployment has reached 6.7 per cent and in percentage terms the month

on month increase in unemployment benefit claimants is the highest since January 1975. One economist has predicted that it is only a matter of time before those claimants on the Live Register breaks through the 300,000 mark. In Britain unemployment has risen to an 11 year high and the figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit reached 980,900 in October, an increase of 36,500 on the previous month with a prediction of 3 million unemployed.

While the recent success of Barack Obama in the US presidential elections is to be welcomed as a demonstration of widespread dissatisfaction with the neo-conservatives we should be under no illusions.

While there may be some change in direction and strategy and some adjustment in the "shock and awe" approach of the current US elite any such change is likely to be towards the equally discredited "Washington Consensus" favoured by Clinton and both approaches are likely to remain the stock in trade of US foreign policy.

Imperialism will represent as great a threat in January 2009 as it does in November 2008. The fundamental objective of US foreign policy is to keep the world open for capitalist expansion and exploitation. The US and its allies expend more per annum on military funding than the rest of the world together. No other country has instigated and financed intervention and war on the scale practised by the US since the Second World War, expanding and maintaining US global hegemony in support of capitalism. Imperialism remains a reπB - 1/2009 workers’ party of Ireland

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ality and will continue to be so as long as the capitalist market system continues to exist.

IN EUROPE THE EUROPEAN UNION is a capitalist project. The lack of internal democracy, the attack on workers’ rights, the promotion of privatisation of the public sector, the promulgation of "undistorted competition in the market", the downgrading of health, education and social security systems, the massive growth in militarism, the attack on social and environmental regulation and the development of policies and stratagems for the exploitation of the developing world are integral to the political agenda of the European Union. The European Commission’s Green Paper on modernising labour law encourages "flexicurity" at the expense of job protection.

Recent judgments of the European Court of Justice place greater emphasis on securing economic freedoms than on the protection of social rights.

"Global Europe" established in 2006 and launched by the Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, operates in the interests of big business. Global Europe pursues an aggressive course to attack and dismantle social and environmental regulations which corporations in the European Union regard as barriers to the exploitation of the markets and national resources of the developing world. Central to this strategy is a battery of regional and bilateral free trade agreements.

Business Europe and similar corporate interests have been at the heart of the EU. These interests have been involved from its inception and have been instrumental in ar-

ticulating its demands for the liberalisation of investment, services and public procurement and for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. They have also sought unlimited access to the raw materials of the developing world.

THE WORKERS’ PARTY OF IRELAND and other progressive forces in Ireland campaigned vigorously against the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by Ireland in a referendum held on 12th June 2008. Despite the extent and financial resources of the pro-treaty elements in Ireland the Irish people resoundingly defeated the Treaty. The only democratic interpretation of this result is that the Treaty is now dead. Despite this the European Union insists that the process can proceed and has suggested, contrary to the democratically expressed will of the Irish people, that Ireland should vote again.

The Workers’ Party participated in this referendum under the slogan "Defend Democracy – Defeat Lisbon". Democracy and respect for national sovereignty dictates that the European Union should respect Ireland’s democratic decision.

AFTER YEARS OF US intervention and support for violent right-wing dictatorships Latin America suffered extreme inequality, poverty, illiteracy and exploitation. Now, however, in Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries in Latin America the capitalist project is under attack.

The government of Venezuela has brought about a real democratisation of society. Workers, small farmers, women and πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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the poor who have traditionally been excluded from political life have been provided with a powerful voice. The introduction of free education, universal health care, land reform, opposition to privatisation and neo-liberalism together with control over the country’s wealth and natural resources has brought about far-reaching change.

Venezuela has nationalised key enterprises in the oil, gas and electrical industries, steel, cement, food production and distribution and telecommunications. The government has taken millions of acres of unused farm land from speculators and absentee owners. It has invested in agriculture, public transport, primary health care clinics and literacy campaigns. Venezuela is creating a society based on meeting the needs of its people in the face of open imperialist aggression.

The Cuban Revolution remains an inspiration for the workers and poor farmers of Latin America and the world. Cuba has led by example. The popular revolution which triumphed on 1st January 1959 overthrew the tyranny of Washington’s unconditional ally, Batista, and established the sovereignty of the people over the land and its resources.

The Cuban people have had to fight to preserve the gains of their revolution. From the earliest days of the Revolution the US commenced a campaign of aggression including economic and financial sanctions, sabotage, assassination attempts, slander and misinformation, military training of Cuba’s enemies, attempted invasion and open terrorism. These acts of imperialist aggression continue with the aim of destroy-

ing the Cuban Revolution, reversing its gains and bringing Cuba under US control.

The continued imprisonment of the five Cuban patriots in the US, the ongoing economic war against Cuba and the EU restrictions and "common position" on Cuba are evidence of imperialism’s efforts to extinguish Cuba as a beacon of hope and socialism for progressives throughout the world.

These efforts have failed and will fail.

International respect for Cuba has grown stronger and the commitment of the Cuban people to national independence, socialism and solidarity is undiminished.

The development of Mercosur under the leadership of Brazil has seriously challenged US attempts to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas in the region. The Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America creates the basis for regional solidarity and social and economic transformation based on socialist principles and objectives. The creation of the Banco de Sur, another progressive project which offers alternative assistance to economies in the region free from the constraints of neo-liberalism, is another example of the possibilities for progressive development and change.

One aspect of the right of self-determination recognised by international law is the right of peoples to use and exploit their natural wealth and resources. International law also provides that the territorial and political independence of the state is inviolable and that each state has the right to choose and develop its political, social, economic and cultural systems.

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to move capital and profits across national boundaries without interference from nation states. Where nation states have sought to develop political, social and economic systems based on the needs of their peoples they have been confronted with economic pressure, covert actions to undermine and overthrow national governments and direct military intervention. This continent alone is littered with examples of terror, subversion, intervention and attacks, both overt and covert, on progressive and democratic forces and governments by the US and its allies.

That global intervention continues.

Imperialism continues to support its client states and to undermine those states committed to an anti-capitalist development path. While significant advances have been made throughout Latin America the US has renewed its efforts to turn back progressive change and to restore power to the privileged elites. In Latin America Colombia is the "aircraft carrier" for US imperialism in the region.

Under "Plan Colombia" the US has supplied the Colombian government with $6 billion in arms, personnel and logistics.

Colombia receives more US military aid than the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean combined. The primary purpose of "Plan Colombia" is to preserve the position of Colombia’s political and economic elite and to intensify imperialism’s attack on democracy and social progress in Latin America.

The US, through its Colombian proxy, directs its aggression towards Ecuador and Venezuela. In March 2008, while the US

openly supported Colombia’s military incursion into Ecuador, the Organisation of American States (OAS) passed a resolution condemning the attack as an illegal violation of Ecuadorian sovereignty.

If Columbia is the US "aircraft carrier" in Latin America then Israel is its "aircraft carrier" in the Middle East. Since World War II Israel has been the largest overall recipient of US aid. Between 1996 and 2006 Israel received $24 billion in military aid from the US. While the United States threatens the DPR Korea, Syria and Iran over the alleged possession of nuclear weapons technology Israel has nuclear weapons and has never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the US remains silent over Israel’s nuclear capacity.

PALESTINIANS who remained in the state of Israel after 1948 were treated as secondclass citizens and subjected to repeated discrimination. The Palestinians exiled to the refugee camps are not permitted to return to their homes and property and are exiled to a life of poverty, exclusion and deprived of basic civil, political, social and economic rights. Those Palestinians who live in the territories occupied by the Israelis in 1967, the West Bank and Gaza, have been subjected to oppression, destruction, death and unceasing military attack.

Since 1968 the United Nations has documented repeated violations of human rights in the Occupied territories including occupation, annexation of territory, the illegal building of Jewish settlements, the deportation and expulsion of Palestinians, the confiscation and destruction of property inπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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cluding the demolition of Palestinian homes and agricultural land as collective punishment, the exploitation of Palestinian labour, mass arrests and administrative detention without trial, ill-treatment and torture of persons under detention, censorship, the violent suppression of demonstrations and protests, military attacks on political organisations and the strangulation of the economy of the Occupied territories.

There must be an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza; the Apartheid Wall must be removed, the settlements dismantled and Palestinian prisoners released. There must be a solution to the refugee problem based on the legitimate and inalienable right of the Palestinian people to return to their homes and property in accordance with UN Resolution 194 and the creation and recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

THE CONTINUING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, the attempts by the US and Israel to extend the conflict into Syria and Iran, the new US military command for Africa (Africom) with the proposal to establish permanent bases in sub-Saharan Africa, the plans for the socalled "Missile Defence Shield" in Poland and the Czech Republic, the creation of military bases in Central Asia, the construction of a US marine base in Henoko/Okinawa, the reactivation of the 4th US Navy fleet in South America, the continued aggression against the DPRK, the unilateral secession of Kosovo-Metohija from Serbia, with the active connivance and support of the US, NATO and EU, in violation of the United

Nations’ Charter and UN Resolutions, making Kosovo- Metohija the US/NATO "aircraft carrier" in the Balkans and the US and NATO sponsored war in Ossetia by the government of Georgia all serve as examples of continuing imperialist aggression, increasing militarism and an ongoing threat to peace, progressive political movements, the sovereignty of independent nations and the natural resources, including the oil and gas reserves, of the developing world.

Global warming and environmental change together with environmental pollution which adversely affects the health, safety, lives and the general quality of life must be urgently addressed. The bio-fuel policies of the US and EU accelerate climate change and deepen poverty and hunger.

While spending billions of dollars supporting bio-fuels the richest nations have blocked Brazilian ethanol which is far less damaging to global food security.

The current crisis in capitalism with the consequent threat to the social and economic conditions of workers and small farmers throughout the world, together with the escalation and continuing threat of imperialist war has sharpened the ideological struggle and provides new conditions for building class consciousness and preparing workers for political action.

For capital and imperialism there is no genuine democracy. For socialists genuine democracy can only be guaranteed by a united struggle against imperialism and capitalist exploitation for freedom, equality, peace and democracy. The opportunity now exists to effectively challenge economic globalisation, the corporatisation of the πB - 1/2009 workers’ party of Ireland

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world order and the subordination of national economies and natural resources to the interests of the US and EU. We must build on the present conditions to develop a re-

sponse capable of mounting that challenge at national, regional and international level.

There is an alternative. Socialism is the alternative and the future will be socialist.

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AREN’T YOU HAPPY ABOUT THE CRISIS?

54

Communist party of Luxembourg ALEXANDRE RUCKERT

Aren’t you satisfied that finally you are right?« Such are the questions the communists are confronted with again and again since the beginning of the latest financial crisis that is shattering the world.

Sure, we are happy about the fact that everybody can see that those propagandists of casino capitalism have failed, those who told us during the last 20 years that the market will be regulated by itself, and therefore every kind of state regulation or control would be redundant and unnecessary.

But the fairy tale about prospering capitalism without any crisis was already told us by the ideologists of capital in 1945, for keeping the working class out of the struggle between social systems, out of the class struggle aiming at social changes. The socalled Neo-Liberals began to tell the same fairy tale again in 1989. But less than 20 years later the most beautiful of all capitalist worlds is in ruins. It does not help them, when the governments of the economically strongest countries are partially nationalising some of the banks, socialising their losses and deciding about programmes for the bail-out of banks as well as the automobile, steel and other industrial trusts.

Of course we are not happy at all about the results of the present crisis, since we are aware of the fact that capital will always do everything to solve the crisis on the backs of the working people. And we know as well, that in the course of such a crisis the danger of reactionary developments is growing.

It is interesting to see that even in bourgeois circles they are again speaking about Karl Marx. But in this case they are always trying to prevent the people from understanding Marxist thoughts, so that nobody should have the idea of the revolutionary break with the capitalist system of exploitaπB - 1/2009 communist party of Luxembourg

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tion and of changing the existing ownership relations. But exactly this is imperative, as we communists know.

This would be an objective need of the class struggle, it can never be replaced by conferences like this or by similar events.

SO WHAT SHALL we do at this moment to explicate this social alternative? We have seen that since the very beginning of the capitalist financial crisis the communist parties have reacted in different ways, some of us even with great delay. Some parties proposed a programme of demands, that mostly was coinciding with the demands of other parties.

The New Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Workers’ Party of Belgium and the Communist Party of Luxembourg – parties who hae been in close co-operation for several years – came together and discussed a series of common demands. At a press conference on October 3rd in Luxembourg, these demands were introduced to the public and almost all the media of our country discussed this presentation.

We do not know, how many other parties have initiated – perhaps together with others – similar steps. But we know that neither in Europe nor in other parts of the world has a common communist analysis been worked out, that there were no common programmes of demands or even common actions organised by our parties. And this at a time when the developments show that we are right, at a time when many working people are beginning to have doubts about the capitalist system and are searching for alternatives.

What we are missing in front of all these challenges is a structured co-operation between communist and workers’ parties.

THE DEFEAT OF THE SOCIALIST SYSTEM and the reconstruction of capitalist circumstances in all countries of Eastern Europe after 1990 have lead to an enormous setback of social development and disrupted the communist movement. As a result, the communist parties in many countries were weakened in such a way, that they had to and have to struggle for their capacity to act, in many cases even for their existence.

Several parties have renounced Marxist - Leninist theory – that means they are also abstaining from the preconditions of a correct evaluation of the present day stage of capitalist development, as well as from developing appropriate strategies for leading the working class from the defensive situation and to put the necessary questions on the agenda.

Instead of questioning the capitalist state system, created and functioning in the interest of the industrial and financial capital, they are limiting their own actions to »improving« the existing structures.

In a number of countries there are political forces, who began their activities inside the communist parties as so-called »renovators«. After they had failed to deprive the communist parties of their revolutionary approach, they founded so-called »left movements« as direct political competitors with the aim to raise reformist illusions and to hold the people off the only existing alternative to the system, the Communist Party. πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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Inside many of the old and new parties great uncertainties and confusions have arisen. The alleged victory of capitalism and the sheer almighty propaganda machinery are contributing every day to increase those confusions.

As a result of this, the revolutionary processes and the class struggle in many parties have suffered a strong setback and in many cases are not any more on the agenda.

These are the most important reasons why we think it is necessary that all communist and workers’ parties who regard as their political and ideological basis the thoughts of Marx, Engels and Lenin as well as Socialism as the social alternative to the capitalist system of exploitation, should close their ranks and form a framework of co-operation.

The Communist Party of Luxembourg does not aim to interfere in the affairs of other parties, nor we are of the opinion we possess the one and only truth. But the Central Committee of our party has worked out a position paper, which was translated into English and Spanish. The intention of this paper is to give suggestions about how such a structured international co-operation may look like. We’d like to propose to enter a deep-going discussion with all parties interested in a closer co-operation

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COMRADES, many thanks to The Communist

Communist party of Norway SVEND HAAKON JACOBSEN

Party of Brazil for hosting this 10th International meeting, the first meeting in the Latin American hemisphere. This is no coincidence. Latin America is changing.

Workers and national peoples’ movements have won elections in country after country, important social and political changes are taking place, step by step creating better living conditions for the people.

It has been, and still is looking to be a tough class struggle. The rich capitalist strata and their servants, both ideological and criminal, are creating difficult conditions for the transition to the peoples’ anti-monopolist power, and to socialism.

THE VICTORIOUS CUBAN socialist revolution is this year celebrating its 50 years. It has survived the very harsh 48 year blockade from their big imperialist neighbour the USA, and has suffered many attacks from the CIA- financed and trained terrorist-organizations in Miami, killing 3500 Cubans.

The 5 great anti-terrorist Cuban heroes have this year been political prisoners in USA for more than 10 years. Their “crime” was to successfully reveal terrorists in Miami, hinder and stop terrorist plots on tourists, Cubans and the leaders of the Cuban revolution. The CIA agents Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carrilles organized many terrorist attacks on Cuba. They bombed a civilian Cubana airplane in the air over Caracas, Venezuela in 1976, where 73 innocent people died. Venezuela have asked the USA to extradite Carrilles to Venezuela to stand trial for this crime. But the USA refuses, and both terrorists are walking free in the USA. This shows the USA’s double standards in the way they are dealing with their soc-alled “war against terror”.

When Latin America was the USA’s backyard, Cuba was very alone. They no πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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longer are, and the Cuban example have surely been inspiring the successful social and revolutionary peoples’ movements in the countries of Latin America, as well as in other countries around the world in Africa, Asia and even in Europe. Even in the very harsh special period of the downfall of the Soviet Union and socialism in Europe when Cuba overnight lost 85% of its international trade, the Cubans never stopped their socialist educational and health policies.

Today they are giving support from their vast “human capital” to other countries in Latin America through ALBA and other cooperative projects, and are giving huge health services in solidarity to poor peoples around the world, which shows real proletarian internationalism.

The Communist Party of Norway is very proud to be communists and fighting for the same causes as you, when we know what The Communist Party of Cuba and the Cuban people have endured and accomplished through the Cuban revolution.

THE EU is a tool constructed for finance capital to perform its neoliberal policies and fight the trade unions. The welfare state was built after World War 2 by the trade unions and the working class movement, under the “umbrella” of the Soviet Union. Through the EU policies the “welfare state” has been run down to create new privatized arenas for super profits for the Transnationals. This process has gone far in Norway too even if Norway is one of richest countries in the world.

The anti-EU alliance in Norway consists of the working class, peasants, national patriotic organizations and intellectuals, that two

times won the referendum on EU membership, in 1972 and 1994. The fight was won in the LO (Trade Union Centrals) congress, that voted NO to EU in 1994, even if the leaders both of The Social Democratic Party and the LO were supporting EU membership.

A united trade-union movement voted in the parliamentary elections in 2005 for the so-called “red-green” government, consisting of The Social Democratic Party, The Socialist-Left Party and The Center Party, a green peasants’ party. This was a direct reaction to the active reduction of workers’ and unemployed securities by the bourgeois government. The new government stopped some of the reactionary regulations, but has a long way to go to fulfil the claims of the trade unions, and the promises of the governing parties.

The EU’s Lisbon strategy of 2000 for lower salaries worked slowly. The EU opening up for 8 new member states from eastern Europe allowed the large-scale movement to the west of low paid workers, below the national tariffs of the trade unions.

The trade unions in Norway have been active fighting this “social dumping”. Then the EU implemented a Service Directive to hinder national governments and parliaments from supporting national tariffs and workers’ rights.

Norway is not member of the EU, but is voluntarily affiliated. When the EU decides a new directive Norway has to veto it, if not it eventually becomes Norwegian law.

Nearly all trade unions in Norway have acted against the EU Service Directive, and have demanded the government veto it.

On the 13th of November The Social πB - 1/2009 communist party of Norway

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democratic Party decided with the smallest margin of 10 to 9 ministers (Socialist-Left and Center Party) that the government should accept the EU Service Directive, and the two other parties acted only as dissidents, and accepted the majority decision.

The biggest trade union Fagforbundet in Akershus province had a meeting of representatives from all trade unions in the province the same day.

A very strong declaration was agreed unanimously which stated that they will not support The Social Democratic Party in the parliamentary election in September 2009, but that they will support the Center Party and the left-parties. They also stated that the policies of the Social Democratic Party are no longer in accordance with the policies of the trade union. The leader of the LO (Trade Union Central) supported publicly the decision of The Social Democratic Party.

This caused an immediate strong reaction from the most influential local LO districts that demanded no support for the EU Service Directive until after the LO (Trade Union Central) congress. The neo-liberal principles of the EU and the Service Directive will undermine the national tariff systems and lead to the severe weakening of the trade union movement. Most trade unions acknowledge this scenario, and therefore this is going to be a hard fight.

Acting in this way the social democrats have created a serious split both in the government and in their power base, the trade unions.

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF NORWAY has in this situation stated that The Social

Democratic Party acts like the most efficient tool of neo-liberal state monopoly capitalism in Norway, both in this case, and in the case of privatizising and diminishing of state pensions, in the organizing for privatization of the Hospital sector, privatization in transport, in oil and in energy sector.

The “red-green” government no longer will be able to present themselves as an alternative to the workers and trade union members.

The Communist Party of Norway will work to develop unity in the labour movement for working class policies, and the isolation of finance capital and the transnationals, as the real class alternative to the policies of The Social Democratic Party, The Conservative Party and the xenophobic neo-liberal right wing party, that has shown themselves as tools of state monopoly capitalism.

In the present profound economic crises of capitalism, the finance minister (who is the leader of Socialist-Left Party) has so far given public finance of 350 billion N.kr. (eq. $ 50 billion) only to the banks and big financial institutions in Norway, to help the owners of these institutions, and the capitalist system. They have done nothing to help the crisis-stricken workers and people.

The “red-green” government is only following the same procedures as the imperialist powers, trying to give the impression that these crises are small, and that it can be handled with this kind of procedure.

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economic actions from the government, lower rent to keep up investments, investments in social house-building, to hinder a housing catastrophe and debt crisis, and investments by the “red-green” government in public schools, public buildings, railways and roads, to reduce mass unemployment for carpenters and workers in the building industry that stand without work by the end of this year. They suggest granting 30 billions N.kr. for these important issues, which is less than one tenth of the finance ministers “gift” to finance capital.

The Communist Party of Norway will suggest measures to help crisis-stricken people, and will support god initiatives like the abovementioned.

For a small party like Communist Party of Norway it is important to have a close cooperation with the other communist parties in the northern region. We have regular meetings, and organize a common summer camp every year. The Communist Party of Norway is rebuilding our youth organization, and it is essential in this situation to use the opportunity to strengthen both our party and the youth organization, and strengthen our marxist-leninist understanding of the capitalist crises and its only solution, our broad democratic anti-monopoly strategy to isolate finance capital and the transnationals, to fight state monopoly capitalism, and build socialism.

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On

Communist party of Pakistan IMDAD QAZI

behalf of the Communist Party of Pakistan I would like to congratulate the Communist Party of Brazil for arranging this meeting. Participants in the meeting also deserve congratulation as their active participation will make this event a success.

The world is currently undergoing a crisis of capitalism. Intellectuals, supporting this system, are trying to present the phenomena as crisis limited to financial institutions I the USA In reality, it is a crisis of the system itself. Capitalist governments and economists are trying to save the system by mixing in it some elements of socialism.

Will capitalism be able to wriggle out of this crisis? The answer is an emphatic, no.

A REVIEW OF REASONS Underlying the Present Crisis of Capitalism. Consequent upon a leap in production during the eighties due to the scientific and technical revolution, production became conspicuously socialized. The distribution of production, on the other hand, could not be socialized.

The profit margin of capitalists showed a marked increase as a result of this. The surplus production created by this situation needed markets. The balance of power tilted in favor of the Capitalist world as a result of the 1991 counter revolution in the Soviet Union. International imperialism seized the opportunity and introduced and implemented the concept of a free world economy and introduced structural adjustments in order to capture the markets of developing countries. The economics of these countries were changed, in a planned manner, into consumer economies through the manipulations of the IMF and the World Bank. A situation of economic anarchy was created through the cessation of subsidies, pricing control and the regulatory power of governments. The prices of goods rose sharply and started spiralling upwards not πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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only in underdeveloped countries but in developed countries as well. The currencies of underdeveloped countries started losing their value, resulting in a corresponding increase in the volume of loans owned by these countries. As a result, the earnings of developed countries grew out of all proportion. The accumulation of wealth gained momentum and it piled up in advanced countries. America, owner of one fourth of entire world’s assets gained further. With one percent of the global population, it owned 8% of global wealth in the 1980s.

This figure subsequently increased to 20%.

This diabolical process had a negative affect on the common man, whose purchasing power declined. The sale of consumer items decreased. The heaps of wealth started to confine themselves within banks.

Consumer banking was introduced to artificially increase the purchasing power of the man and woman in the street and to encourage them to utilize the idle money in banks. Interest rates were lowered and schemes like the credit cards and personal loans were introduced. By all accounts markets gained spectacularly, with the real state sector in particular, flourishing. There was a many-fold increase in house prices and open plots. The vast majority of the people become burdened with debt by purchasing automobiles, houses and consumers good on credit. This increased market activity lasted for about 10 years after which interest rates started increasing. And commodity prices increased sharply.

However, wages and salaries did not increase proportionately. Payment of loan installments became difficult and impossible.

The once flourishing real estate sector suddenly crashed and banks providing finance for it plunged into bankruptcy. The present crisis started in the USA in its role as champion and center of the unbridled speculative economy.

This crisis is, however, rapidly engulfing the entire world. Unemployment is on the increase. Inflation is out of control. Life has become a burden for people in low income groups. The common people are crying out due to their intolerable situation.

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is purchasing shares of badly affected institutions so as to them bail out. The European countries along with Japan and Australia are collaborating with America to arrest the spread of this infectious disease. The end of crisis is, however, not in sight. The money belonging to the common man and collected through his labour is being utilized to support the capitalists. The crisis is definitely not going to be resolved by these supportive measures. The money paid as taxes by people, after leaving them hungry, will be wasted in a sin without pleasure. The communist and left wing forces in America, Europe and other developed countries should struggle against these tactics of their governments. The communist forces should increase efforts for mass mobilization as the economy faces a global recession.

It is time for all of us to endeavor to stop the oxygen supply to this seriously ill gasping patient of capitalism, which is lying in the intensive care unit. It is time to wage a struggle against multinationals operating in πB - 1/2009 communist party of Pakistan

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developing or imperialist consumer markets. The movement by workers of these empires should be for an increase in their wages and consumers should raise their voices against price hikes.

The propaganda propagated after the dismemberment of the Soviet Union, claiming an eternity of capitalism, has breathed its last. The champions of Neo-liberalism and the free market economy have not only accepted the positive role of the public sector but are introducing it into their economics. Restrictions are being placed on capital to restrict its freedom. Leaders of the capitalist world, such as Gordon Brown and Sarkozy, are raising their voices against the free market’s monopoly. All this proves the importance of social, political and economic planning. The necessity of the state in its role as regularity authority has been universally accepted.

The capitalist system has withdrawn workers’ privileges and rendered them jobless during past 20 years in developed countries. In developing countries, they have been forced to live like animals. In my country more than 40% of the population is living life below poverty line with a daily income of less than one dollar. They are not in a position to purchase one kilogram of flour and one liter of milk from their daily remuneration. This unbelievable poverty is waiting for a change in system. These facts prove that capitalism is now a completely rotten system and the only alternative to it is socialism. Imperialism has been trying to stop this change by creating non-issues and encouraging sectarian and racial forces. The results of recent presidential elections in the

USA are a manifestation of people’s desire for change. Neo Cons, representing the warmongers camp, have faced a devastating defeat. But will Mr. Obama and the Democrats be able to provide peace and prosperity to world? The answer is a definite. NO. They will only change the methods for continuation of the capitalist system. There is no way out except socialism for fulfilling the human desire for peace, justice and national independence.

WE IN PAKISTAN are passing through a grave situation. A civilian government has been established as a result of elections held after a prolonged struggle of nine years against the military dictatorship. The American CIA started a war against Afghanistan and Soviet Union in the 1980s by mobilizing criminals and religious fanatics from all over the world. The Pakistani military establishment made huge amount of money through this project. The war was financed by imperialism, and Saudi Arabian version of Islam provided the ideological basis for this so-called Holy War. A completely peaceful geographical zone was converted into a area full of turmoil in a very short period. It became a safe haven for heroin and a Kalashnikov culture. The project was amended in 2002. The new job created for the Pakistani military was to contain the Taliban and bring them under full American control. It was provided with money and arms to carry out this new assignment. Now Pakistani Army generals have created deep roots in politics through secret agencies. They continue to organize the Taliban to keep running the profit-earnπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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ing Holy War industry and also receive money from America and arrest others and hand them over to the American government. This phenomenon has increased the level of intolerance and extremism in Pakistani society. Many communist workers have lost their lives due to atrocities committed by secret agencies and extremist organizations. They continue to remain under threat from these negative forces. The political forces in Pakistan are divided into following camps: ■

Religious militants who have waged an armed struggle for the imposition of a fascist system in the country. Rightwing political parties, a few nationalist organizations and some left groups are supporting them on the basis of their struggles’ anti-American color.

■

The ruling liberal alliance, serving American interests under the banner of the so-called war on terror.

■

A third camp opposing the above two camps and fighting for freedom, democracy and economic, social rights of the common people. The Communist Party of Pakistan represents this camp.

Our country has become a battlefield for forces representing different power centers of today’s multi polar world.

CONTRADICTIONS within the Imperialist Countries. Through violating WTO regulations the USA started to avoid giving its share to other developed countries in the world market after the end of global bipolarity. After the mysterious incident of

9/11 it resorted to war to capture the world resources. It attacked and occupied Iraq and Afghanistan to control their Oil and Gas reserves and trade routes, especially those of Central Asia. At the same time, Iran was threatened with military action. Great Britain supported the USA in all its evil designs. Russia did not show any opposition before Putin’s take over. With the formation of the European Union, France and Germany started asserting themselves. They wanted their share in world trade and resources. Meanwhile, China’s share increased tremendously after the remarkable growth in its consumer goods industry. Two important oil producing countries, Iran and Venezuela, have moved away from American influence.

Russia is now ready to play its due role in international politics, having overcome its economic crisis. No one is now ready to accept the notion of a unipolar world. The Russian role in Georgia, its support for the government of Venezuela against America pressure and its opposition to any armed action against Iran are pointing toward a changed future scenario. Three distinct groups can now be recognized on the world stage. They may be described as America , Europe and the Shanghai Group.

Contradictions between them are increasing with regard to trade in armaments, energy and consumer goods. The beginnings of a new cold war can be easily seen. There seems no possibility, at present, of world war but it can not be ruled out in the distant future. These inter imperialist contradictions can be helpful for the acquisition of necessary technology for countries tryπB - 1/2009 communist party of Pakistan

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ing to establish an independent political and economic system after coming out of the imperialist orbit.

PEACE, DEMOCRACY, Independence and the Struggle for Progress and Socialism.

Contradictions prevailing in the USA, Europe and other developed countries aren’t limited to the realms of world peace and class struggle. These contradictions in developing and underdeveloped countries, on the contrary, are multidimensional. Elimination of the class system, independence from imperialism, the establishment of democratic order, the elimination of the remnants of pre-capitalist systems, over developed armies, the economics of food, racial and lingual conflicts are the fronts on which progressive forces have to fight. One special feature of Muslim dominated areas is sectarianism on the basis of religion and sect. Even in the largest democracy in the world, i.e. India, these conflicts are deep and widespread.

Communist and workers’ parties in these countries have, therefore, to fight a multidirectional war on all the sides. In these countries people are living a life far below the international poverty line. There is very little or no industrialization. The meanings of peace, democracy, freedom and social justice are more easily understood here than in the developed nations of world.

This phenomenon explains the intensity of movements in these regions during the sixties and seventies. Progressive movements in these countries were at peak during this period. These movements advanced despite cruel and despotic rulers

being imposed on the people by imperialism. Millions of innocent men and women were murdered by these stooges, but they could not succeed in halting the advances made by the progressive forces. Many progressive governments were established in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

These areas have remained the axis of struggle by the communist and workers’ parties. But the criminal disloyalty of Gorbachev plunged these parties into ideological turmoil. The inner party ideological conflicts weakened these parties.

These forces are re-arraying themselves.

There are greater possibilities of revolution in these regions, in future. The Latin American example is before us. More than half a dozen countries have changed their system through the ballot. Progressive leadership in these countries succeeded in securing the popular vote on the slogans of national independence, democracy, social justice and peace. Successful revolutions in Asia, Africa and Latin America can lead to positive developments in preparing the ground for revolution in the developed countries of Europe and America.

Revolutionary uprisings in Europe and America, in turn can start a spiral of change throughout the entire world. The imperialist countries have forced the vast majorities of populations of underdeveloped countries to live subhuman lives by plundering all the resources belonging to these nations. They have tied to tranquilize their own working class by transferring some benefits of their plunder to them. We must keep in mind Frederich Engels’ writings about British workers. Taking Ireland as an πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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example, we see more chances of revolutionary change in developed countries if the brain-drain from developing countries to developed countries is stopped.

Bank should also be global. In this way cooperation and coordination among communist and workers’ parties may develop in a better way

COMMUNIST AND WORKERS PARTIES UNITY Although communists throughout the entire world are striving for one and the same cause under a common ideology, they lack the coordination which can be seen between imperialist forces. In spite of existing contradictions among them, all imperialist centers are helping the American economy. As a result of the Soviet experience our parties continue to suffer from the fear of domination by one party belonging to a particular country. This fear has remained instrumental in delaying the conversion of international contacts into organization. We now have the best opportunity to shed all confusion from our minds and take practical steps towards the formation of an International.

Imperialism indirectly rules certain regions of strategic importance. Communists, working in these regions have to face state terrorism. Parties of these regions have insufficient financial resources due to very low wages and per capita income. The problems of these parties need special consideration by this conference.

Today we live in a world of globalised capital. The world is one entity today through the workings of multinational organizations. The struggles by workers against the problems raised by these multinational giants should also be fought collectively. The shape of the fight against the economic terrorism of the IMF and World

Long Live Socialism Long Live International Communist Unity

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DEAR COMRADES, I am happy to be in

Communist party of the Russian Federation VIACHESLAV TETEKIN?

Brazil – a country where the Left forces after many years of hard struggle gained enough power to start reversing centuries-old patterns of injustice and social deprivation.

When I think of the role of our host country in global affairs I recall that the most successful trade union project in Russia – an increasingly powerful union of automobile workers – developed under the direct influence of Brazilian trade unions. This is a positive case of globalization or, rather, a display of international workers’ solidarity.

I must inform you, however, that the leader of the Russian autoworkers’ union Alexei Etmanov – who has derived inspiration and practical experience from the “Ford Motor Company” trade union in Brazil – was the victim of two assaults within the last 10 days.

These attacks show that the forces of reaction are not prepared to accept the growing fighting spirit of the working people.

I am not going to dwell on the global crisis of Capitalism. The signs are obvious. The nature and possible consequences of the crisis were brilliantly analysed by comrades from other parties yesterday and today.

I think it more important to inform you of what we – Russian Communists - can do in these circumstances to promote our ideas, to gain political power in order to start the revival of Socialism.

WE IN RUSSIA fully understand our responsibility. It was Russia which since the 1917 Revolution showed the world the first example of Socialist construction. But it was in our country that Socialism suffered a major setback, which led to the destruction of the Soviet Union. So it is our special responsibility to make sure that Russia is back again in the first rank of the countries constructing Socialism. πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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What are the prospects? We believe that the prospects of Socialist revival are certainly there. Of course the global crisis of Capitalism will do a lot to bring about changes in the balance of political forces in Russia. But I would like to dwell on specific conditions in Russia that allow me to make such an optimistic assessment. The current ruling group represents a strategic alliance of the oligarchy and top bureaucracy. It represents the interests of 2-3% of the population.

And despite appearing to be in full control of the country, this ruling group is in trouble.

The reason is that the bourgeois class in Russia now, as in 1917, is failing to solve vital problems facing the country. The free market forces came to power in 1991 promising the people that Capitalism would liberate the productive and intellectual forces of society and thus ensure the very rapid growth of the prosperity of the nation.

People were led to believe by that brainwashing machine know as TV that if they rejected the rule of the Communist Party they would obtain a prosperous life style similar to that of the West European middle class while retaining the advantages of real socialism.

This proved to be lies. The current regime has produced the 2nd largest number of billionaires in the world. On the other hand, it has produced poverty and misery among tens of millions of Russians - a situation unheard of since 1917. Now we are witnessing the collapse of manufacturing industries and agriculture, the destruction of the education and health care systems, growing unemployment and crime, and a lack of cheap housing.

THE RULING CLASS claims that there is political stability in Russia. But this relative stability is based exclusively on an exceptionally favourable combination of economic factors for Mr Putin and his clique. Russia is a major oil producer. And oil prices increased during Putin’s term in office from 18 to 140 dollars a barrel. It was an 8-year long golden rain. Millions of people voted for the class alliance represented by Putin in the hope that this “oiled” prosperity would last forever and they would get crumbs from oligarch’s table.

Now the ruling class in Russia is in crisis.

Oil prices have gone down to 55 dollars a barrel. At the same time oil production in Russia has started to fall. The golden rain has ended. The drought is coming.

The ruling clique in Russia placed the huge superprofits from oil exports – over 500 billion dollars - into American banks, thus failing absolutely to use a unique opportunity to modernize the economy. As a result, they have destroyed the chance to perpetuate their rule. The collapse of the current regime is only a matter of time and circumstances.

I deeply believe that there is no Capitalism in Russia. Capitalism presupposes investment in the means of production.

In Russia for the past two decades there has been no productive investment. The current system in Russia is characterized even by such a staunch imperialist as George Soros as “mafia Capitalism”. The national wealth accumulated by several generations of our predecessors was plundered in a crazy wave of conspicuous consumption. Even now when the world and Russia are facing a πB - 1/2009 communist party of the Russian Federation

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deep crisis, the ruling elite is keen to line their pockets instead of reviving the economy.

But the extent of national wealth is dwindling. Yesterday Putin’s regime was able to give handouts to people, bribing them to close their eyes to disastrous economic and social policies. Tomorrow will they no longer be able to do this.

PEOPLE are already having second thoughts. Millions of people increasingly admit that Communists were right when they exposed the criminal nature of the current political and economic system in Russia.

We have seen this at the presidential elections this March when nearly 20% of voters, despite terrible intimidation and brainwashing, supported Communist Presidential Candidate Comrade Zyuganov.

In fact we received greater support than was officially admitted. It is generally recognized that the ruling group in Russia manipulated the voters and the results of the elections in the most shameful way. In many areas the candidate of the ruling class received up to 95%. In one area he received 102%. It is not only ridiculous. It also shows the lack of confidence of the ruling group.

Our task is to convert the dissatisfaction of the people into the organized action that will end the rule of the exploiting class. It is not an easy task. One particular problem is that of the transition from being a ruling party, which we were until 1991, into an opposition party. This has proved to be a long and painful process. And the social structure of the society is still in transition. The working class has been destroyed by the

policy of deindustrialization. Class-consciousness only comes now when the exploitive nature of the new owners becomes clear. The independent trade unions are weak while the official unions serve workers’ class enemies.

However growing unemployment, cuts in social spending and the general collapse of social services are increasingly raising political awareness among the people. Furthermore, people still have vivid memories of how secure life was in the Soviet Union.

The nation is quietly getting ready for a change. The widespread and primitive anticommunism of the 90s is over. The ruling group has to manipulate the elections because they fear to reveal the real mood of the people. The current decision to prolong the presidential term from 4 to 6 years is yet another sign of insecurity.

One indication of changing tendencies is a national Internet survey entitled “The Symbol of Russia”. Firstly, the 50 most significant national leaders of all time were selected from a list of 500. Then the top 12 were to be selected out of the 50. This is when the organizers realized they were in trouble because, despite two decades of the most dirty daily anticommunist propaganda, Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin inevitably emerged on top. The people recognized them as the most significant historic leaders of the nation.

And the Internet voters are not pensioners. They are the youth and middle aged people. It confirms our observation that at elections we receive the support not of nostalgic veterans but of young, clever and dynamic voters. πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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In conclusion I would like to inform you that we are going to have a party Congress next week. And the main subject of discussion is going to be how to convert the growing moral support of the people into the practical action, how to strengthen and modernize our Party.

CAPITALISM IS A DISMAL FAILURE IN RUSSIA. Russia again, just as one hundred years ago, is a weak link in the chain of Capitalism.

We in Russia have had an opportunity to live both under Socialism and Capitalism.

Now tens of millions of people can compare.

They can make an informed decision. And we know what the historic decision will be.

Russia will inevitably return to Socialism.

There is no doubt of that.

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WOULD IT BE REASONABLE TO RAISE THE

Communist Workers party of Russia Party of communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) VIKTOR TYULKIN

ISSUE of crisis in the international communist movement at present? We think it would, because first, there has been a temporary defeat of socialism in the USSR and Eastern Europe, and, second, despite the fact that virtually every party has attempted to analyse its reasons, the global communist movement has still not come to a common conclusion. Thus, we observe the ongoing confusion and vacillation (as Lenin called it); there are a number of parties and movements which are communist only in name. Based on this, we agree with Greek comrades that it is necessary to develop a clear and agreed position on the ideological and organisational basis of communist politics.

We know from theory — as Lenin emphasised — that right-wing deviation is the most dangerous threat for communists.

Obviously, we keep in mind Stalin’s view that both right-wing and ultra-left deviations are bad and that the one that we underestimate is the worst one. But Lenin also pointed out that the left-wing deviation, or the infantile disorder, arises from impatience, from the augmented intention to solve the questions of revolution and socialist construction quicker, and this kind of disorder is much easier to cure. Opportunism is not just a departure to the right; it is a political cancer with just two outcomes: it either gets cured, or it turns ex-communists into servants of capitalism.

It is worth making the point that this part of theory is known for its reflection in practice — first of all, in the practice of CPSU. Its right-wing deviation, noticeable particularly since the 20th Congress, where the classbased approach and the principle of proletarian dictatorship were disregarded, while the state was described as a non-class popular structure, led to the overt adoption of πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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the decision to switch to the free market and privatisation, i.e. capitalism. Thus it was the CPSU itself that, under the red banner, led the Soviet people to capitalism. This was outlined in the warning message addressed to the 28th Congress of CPSU by the orthodox communists in the Movement of Communist Initiative, in the Minority Resolution. (1,259 votes were cast for this Resolution, 2,012 against, 414 abstained; the total number of votes came to 3,685 with 160 congress delegates abstaining).

The Resolution, in particular, noted: “We find it necessary to warn all Soviet communists: the unreasonable approach to the free market, … the forced application of capitalist methods to solve the problems of socialism will not raise production levels or the living standard; it will cause an inevitable decline, a broad social protest and serious consequences for the people.

The party should not carry out any restructuring that would bring down the living standard for the people.

The Communist Party itself would not survive the impact.”

(Verbatim report on the 28th Congress of CPSU, Bulletin No. 12).

THIS ISSUE OF “MARKET SOCIALIST” politics based on the revisionist position, remains extremely relevant, because there is a chance, we believe, that a number of ruling parties — the Communist Party of China amongst others — could re-enact this infamous part of the CPSU’s history.

As we pointed out, it was the CPSU itself that led the Soviet people back into capital-

ism, and the CPSU itself did not withstand the impact. Strictly speaking, the CPSU was not a communist party by the time of its 28th Congress, nor did it represent the working class or working people’s interests. It remained communist in name only.

This is why the masses did not come out to defend it back in 1991 when Yeltsin imposed a ban on the CPSU. Nonetheless, a harsh ideological struggle was taking place within the CPSU. There were communists who fought with Gorbachev against revisionism, opportunism and rightwing deviations. This struggle, in somewhat different forms, has its continuation today between the currents and parties - those who stand for orthodox Marxism-Leninism on one hand, and those who are continuing the Gorbachev line in its modern form — moving towards, as he called it, a party “new in its essence and name.”

IN RUSSIA the most compact expression of their position is in the motto, “Russia has exhausted its revolutionary capacity.”

As this line follows on logically from the CPSU political line in the era of Gorbachev, these are the representatives of this direction who never like mentioning the 28th Congress of CPSU, the last party congress to take place in the USSR. They hardly ever assess its decisions.

Why is the right-wing deviation so dangerous? Why is it so difficult to combat it, even when it can be easily observed and when the reasons for this current being anti-Marxist are so clear?

This is due to an alliance between exponents of this deviation and bourgeois politiπB - 1/2009 communist workers party of russia party of communists of russia (rkrp-rpc)

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cians and broad government forces.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin noted that the bourgeoisie always supports the opportunist party that is closest in its name and wording to a true revolutionary party. In the struggle against the right-wing deviation, therefore, apart from combating opportunists and revisionists in their ranks, communists must fight against the whole bourgeois class and the government.

LENIN ALSO NOTED — and we understand it as never before — that the bourgeoisie has always used provocateurs to infiltrate communist and workers parties, and will always use them. Today, in contrast to the early 20th Century, the bourgeoisie has a huge experience in this and many more resources, including media, scientific centres, and the special police services and, of course lots of money.

We should be warned about the method of right-wing diversions applied to leftwing parties using official state financial support of political organisations represented in parliaments. This is well seen today in the example of the European Left. We can observe these processes in Russia. The Parliament adopted special legislation earlier in 2009 the government will be paying 20 roubles (around 0.8 USD) yearly for each vote cast for a party). For the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) this will amount to around USD 7 billion a year.

The conditions are similar for the participants of the presidential elections.

OPPORTUNISTS MODIFY the key points in Marxist-Leninist theory concerning the his-

torical mission of the working class under the pretext of overall changes and changes in the economic structure; they reduce the class struggle to the permanent electioneering, and they dismiss real forms of struggle such as strikes, street actions, confrontations etc. as extremism. They regard the working class merely as the electorate.

For instance, in his presidential elections campaign Gennadii Ziuganov, the CPRF leader said: “There are two ways to solve the problem — the ballot paper and the cobble. The CPRF remains a supporter of honest, reputable and fair elections.”

By the way, during his presidency, Vladimir Putin said something along the same lines: “Russia exhausted its capacity for revolutions and civil wars in the 20th Century”; “Communists will either change their programmatic aims and become a regular left-wing party like the parties in Europe, or they will be leaving the political arena.” As we see, in Russia (and in the rest of the world) the bourgeoisie is attempting to make communists follow its rules for party construction. And, we have to admit, it is succeeding in many cases.

The situation described above forces opportunists, who would just stick to parliamentary methods of work in order to get more votes, to fight against orthodox communists, against the radical left, whom they see as their potential competitors at the electoral arena. They are more and more eager to enter any political alliances (especially, in the run-up to elections); the only legitimate form of alliance they see is other organisations’ support in their election campaigns. Effectively, what we observe is that πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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these parties choose, and stick to, a comfortable existence for their organisation and leaders as a parliamentary opposition incorporated into the bourgeois democratic system thus playing an inherent role in guaranteeing the stability of that system.

It is significant that these parties do not divert totally to the right. This phenomenon has been known since the days of the Second International. These parties do not change names; they use progressive slogans and terms; they use what people remember about them, the history of struggle.

This is a major complication and a big danger. If they moved completely to the right, it would be good, as a new, truly revolutionary party would grow in their place, capable of real struggle with the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie has developed an understanding of this danger and so, it gives no option for the opportunists to perform a total conversion to social-democracy.

THE TACTICAL TRICK that comes in hand is the increased use of radical left-wing, revolutionary and communist rhetoric by the opportunists whenever the situation becomes hot or whenever the masses dispute their sincerity. The opportunists proclaim their adherence to communism and quote Marxist-Leninist thinkers.

Mikhail Gorbachev was particularly skilful in this. When a prominent imperialist doubted if reforms were still being carried out in the USSR, Gorbachev replied: “You will have to trust that my political plan is right. How fast I am doing it depends on the current situation.”

Therefore, we find it necessary to con-

clude that we have to stick to speaking out directly, to describe the reality of the situation. It is impossible to avoid “insulting” someone. But this is still the way to go.

Given that the leader of the political party called the Communist Party of Russian Federation tells us that the capacity for revolution has been exhausted, what else could we talk about? Perhaps, we could raise the question of them changing their name.

Given that the representative of the Communist Party of Moldova during our meeting in Athens told us all that they have decided not to use “ism” endings anymore (no capitalism, no socialism!) and that they are constructing a socially-oriented free market, all we can do is to refer to Lenin’s words. Not matter how they are constructing it, they will end up constructing capitalism.

In these examples it would be more honest and correct for these parties to change labels.

A SPECIAL ANALYSIS is required when a communist party supports a progressive left-wing leader, or even a self-proclaimed socialist leader, yet in a bourgeois state (Venezuela, Moldova, Belarus, Cyprus etc.)

There is a danger that we lose the main determining quality of communists — namely, the scientific approach. We cannot just adhere to the position where the whole programme is reduced to supporting the statesman and all his or her actions.

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further, not to lose sight of the movement towards socialism and a classless society.

When the left-wing leaders are wrong, communists must have the courage to criticise them, to propose the better option (or to demand it). We believe that the Communist Party of Venezuela has been absolutely right not to dissolve itself in the United Socialist Party of Venezuela led by Hugo Chavez, having kept its ideological and organisational independence. The complications in the relations between CP of Venezuela and Chavez that followed, confirm that they were right. At the same time we do not believe that the tactics of CPV at the municipal elections were perfect.

We believe that having refused to support some Chavez-promoted candidates, they should not have stood their own candidates, so as to avoid helping the main enemy.

Comrades, as before, we encounter the view that we should not complicate our relations, that if we concentrate our activities at a strictly communist pole of the movement, then our ideological opposites would also polarise. Further, we are told that we have to preserve our collaboration and unity despite our differences, exchange our views and so on.

We agree that the interaction and exchange of views can and should be preserved, but in our view the polarisation is inevitably already taking place. For example, it is taking place in Europe in the process of the setting up of the European Left Party. In the territory of the former USSR there is a polarisation of two currents, the right wing and the left wing -the Union of

Communist Parties around CPRF, on the one hand, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), whose parties are the RCWP-RPC (in Russia), the Socialist Party of Latvia and the Communist Party of Tajikistan.

We are living through a period of deepening capitalist crisis, a situation where different positions at the opposite poles can become apparent. Leninist theory tells us that during crisis the revolutionaries work to make use of the increased tension to intensify the class struggle, while the opportunists aim at damping the class struggle.

The opportunist camp claims that these are global or national difficulties and that everyone should unite to overcome them and to get out of crisis, that it is hard for all, and we should tolerate and work, not attempt to destabilise the situation. We are asked to forget about following an “irresponsible” radical political line. The situation was similar in Russia during the 1998 crisis, when the parliamentary CPRF supported the bourgeois government of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, calling it a “government of public confidence“, sent its representatives into that government and helped to damp the wave of mass protest. The government paid the debt in wages in currency that had devalued by a factor of four. Once the government performed its main task (prevented the mass action), it was dismissed.

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bring the masses into organised struggle to reduce the hardship of exploitation and not to let capital place the entire burden of the crisis onto the working people, while on the other hand it must attempt to get more political freedoms and social guarantees for the working people through organised struggle at a time when the capitalist system is weakened.

Ideally, the crisis can be converted into a revolutionary situation, and communists must work for this to come about, not to avoid this and to substitute this with reconciliation with the ruling class.

Even though emotions may be present in some comrades’ speeches, our stand is completely constructive in character and is directed at removing opportunism from the left-wing movement. Let me remind you of Lenin’s idea. “Struggle against imperialism that is not closely linked with the struggle against opportunism is either an empty phrase or a fraud.” (V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, Volume 27 (The “Disarmament” Slogan))

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FIRST OF ALL I would like to congratulate

Communist party of the peoples of Spain QUIM BOIX

the comrades of the CP of Brazil for the excellent way in which they have fulfilled the challenge of organizing the 10th Meeting and thank them for their fraternal welcome.

I would also like to congratulate the members of the Working Group for the tasks they have fulfilled since our last meeting, which have allowed us to have received in advance of this meeting several collectively written texts.

Finally I would like to convey fraternal greetings from the Central Committee and the militants of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain to the parties present at this meeting.

In order to stick to the time given, I will be briefer in my characterization of the crisis than I had planned, since what I have to say shares much in common with the core of Comrade Echegaray’s speech. This is a multi-faceted global crisis of the system, from the so-called financial crisis, which is nothing other than the bankruptcy of the casino economy, to the speculative economy, which describes more than 80% of international transactions in the capitalist world, to the crisis of the real or productive economy, including the food and energy crises.

But we have be clear that this is not a crisis of the neoliberal model, as some pretend, but a global crisis of the capitalist system, from which neoliberalism is nothing else but its means of expression in the last number of decades. What is being called into question is the model of production and capitalist exploitation itself, not one of its paths of development.

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look on as their oppressive system collapses; they will look for a way out of the crisis, probably increasing their level of barbarism, and that way out will probably mean a higher intervention from the state in its management of the crisis. The state will probably place terrible burdens on the shoulders of workers and the people by legislating for whatever is necessary, including changes in the legal framework, that will enable the continuation of the process of capitalist accumulation and concentration of wealth without hindrance.

And this is why they will accelerate the process of deregulation of labour markets, they will attack the right to collective agreements, they will try to finish with democratic rights, even the formal ones, they will widen their war policies and will try to increase the dependence and subordination of the countries from the so-called third world, mainly those countries with strategic raw materials.

But our duty, the duty of communists today, is to act to avoid or hinder as far as possible that way out and to take advantage of the fact that this crisis makes the darkest side of the exploitative system clear and clarifies its contradictions It is our duty to work towards increasing the consciousness of the working class, strengthening class forces in the trade union organizations, creating broad fronts among the popular, progressive and anticapitalist forces in the course of articulating the World Antiimperialist Front, and recovering the space once lost for communist ideas. We must strengthen our organizations, their interventions and ability to struggle and we must increase our coordination.

IN THIS LAST REGARD, we should take Comrade Iturralde’s words to heart, in that we can not dwell within the realms of theory but have to make practical plans of action in the sphere of coordination and unity of action of the Communist and Workers’ Parties. We salute and support the proposals made by comrade Fernando Remirez, referring to the creation of a web page, to the approval of a political resolution in the next meeting, not just a press statement, and that the issues in the agenda should be more specific and concrete.

We are aware of the different situations existing in the different regions of the world, but we believe it is indispensable to increase levels of regional coordination in order to provide concrete answers from the communist positions to the common problems, faced by the peoples, their workers and the popular strata in the different regions, those problems whose origin has more often than not a supranational character.

Regarding the concrete issue of the unity of action, Comrade Echegaray pointed out that we should use next year, the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, to create around this date actions common to of all of us, thus increasing the value of the concept of communist internationalism. And we would like to make another concrete proposal: the possibility of having a joint statement of the communist parties on the important dates of May 1st and November 7th In our May statement we can return to the foreground the importance of the working class as the revolutionary subject and the necessity of increasing its level of consciousness as an indispensable step towards realising πB - 1/2009 communist party of the peoples of Spain

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the revolutionary transformations that will lead us to socialism; in our statement on the second date, we would vindicate the role of the Bolshevik October Revolution, and the role of communists from all over the world in the struggles for the political, economic and social liberation of the workers and the peoples.

We hope and desire that this 10th Meeting will bring about an important step forward in the coordination of communists from all over the world, and we would like to finish by highlighting that for us the alternatives, socialism or barbarism, are more clear today than ever.

79

Comrades, LONG LIVE SOCIALISM

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THE ROOT OF THE CRISIS - exploitation of

80

Communist party of Sweden ERIK ANDERSON

the working class. The capitalist system has experienced about 30 serious crashes since the mid-19th century. The magnitude of the present crisis is traceable to an unprecedented expansion of credit and financial services, which are obviously closely interrelated. But the crisis itself, like all the others, is rooted in one of the basic contradictions of capitalism – the disparity between the buying power of the working class and the value of the goods and services that are offered for sale.

This disparity in turn results from the accumulation of capital by the owners of the system, as they appropriate the lion’s share of the social surplus by exploiting the working class. Some of this capital is consumed, some is invested, and some is used for speculation together with the fictitious capital generated in the financial-services sector.

Karl Marx described fictitious capital as “money that is thrown into circulation as capital without any material basis in commodities or productive activity”. Speculation is thus a house of cards based only partly on the operation of the real economy, i.e. the production of goods and non-financial services.

The disproportionate accumulation of capital in the hands of the owners has been an integral element of every capitalist crisis.

It is a prime factor in the waves of speculation that precede and sometimes accompany large-scale declines in mass purchasing power.

KARL MARX pointed out that maximizing capital accumulation requires continuous expansion of production, which tends to increase as if there were enough mass purchasing power to absorb it. When the gap between production output and purchasing power becomes great enough, the system crashes. Production has to be reduced, πB - 1/2009 communist party of Sweden

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workers lose their jobs, purchasing power declines even more, and real capital is destroyed. The financial-services sector is rocked by an earthquake. Fictitious capital goes up in smoke. The self-destructive cycle continues until output and purchasing power are roughly in balance, the cycle is reversed, and the system starts to grow again, enabling a restart of speculation.

During the second half of the 19th century purchasing power was augmented repeatedly as new jobs were generated in new industries, and wage increases were achieved by trade-unions. But the crashes recurred nevertheless. After a long depression triggered by a major crash in 1873, new jobs were generated at the turn of the century in Western Europe by armament programs in the run-up to World War 1. The war itself absorbed large numbers of workers and generated large orders for industry.

Shortly after the war ended the British economist John Maynard Keynes said that unless the contradiction between purchasing power and production could be resolved, capitalism would be subject to even bigger and more persistent crashes. He was right. The crash at the end of the 1920s lasted throughout the 1930s, except in Germany, where rearmament and militarization closed the gap.

The Great Depression did not come to an end until the outbreak of World War 2.

For example, unemployment in the US in January 1940 was about 20%, officially. By April 1942, four months after the US entered the war, it was down to 1%.

POST-WAR – GROWTH followed by stagna-

tion. After 1945, a number of factors contributed to creating jobs, augmenting purchasing power, and stimulating growth in the West. These factors included a vigorous expansion of the public sector, with social insurance systems that among other things ensured that unemployed workers retained part of their purchasing power, wage increases achieved by trade unions, the strong expansion of the automotive industry, based on extension of credit to both the working class and the middle class, and the wars in Korea and Vietnam. In Western Europe, public-sector growth, social insurance systems and wage increases resulted from class struggle, with the Soviet Union serving as a benchmark.

But competition between firms requires continuous reductions in production costs.

The relentless drive to increase production efficiency through automation, mechanization and new technologies had a continuous negative effect on the formation of jobs and extension of purchasing power.

Investment in new technologies contributed to reducing profit margins.

Throughout the 1950s and -60s, GDP in the OECD countries grew by 5-6% annually.

But in the early 1970s these rates dropped by about 50%, and have remained low ever since. This is a trend. Figures for specific years may vary. In other words, the capitalist system has been in a state of stagnation for almost 40 years.

THE SOLUTION – CREDIT. As production continued to outstrip purchasing power throughout the 1970s, the bourgeoisie offered a solution in the form of credit - on a πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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scale never seen before. Credit to individuals, both working- and middle-class, to manufacturing firms, to service industries, and to so-called developing countries.

Imperialist expansion and the development of an international network of slave labor also contributed to augmenting purchasing power within the OECD countries, by providing cheaper goods.

Another word for credit is debt. By the end of the 1970s, the capitalist world, including the neo-colonies, was floating on a sea of debt. It was apparent to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Marxist economic theory that the situation was unsustainable.

UNSATISFACTORY PROFITABILITY and over-capacity. The bourgeoisie faced another worrisome problem in the early 1980s. There was an evident contradiction between the mass of accumulated surplus value and profitable opportunities for investment in production. The return on capital employed was too low, and the rate of profit in many sectors was falling.

It should be noted that although profit rates in industry were in decline, in absolute terms the amount of social surplus accumulated by the bourgeoisie continued to grow.

Since the rate of return on industrial investment was not as attractive as it once had been, where could the bourgeoisie find profitable alternatives?

The answer was provided by the rapidly expanding sector for financial services, including the credit market, both domestic and international. Capital began pouring into this sector, which expanded as never be-

fore. By the end of the 1980s financial services accounted for roughly 55% of GDP in the OECD countries. This means that less than half of the reported growth rates refers to the real economy, where goods and nonfinancial services are produced.

Simultaneously, the stagnation in the real economy was reflected in persistent over-capacity. It is not easy to collect accurate figures for all the OECD countries, but indications are that utilization of production capacity has fluctuated between 70-80% since the early 1980s, so that 20-30% of capacity has been unutilized virtually yearround. At the end of the 1990s, Jack Welch, then head of GE in the US, said “We have over-capacity in every sector”.

ECONOMIC AND IDEOLOGICAL CRASH. The symptoms of the crisis in the real economy have thus been evident since the early 1970s. Stagnation, over-capacity, declining real wages for the working class and large sections of the middle class, growing inequality of incomes and wealth throughout the world, continuously increasing unemployment, rapidly increasing poverty worldwide, exponential expansion of credit and speculation. In Western Europe, dismantling of the public sector since the early 1990s has also reduced purchasing power.

The insatiable thirst for accumulating capital requires the working class to earn less money but to buy more goods and services, while the owners of the system accumulate more and more capital. The only way to bridge the gap between declining purchasing power and the need to increase production has been to drive wage-earners πB - 1/2009 communist party of Sweden

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deeper and deeper into debt. For a number of years, the debt burden of the workingand middle-class in the West has exceeded 100% of personal income.

During four decades, persistent tremors have indicated the earthquake to come.

These have included a deep recession in the early 1980s, repeated crashes in stock- and real-estate markets, repeated crises throughout Latin America, bank crises in Western Europe in the early 1990s, the crisis in Japan that began in the early 1990s and continues today, repeated crises in currency markets, the crash in Mexico in 1994, when the Clinton regime organized a bailout of 53 billion dollars to save US investors, the downfall of the so-called tiger economies in 1997, the bursting of the dot-com bubble at the end of the 1990s, and subsequent crashes too numerous to mention.

During all these years, while the real economy was inexorably sliding downhill, the sea of debt was rising and the tremors were becoming more intensive, the high priests of capital chanted the mantra of the mythical self-adjusting, self-balancing market, where an invisible hand ensures the prosperity of all.

We are now witnessing a crash of planetary dimensions, as the real economy collapses and the vast speculative bubble bursts. While demand drops precipitously and unemployment rates accelerate almost daily, the hedge funds that have managed huge amounts of accumulated capital are going through the floor. The waves of bank failures continue. The gigantic derivatives market will implode within the next six months, as will the market for so-called

structured financial instruments. No country within the capitalist system is immune.

There can be no so-called de-coupling.

We are also witnessing an ideological crash that has come as a complete surprise for the high priests of capital. The market mantra is dead. Whatever the high priests may say, the empirical evidence is revealing what Marxists have always known - the disastrous problems of capitalism cannot be solved within the framework of the capitalist system.

There is of course a relatively simple solution for the crisis in the real economy. The capitalists could return to the working class the surplus value that they have appropriated through exploitation. However, the historical record indicates that they are not likely to do so voluntarily.

It appears that in Latin America the brutal realities of capitalism have already driven large numbers of people to start developing the only solution available, which is socialism and the end of exploitation. It remains to be seen whether a strong socialist movement led by Communist parties will emerge in other regions, especially Europe and the US. If it does not, we can expect a continued development of the new and higher form of Fascism that has been emerging simultaneously with the crisis of capitalism over the past forty years.

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THE

84

Syrian communist party AMMAR BAGDACHE

PRESENT CRISIS and Communists’ tasks. First, I would like to express my deepest thanks to the Communist Party of Brazil (PcdoB) for their efforts in organizing the tenth international meeting of communist and workers’ parties. This meeting is taking place in circumstances of harsh economic crisis, shaking the world of capitalism and increasing political, social, and economic contradictions. These contradictions represent the main contradictions of our contemporary world, namely the contradiction between labour and capitalism.

All indications suggest the current crisis is, as the classical Marxists described it properly and precisely, a monotone crisis of overabundant production. That is to say, the deep reason for this crisis is the main contradiction of the capitalist system of production, between the social nature of production and the capitalist form of private possession of property.

Economic crises demonstrate clearly the conflict of the deep contradiction of the capitalist system of production. As Marx said, the contradictions of the capitalist system of production are such that it creates the condition for its own destruction, and even a superficial glance shows that it can never be more than a transitory social form.

In addition, this essential contradiction and the main cause of the crisis can express itself through other factors, such as spontaneity and disorders in the process of reproduction, and the deepening of the contradiction between production and consumption; that’s to say, the fault lies in marketing the gross social product in capitalist society, and this is demonstrated in the contradiction between the production and consumption.

Consequently, this condition has been described precisely in “Anti Duhring” by Friedrich Engels: “The expansion of markets

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is unable to match the expansion of production. The collision becomes inevitable, and as this cannot produce any real solution so long as it does not break in pieces the capitalist mode of production, the collisions become periodic. Capitalist production has begotten another ‘vicious circle’. And through out the crisis, it seems clearly that it cannot stop the contradiction between socialised production and capitalist possession. The mode of production is in rebellion against the mode of exchange, the productive forces are in rebellion against the mode of production which they have outgrown.”

Although the present crisis is essentially a monotone crisis of overproduction, at the same time it is regarded as the strongest world crisis since 1929-1933. In our opinion, this phenomenon is connected, with these two crises having occurred in the circumstances of the prevailing ideas and economic and liberal styles used to manage the economies of the capitalist countries.

ECONOMIC LIBERALISM is a set of opinions on the functioning of the capitalist economy and on economic-political principles, rejecting the interference of state in economic life. This phenomenon has become hegemonic, because of several factors in the centres of world imperialism at the end of the past century. It has been crystallized by way of the “Washington Consensus” of 1989, and it has further tried to impose itself over other countries in the world, by the main instruments of world imperialism: the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and then the World Trade Organization.

The liberal extremist form was imposed

over the developing countries, for securing their full submission, and so that they could be looted by Imperialistic monopolies. The orders of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to the developing countries or abutment countries, as they have been called, were manifested by applying the following means: ■

■

■ ■ ■

■

■ ■

Increase the role of private capital, especially foreign capital, in the economic life of countries.

Reduce government subsidization to energy holders and agricultural production, until this subsidization disappears.

Privatization of the public sector (state sector).

Accumulate the local currency.

Open widely the doors of developing countries’ economies to the movement of capital, from and to the countries.

Reduce government investments in the productive field, up to their being stopped totally.

Freeze the wages of the toiling people and not link them with prices.

Shrink the public expenditure of the state, especially in the social field and dismiss a huge number of employees in the state.

THE LIBERAL ORDER OF MONOPOLY capital finds a local ally, embodied by the Comprador Bourgeoisie, that’s to say that part of the local Bourgeoisie, who serve its interests through promoting the interests of foreign monopolies at the expense of national interests. Experience demonstrates that abutment countries which carry out all πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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liberal economic prescriptions are reduced to complete dependence on foreign capital and these policies terribly weaken and undermine productive fields in those countries. They promote unprecedented class polarization, increase the number of the marginal as well as promote the moral decline of society.

Thus economic liberalism falls is in violent contradiction with the perception of liberty in all its dimensions: in the field of national sovereignty and democratic freedoms, and social rights as well.

In the early of nineteen nineties, Francis Fukayama, expressing American Imperialistic interests, declared the end of history, manifested in the American Globalization model – namely neo liberalism in the economy and neo conservation in politics, which approach the nature of neo fascism.

This position was declared after the collapse of the socialist camp. After some time passed, the discussion of a unipolar world began to fade, but the world is dominated

by American Imperialism charged with a powerful Zionism.

However, the contemporary economic crisis gave a striking hit to all the theoretical bases, not to mention the practical applications, of Neo –Liberalism, this international economic terrorism which leads national economies to destruction and the toiling people to poverty.

One of the ways of solving the crisis is embodied by Fascism and waging aggressive wars. It is true that after the crisis of 1929-1933, fascistic regimes emerged in different countries, and then the Second World War out broke.

Furthermore, the studies of Marxist researchers make clear that the historical experiment in twentieth century proves clearly how the Imperialistic Bourgeoisie in certain times resorts to aggressive fascistic ways in its capacity as the vehicle for a “Preventive Counter Revolution”. And it follows this especially when it appears a danger on the absolute power of monopolizing capital.

Nowadays, aggressive war feature is manifested in US Imperialism, which launches direct wars as in Afghanistan and Iraq, or fuels disputes through puppet regimes and agents as happened and is taking place in the Caucasus and Africa.

This aggressiveness of American Imperialism is immensely connected with its attempt to keep control of strategic locations to plunder the people of the world, in the light of increasing competition from other Imperialistic centers.

Moreover, it is closely related with American Imperialism and world Zionism which is a reactionary racial ideology, practiced with a Fascistic orientation, that represents financial capital interests.

MARXISM – LENINISM ARGUES that whether capitalism may be able to get out of any crisis depends on the results of the crisis. A socialist alternative is possible, as happened during the Great Socialist October Revolution.

ATROCIOUS CRIMES which contemporary Imperialism committed in the countries called the “Third world” vindicate Marx’s description of the Bourgeois system, when he referred to the “absolute hypocrisy and πB - 1/2009 Syrian communist party

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brutality that are inherent to Bourgeois Civilization remain invisible to our eyes, but when moving from the place where they seem respectable, to the colonies, it reveals this about itself.”

Also, the other instrument which is used by the capitalists to get themselves of the crisis, is social democracy. Because: during the time of critical circumstances, the task of social democrats lies in attempting to even out the sharp phenomenon of class struggle between monopolizing capital and the toiling masses. This aim is achieved by making reforms without prejudicing the bases of the capitalist system. In a sense, social democrats perform the role of soothing medicines given to the sick person without healing the disease itself.

Social democrats speak about the rights of minorities, from national rights to sexual rights, but they avoid talking about the issues related with the position of majority, in a word how the toiling masses are persecuted by the financial oligarchy.

As Lenin states, “If any crisis happens, the Bourgeoisie will always help opportunists to suppress the revolutionary part of proletariat. This suppression does not stand against any thing and is carried out by thoroughly illegitimate ways, in military ways”.

All indications of the development of events suggest that there will be increasing conflict between capital and labour, between the Imperialistic countries and the other peoples of the world. Workers’ and communist parties should be meet the tasks of this struggle. That requires reinforcing solidarity and coordination between the world communist movement’s factions un-

der the banner of proletarian internationalism.

We await with pleasure the success of our fraternal parties in their elegant and hard struggle. At the same time, we know that there are a number of parties whose conditions are insecure, and this is because of the poisons of opportunism. As Lenin indicated: ‘’there is an Imperialistic tendency to divide the workers and promote opportunism among them, and to create a state of the transitory disintegration of the workers’ movement’’. Therefore, we are starting completely from the vision of Marxism – Leninism that the successful struggle against Imperialism is to engage with the continuous struggle against opportunism and revisionists.

COMMUNISTS are not alone in their struggle against Imperialism… There are a lot of forces rising against the barbarian policy of contemporary Imperialism. Our task is to strengthen fraternal relations with all the forces of Anti – Imperialism. Syrian Communists are working steadily to further and to establish an Anti – Imperialist International Front. Added to that, our party is engaged in methodical continuous efforts for the promotion of cooperative relationships, in the struggle against the common enemy, with all Anti – Imperialist forces, whether within our country or in the Arab world and at the international level.

Syrian Communists contribute a lot to the patriotic struggle against Imperialism, along with the Syrian people, who confront the aggressive plans and expansionism of US Imperialism and Zionist Israel. Our sloπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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gan is: ‘’ Syria will never ever kneel down ‘’ Dear comrades, Presently, more than ever the prediction of the genius Karl Marx is evidently true: ‘’the concentration of the means of production and the social feature of work come to a point, where they become disharmonized with their capitalist cover, which bursts apart. The time of Capitalist private possession has come to an end. The property of the expropriator is being expropriated’’.

In this critical historical era, the Socialist Revolution is not a only class - social task, but its humanitarian feature also appears more than ever. For the issue must be looked at in the following way: Either Socialism or the annihilation of humanity.

However, the people of the world will have the victory under the great slogan: Workers of the world, Unite!

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It is an honor to be here representing the

Communist party USA LIBERO DELLA PIANA

Communist Party of the United States of America at this important meeting at such a crucial turning point moment in world developments. I want to thank the Communist Party of Brazil for hosting this meeting and for its comradeship and hospitality.

I am coming to this meeting just days after a meeting of our National Committee and just two weeks after the historic Presidential Election is the United States.

The full impact and implications of the election will not be known for some time to come, but our party is clear that the election of Barack Obama represents a decisive setback to the Republican Party and the farright section of the transnational monopolies it represents. This meeting is also just a few weeks after the earthshaking collapse of US financial institutions which has had global implications.

HISTORIC CRISIS. The dramatic and historic collapse of financial systems on Wall Street just weeks before the US Presidential election made clear to all observers that global capitalism is in crisis. Despite the denials of Bush, Sarkozy, and others, the current crisis is not just the result of a few bad eggs, greedy individuals or policy errors. The crisis is the inverse of the massive explosion of wealth due to financialization of markets beginning in the 1970s. Freed from gold and silver standards, markets could expand exponentially and almost instantaneously due to the world communications network.

But now the markets have imploded, bringing down the house of cards.

The housing crisis, which lit the match, continues and shows no sign of ending; credit and money markets are still frozen; the stock market is plummeting and volatile; unemployment is up sharply (and is worse still in the communities of the naπB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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tionally and racially oppressed); poverty is up and wages are down; the value of the dollar is falling sharply compared to other currencies; the level of indebtedness is astronomical and will be difficult to unwind in the near term.

The development of financialization of markets is an objective process, one subject to the boom-and-bust cycle inherent to capitalism, but the recent collapse was fueled by record deregulation in the eight years under Bush. A deregulatory environment and freewheeling in Washington and Wall Street made the crisis bigger and longer lasting.

The crisis led to unprecedented actions by the US government in an attempt to stabilize the system and rescue the banks and their interests. More than $800 billion was allocated for bailing out banks and financial institutions. Recently it was revealed that the US Treasury used billions more to assist other monopoly interests, many unnamed.

Some rightwing ideologues called the bailout “socialism for the rich” or “socialism for the banks.” Our party replied that the bailout was not socialism at all but the political power of the state propping up the socalled “free markets.” Workers around the country were outraged to see Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson’s original bailout plan that handed hundreds of billions of dollars to the Treasury Department to dole out to their cronies and friends in high finance with no string attached – in fact with no Congressional oversight at all.

We join with others in the US calling for economic stimulus targeted at working people, bailout for the country’s cities and

states in crisis. At the same time our demands of nationalizing the banks, of the government taking controlling interest of bailed out companies and other advanced anti-monopoly demands no longer seem so impossible. Mass leaders of unions and community organizations are embracing radical solutions to the crisis. And socialism has reentered the public debate on the direction of the country and the world.

HISTORIC ELECTION. The crisis is not the only historic element to this political moment. The results of our recent Presidential Elections are a repudiation of the policies of the administration of George W. Bush. It reflects a political shift among the US people in a progressive direction. It represents a historic defeat for the ideology and institutions of racism, which has been the main weapon for division of the US working class throughout our history beginning with slavery. It is the culmination of the largest political mobilization of the US labor movement in history.

For the American people, this election will close the door on the eight-year nightmare of anti-democratic extremism of the Bush Administration. It opens the door for winning back many hard-fought gains from the working-class victories of the New Deal, Civil Rights era, etc. The struggle continues, but it continues on higher ground.

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American political life for thirty years. The Program reads, “A major, lasting rebuff to the ultra-right, rendered by the all-people’s front, will represent a qualitative change in the domestic balance of forces.”

We believe this election marks a turning point in that strategic struggle, and that we have begun a transition to a new strategic period, that of curbing monopolies as a whole. This transition period we are in will open the possibilities for new struggles and demands of an anti-monopoly character and opportunities to enact policies that severely curb the power of monopoly as a whole such as nationalizing the banks or auto industry, establishing a national health system, taking big money out of politics, etc.

Despite all of the media distortions and rightwing lies, US voters of every color and race voted for Obama. As the descendent of slaves, I cannot convey to you what it meant to me personally to see a Black man win the White House. The White House itself, the residence of the US presidents, was built with slave labor.

This election shows that our Party’s long-held belief in a growing anti-racist majority has been proven true. It represents a momentous defeat to the foundations of racist ideology: the concepts of white superiority and Black inferiority.

Of course, an Obama victory does not represent a revolutionary change or a socialist revolution. The only ones who claim so were the washed up ideologues of the far right and the commentators on Fox News who also insist he is a Muslim. But it does represent a decisive victory for the US people and the people of the world. It changes

the terrain of struggles in a favorable direction and creates openings for the people’s movements to assert its agenda and win victories.

LATIN AMERICAN DEVELOPMENTS. American communists and progressive people generally are inspired by the great social and political gains that have been won in the past few years.

The overextension of US imperialism in the Middle East and the unity of class and social forces in Latin American countries have led to dramatic national-democratic governments in many countries and counting.

Particularly heroic are the advances of the Venezuelan people in this period, overcoming a US-designed coup d’état. It is clear that the violent threats against these movements from the US and local oligarchs are growing as the regional unity and this Bolivarian process of economic and diplomatic integration continues. We pledge to help defend these gains and the democratic will of the Latin American people. We believe the US working class and people will be very skeptical of any US intervention in the region.

We look forward to a day when the people of all the Americas can live in cooperation and friendship not based on U.S domination, intervention and wars. Already sections of the labor movement are developing relations with Latin American unions, developing international solidarity with the trade unionists in Colombia who face murder and violence from government agents and paramilitaries. And there is today almost unanimity in the US labor movement against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement which has πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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no guarantees for protection of labor, environmental or human rights.

The new US Congress and the chairmanships of key committees also raises possibilities for ending the travel ban to Cuba. The demand by U.S farmers for new food markets, other division in the ruling class over Cuba and the shifting sentiments of the Cuban American community in the US lay the basis also for a renewed struggle to Free the Cuban Five heroes. Reforming relations with Cuba is not going to be the top of the list in Washington going forward, but we must take new initiatives on Cuba in this new moment.

THE BUSH DOCTRINE AND WARS. T he centerpiece of the neo-Conservative agenda was the “Bush Doctrine” a set of foreign policy principles based on preemption, unilateralism and aggression. None of these are new to US foreign policy, but the Bush Administration made them the guiding principles of the U.S role in the world. Bush openly argued for and implemented them.

Bush abrogated international treaties, violated sovereignty with impunity and established with his European allies a policy of extrajudicial extraditions of suspected terrorists, which amount to kidnapping.

Bush and his cronies made torture a matter of policy in US-run prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Cuba and beyond. He suspended habeas corpus, a founding principal of Western jurisprudence. Bush undermined the US Constitution and basic human and civil rights unlike any President in our history.

These policies have helped lead to a crisis of

US hegemony and subsequent splits in the US ruling class. The financial crisis dealt another severe blow to US unilateral super power dominance.

His was not just one of a long series of administrations to sit in the White House.

The Bush Administration was a conservative-totalitarian regime that openly mocked democratic institutions and opened the door to a greater threat of fascism in the US with its corporatism, increase of police powers and appeals to the mob.

The American public increasingly rejects the Bush Doctrine and the fear used to enshrine it. Bush callously used the tragedy of the September 11 2001 terrorist attack to advance a policy of military aggression and global domination for aims of geopolitics, resource control and even narrow self-interested goals. Fear, intimidation and lies were the backbone of the Bush Presidency. But the old tricks are not working as they once did.

It was Obama’s stance against the war in Iraq and his voting record on the funding of the war that helped distinguish him from Senator Hillary Clinton in the primary and mobilized many millions of grassroots activists during the general election. While inconsistent, Obama has articulated the need to end the war and bring home US troops in order to address the urgent needs of the US people. His emphasis on diplomacy and negotiation as a method for resolving conflict is in striking contrast to Bush’s approach.

LABOR AND PEOPLE’S AGENDA. We are leaving a period where the balance of forces in the country and the government was very unfavorable. We had many large setπB - 1/2009 communist party of USA

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backs and defeats with few victories for the working class and people. Now we are entering a period where it is possible to have bigger victories and smaller setbacks.

One result of the elections is that expectations are high. There will be a strong pressure to follow through on promises made during the election and many demands impossible to win in the past will arise again in a new political context.

The main legislative agenda of the labor movement in 2009 is passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. The law, if passed, would make it much easier for workers to join unions in the US by barring the bosses from punishing union activists or those seeking a union. It would reverse decades of draconian restrictions on the right to organize workers. The Employee Free Choice Act, along with a change in the Republican-controlled National labor relations Board will open the way for organizing millions of workers into unions. A poll showed 42 million Americans would join a union if they could, but only about 12% of the U.S workforce is unionized.

The healthcare crisis in the US has made the country look for new radical solutions.

The call for a nationalized system of healthcare has become a mass demand embraced by millions. Even sections of the ruling class and monopoly are looking to nationalized healthcare to restrain runaway healthcare costs.

The US needs a green jobs revolution.

Many organizations and movements—including the unions— are calling for a radical transformation of the U.S economy on the basis of environmental sustainability.

Proposals for massive investment in new “green” technology, the renovation of millions of buildings and homes to reduce greenhouse emissions and other transformative proposals are clearly only possible as government projects. No private corporation would or could take on such an endeavor. A capitalist economy cannot ever be truly sustainable environmentally or otherwise, but the demand advances a key anti-monopoly program and emphasizes the need for a socialist solution. Plus, the future of the planet requires such bold ideas.

As we make the turn from the period of limiting the power of the ultra-right section of monopoly to the period of united front against the monopolies as a whole, opportunities will arise for advancing and winning more advanced demands, anti-monopoly demands. If we underestimate the significance of the new moment, we will miss the chance to win these demands that were not possible when labor and the people’s movement as well as the Left were all on the defensive during ultra-right domination of the country.

SOCIALIST USA. Of course, our ultimate goal and mission is to help usher in a socialist USA. Next year marks the 90th Anniversary of our Party, an organization with a unique and unparalleled history of working-class leadership, rank-and-file organizing, multiracial struggle against racism and international solidarity.

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Party and its ideas in the labor movement, peace movement, other mass movements and among the people as a whole. But anticommunism remains a real barrier to building a bigger, stronger Communist Party USA. A bigger Communist Party is essential to strengthening the working-class movement as a whole and preparing for higher levels of struggle and eventually socialism.

Of course we know that socialism is the only alternative to capitalism, a system that depends of exploiting the many for the

wealth of a few. But we don’t just say socialism is inevitable. We also say socialism is necessary. We need a socialist USA to stop wars of capitalist aggression and to ensure peace in the world, to stop the insane destruction of the environment that imperils human existence. We need a socialist USA because American people need it to solve their urgent problems and fulfill their needs.

We are on the road to socialism and we will get there yet.

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Press release

BY CP OF BRAZIL The 10th International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties has been successfully held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 21-23 of November, 2008, hosted by the Communist Party of Brazil. Sixty-five parties attended from 55 different countries .

Representatives of the parties delivered speeches on the theme of the meeting: “New phenomena in the international framework. Worsening national, social, environmental and interimperialist contradictions and problems. The struggle for peace, democracy, sovereignty, progress and socialism and unity of action of Communist and Workers’ Parties.” The texts of these interventions will be published in full by the host party. The meeting allowed an important exchange of ideas to take place between the parties.

The 10th meeting received a message from the President of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, expressing his “recognition of all your struggles in defence of the workers and the poor” and “your commitment to build a new economic international order”.

The 10th Meeting was held in the midst of a severe crisis of capitalism, a theme that was addressed in all the speeches. Many participants emphasised the structural and systemic nature of the crisis, pointing out that crisis is a characteristic of capitalist development, which in this case has been intensified by the neo-liberal financial policies of recent decades.

The current crisis demonstrates the complete failure and collapse of neo-liberalism, speakers argued, but it does not automatically represent the end of capitalism.

On the contrary, the bourgeoisie is using its political power in the most developed countries to mount a ‘rescue operation’ for their system. But far from making capitalism more virtuous, these policies aim to make workers pay the cost of trying to resolve the system’s intrinsic contradictions.

This severe crisis also explodes the myth that the counter-revolutions of 19891991 represented the final and irreversible triumph of capitalism. It highlights both the limitations of capitalism as a social system and the need to overturn it in a revolutionary way.

About the issue of capitalist crisis the 65 parties adopted the “Proclamation of Sao Paulo”, which states that ‘Socialism is the Alternative’.

Many parties stressed the positive significance of the growing challenge to United States hegemony in the world, noting that humanity has entered a stage of reinvigorated anti-imperialist struggle for the independence, development and social progress of people and nations. In this regard some parties noted the importance of emergence of new coalitions of developing countries, like IBSA (trilateral forum among India, Brazil and South Africa) and the regular meetings of BRIC’s (Brazil, Russia, India, China) as expressions of a reinvigorated south-south relationship.

For all the Communist and Workers Parties present, the crisis reinforces the need to bring forward the issue of the transition to socialism, and to intensify the battle of ideas among the people at a time when the limits of capitalism are exposed for all to see. πB - 1/2009 www.solidnet.org

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The parties present also stressed the symbolic importance of holding their annual meeting in Latin America for the first time, underscoring the internationalization of the process of annual meetings, and taking into account that this region has become a pole of anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist resistance.

The 10th Meeting adopted a declaration of ‘Solidarity with the Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean’, welcoming the popular struggles and the recent victories achieved across the continent by democratic, progressive and anti-imperialist forces, including the Communists.

The participants of the meeting expressed their strong preoccupation about the explosive situation in the Middle East caused by the plans of the imperialism to reshape the region, the occupation of Iraq and the continuous oppression of Israel against the Palestinian people. The parties called the attention especially about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that the Israeli siege causes and demanded the end of the siege, as well as the elimination of the racist wall and the Israeli settlements.

The participants decided to promote a series of joint actions, like: initiatives about the capitalist crisis; Solidarity Campaigns with Cuba on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution; anti-NATO initiatives on the occasion of the 60 years since its foundation; actions of solidarity with Palestine, including visits of delegations to Gaza.

Over the weekend, the delegates of the 65 Communist and Workers Parties took part in a public rally in solidarity with the

struggle of the Latin American people.

There, they had the opportunity to attend, along with the Brazilian communist militants, the contributions of representatives

by Latin America’s progressive political and social movements and reiterate their internationalist solidarity.

Sao Paulo, November 23rd, 2008

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Sao Paulo Proclamation SOCIALISM IS THE ALTERNATIVE world is facing a grave economic The and financial crisis of large proportions. A capitalist crisis, which cannot be dissociated from its own nature and from its unsolvable contradictions, that is probably the gravest crisis since the Great Depression commenced by the 1929 crash. As always the workers and the people are the main victim.

The current crisis is an expression of a deeper crisis intrinsic to the capitalist system which demonstrates the Capitalism’s historical limits and the need for its revolutionary overthrow. The current crisis also poses an enormous threat of social and democratic regression and provides, as History has shown, a basis for authoritarian and militarist movements that demand more vigilance from the communist parties and all democratic and anti-imperialist forces.

While billions of public resources are mobilized to save those responsible for this crisis – big capital, high finance and speculators – workers, small farmers, middle strata and all those who work for a living are suffocating under the weight of monopolies and will experience still more exploitation, unemployment, lower wages and pensions, insecurity, hunger and poverty.

Powerful ideological diversionary campaigns are seeking to conceal the true origins of the crisis and to block the way to solutions that would be in the interests of the popular masses, which favor a new balance of power, a new international order in favor of popular forces, international solidarity and friendship among peoples. The main capitalist powers, starting with the USA, the European Union and Japan, by means of the

international organizations under their rule – the IMF, World Bank, European Central Bank, NATO and others – and also manipulating the UN to suit their needs, are frantically working on “solutions”, which are themselves the seeds for new crises, and are attempting to rescue the system in the short term and reinforce the mechanisms of imperialist exploitation and oppression.

Resorting to scapegoats and insisting on false and failed options for “regulation”, “humanization” and the “reform” of capitalism, they seek to change appearances while keeping things to the same. The parties supporting Capital hastily accepted the dogmas of the “Washington Consensus” that has fed the brutal speculative financing of economy. Social-democracy, disguising its compliance with neo-liberalism and its transformation into a pillar of imperialism, attempts a belated return to Keynesiantype “regulation” that leaves intact the class nature of power and the relations of property, seeking precisely to avoid affirming the revolutionary alternatives for the workers and the peoples.

But that perspective is not inevitable.

As other moments in history have shown, the workers and the peoples, if united, can determine the course of economic, social and political events, squeeze important concessions out of big capital in the interests of the masses, curb advances towards fascism and war and open the path to deep transformations of a progressive and even revolutionary character.

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and complex moments in history; an economic global crisis that simultaneously coincides with an energy and food crisis and a serious environmental crisis; a world of deep injustices and inequalities, wars and conflicts. The scene is of an historic crossroads, in which two contradictory tendencies are being manifested – on one side lie great dangers to peace, to sovereignty, democracy, to peoples and workers’ rights and on the other side lie immense potential for struggles and the advance of the cause of emancipation of workers and peoples, the cause of social progress and peace, the cause of socialism and communism.

The Communist and Workers’ Parties that gathered at their 10th Meeting held in Sao Paulo salute the popular struggles emerging across the world against imperialist exploitation and oppression, against the increasing attacks on the historical achievements of the labor movement, against the militarist and anti-democratic offensive of imperialism.

Emphasizing that the neo-liberalism’s bankruptcy represents not only the failure of a policy of management of capitalism but the failure of capitalism itself, and confident of the superiority of the communist ideals and project, we affirm that the answer to the emancipatory aspirations of workers and peoples can only be found in the rupture with the power of big capital, with the imperialist blocs and alliances, and through deep transformations of a liberating and anti-monopolist character.

With the conviction that socialism is the alternative, the road to a real and total independence of peoples, the way to affirm

workers` rights and the only way to put an end to the destructive crises of capitalism, we call upon the working class, the workers and the peoples across the world to join the cause of communists and revolutionaries and, united around their class interests and fair aspirations, to take in their own hands the building of a future of prosperity, justice and peace for Humankind. In this sense, conditions emerge for the convergence of the peoples’ struggles and resistances in an broad movement against the capitalist policies applied in the crisis and the imperialist aggressions that threaten peace.

Certain of the possibility of another world, a world that is free from class exploitation and the oppression of capital, we declare our commitment to continue the historical path to building a new society free from class exploitation and oppression that is Socialism.

Sao Paulo, November 23rd, 2008

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Solidarity statements RESOLUTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 10th Communist and Workers’ The Parties Meeting, being held for the first time in Latin America, welcomes and congratulates all Communist and Workers’ Parties and all democratic, progressive, popular and anti-imperialist regional forces united and strengthened in popular struggle and in the gains made during the last decade. These advances have made this part of the world one of the outstanding centers of anti-imperialist resistance, setting the scene for the development of alternatives to imperialist hegemony and for further victories in the fight for democracy, national sovereignty and social progress.

In a situation where finance capital continues to wage a big neo-liberal, imperialist offensive around the world, where capitalism’s economic and financial crisis intensifies, US hegemony faces a mounting challenge from wider sections of the people, with Latin America and the Caribbean occupying a political conjuncture of rising levels of popular struggle.

In this region, outstanding political victories have been achieved through popular and social resistance, which takes place in different ways and uses a range of different means to fight imperialist domination and the neo-liberal offensive. Many of these experiences have resulted in an upsurge of democratic, progressive, popular and antiimperialist forces and national governments, among which are Communist and Workers Parties that claim the transition to socialism as their goal.

The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are protesting against an unequal and exclusive system. Indeed, this re-

gion is one of the most unequal on Earth.

More than 200 million poor people do not have the basic resources with which to survive, while new centers of conspicuous and luxurious consumption develop alongside them. In this region, as in the whole world, unequal development takes place, which is polluting the planet and destroying its nonrenewable energy resources.

The harsh consequences of the antipeople policies pursued by imperialist governments to meet the interests of monopoly capital, together with the deep crisis engulfing many nations, are the strongest factors, which compel a decisive response from the peoples.

The very existence of socialist Cuba and its successful repudiation of imperialist provocations and aggression have been of fundamental importance to the development of other peoples’ resistance. Its example kept hope alive and highlighted the real fighting alternative - Socialism - to capitalist barbarity.

The forces that constitute these processes have different strategic goals, different strengths and different particularities arising from their social, national and historical backgrounds. But they also plan for the achievement of shared goals such as the strengthening of national sovereignty, social and economic development, democratization of the state, the creation of new democratic constitutions, the encouragement of popular participation and the adoption of politics which promote the well-being of the majority, especially of the workers.

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tant role in promoting the struggle for progressive transformations. The organization and mobilization of workers, young people, students, peasants, Indians and women, among others, is being broadened and strengthened, as they take the lead opposing and resisting the plunder of resources, privatization, corruption, environmental degradation and other serious problems of our time.

Under these circumstances, there is a higher-level search for a new regional integration which is independent and unique, developing complementary mechanisms from Mercosur and Unasur (the Union of South American Nations) – alliances that try to bolster an independent geopolitical and economic pole in Latin America – to ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America and the Caribbean) – which is characterized by its clear anti-imperialist content. Also noteworthy are other initiatives which help promote Latin American and Caribbean integration, such as the Mercosur Parliament, the Bank of the South, the South American Defense Council – in direct opposition to the reactivation of the US Fourth Fleet – the Energy Council of South America and Petrocaribe, the Telesur network, among other instruments. As a whole, those are movements and organizations, which, to a greater or lesser extent, objectively offer resistance to the neo-liberal model and hegemony. As such they may contribute to the resistance to US imperialism and its plans such as resuscitation of the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas), the defeat of which represented a great achievement in the current stage of progressive and anti-imperialist evolution in Latin America.

These processes are objectively contradictory and are not free from impediments and even temporary setbacks. The rise of national governments within the context of liberal democracy does not mean the automatic achievement of political power, which is a task of revolutionary proportions, especially considering the strong reaction of US imperialism allied to an endogenous right-wing which seeks to promote neo-liberal policies, coups, secessions, unbalanced free trade agreements and the militarization of the region.

As regards the affirmation of individual, national and regional courses of action, we state that the greater the breadth and depth of the action – in a democratic and popular sense – the closer it will approximate to the goal of leading to a new society.

The Communist Parties study the important experiences of the anti-imperialist struggles of the Latin American people, taking into account the actual concrete political and historical conditions. The communists don’t resort to imitation, but they learn from the positive and negative experiences of revolutionary struggles and creatively apply those lessons to the specific conditions of each country.

The Communist and Workers parties are essential to the struggle for socialism. We totally support our fraternal parties of Latin America in their commitment to the democratic, popular and anti-imperialist revolution and in their efforts to rally all revolutionary forces, respecting the sovereignty and independence of each process.

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lessons from past experiences, and in particular those which can be generalized, bearing in mind their limits and shortcomings. It will be bolstered by the advanced thinking which accompanies the trajectory of each people in the class struggle, and which assumes material force in the unity of a political and social majority convinced of the superiority of socialism over capitalism, where the proletariat and its allies plays the leading role.

The 10th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ parties expresses its resolute support for and solidarity with the fair and noble causes for which the peoples in the region fight, and extends its internationalist solidarity to all the anti-imperialist forces, particularly to the communist parties and other revolutionary forces, for a Latin America and a Caribbean free from every form of external domination, for a region that will be politically unified and economically and socially integrated to fully benefit its peoples, for true national and social emancipation. With that objective, the Parties gathered in our meeting emphatically condemn destabilizing actions orchestrated and executed by North American imperialism and its allies with the support of national oligarchies in each country in order to curb the advance of progressive and revolutionary movements in the region and prevent the fulfillment of the will of the peoples.

At this moment when humanity finds itself in one of the most difficult periods of its history, characterized by deep inequalities and injustices, wars and conflicts, in a situation aggravated by the present financial and economic crisis of capitalism which is sys-

temic and global, and by the energy, environmental and food crises, we declare our revolutionary optimism and our hope that the new developing Latin American and Caribbean outlook affirms socialism as the most advanced solution for the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and for all humanity.

Sao Paulo, November 23rd, 2008

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MOTION IN SOLIDARITY TO THE COLOMBIAN PEOPLE

The parties congregated in Sao Paulo,

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Brazil, in the 10th International Meeting of Communist and Labor Parties declare its solidarity to the Colombian people and its firm adhesion to the peace flag and the negotiated political solutions for the armed conflict that has for decades devastated this country. Express it’s support to the humanitarian exchange to liberate the people that is in the power of the insurgency and of the political prisoners.

The 10th Meeting declares its deep repudiation to the right wing government of Alvaro Uribe. The Uribe’s attitude towards the conflict that lasts more than four decades is, on one hand, the absolute refuse to dialogue and to negotiate and, in the other hand, a frustrate attempt to decide it in any way and at any cost by the military way. Under the pretext of the antiterrorist war it has promoted the attempt of physical elimination of the rebellious forces and at the same time neutralization and intimidation of the other popular and democratic Colombian forces. The opposition and several of its deputies, journalists and activists, is under judicial oppression. It is very serious the massive violation of Human Rights, with cases of torture, threats, forced disappearances and executions that paramilitary commanders make appear as enemies killed in combat. Four hundred seventy-four trade unionist have been killed during nearly seven years of the Uribe_s government.

In the rural area, the conflict provoked hundreds of thousands of displacements, sending people to the peripheries of the great cities and to the exile in the exterior.

The workers are those who suffer more with

this politics of repression, internationally condemned in the cases of the Indigenous National Minga and the strike of the cane sugar workers, whose derived effects intensify the unemployment, high prices and the working precariousness.

The “hard line” politics of the Colombian ultra-right-wing taken in the last six years – materialized in the Colombia and Patriota Plans, sponsored and financed by the Clinton and Bush governments - instead of resolving the conflict by the military way, prolonged the plan to justify the growing military intervention of the US in Latin America and integrate, unconstitutionally, the whole society in the internal war and try to extend it to the border line countries. We stress here the great isolation of Uribe and his mentor, Bush, with the repudiation of our peoples against the politics of preventive war in Latin America.

More than ever it is necessary to support the Colombian people struggle for national and social liberation and for democratic peace that rally broad sectors of the Colombian society. The 10th International Meeting express it_s support to the letters exchanged between the Colombian intellectuals and other personalities with FARC, as a way of open communication in favor of the peace. The negotiated political solutions demands the commitment, following and facilitation of the democratic forces and friend governments in the continent and in the world to open ways for the necessary peace, the self-determination, the progress and democratic and social deep changes.

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THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Workers’ Party of Belgium Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil Communist Party of Britain Communist Party of Chile Colombian Communist Party AKEL, Cyprus Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Equador Communist Party of Finland German Communist Party Communist Party of Greece Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Workers’ Party of Ireland Party of the Italian Communists Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Laos Communist Party of Latvia Communist Party of Luxembourg

Party of the Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of Mexico Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Communist Party of Norway Palestinian People’s Party Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru– Patria Roja Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Party of the Russian Federation Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) New Communist Party of Yugoslavia South African Communist Party Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden Communist Party of Turkey Union of Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party, USA Communist Party of Venezuela

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RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE KOREAN PEOPLE STRUGGLE TO SAFEGUARD AND DEVELOP THE SOCIALIST CAUSE

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Nowadays Korean people are strong-

ly executing an anti-imperialist struggle with the correct direction and subject to realize the socialist cause. In the middle of a complicated international landscape United States implements an open aggression and intervention against sovereign countries.

It is clear today that Korean People cannot safeguard its country sovereign and national dignity with no use of a defensive military power, eventually defying Imperialism and advancing on the Socialist cause, the humanity ideal.

On the latest years, priority is given to the original comrade Kim Jong II military policy directives to reach vertiginous development on every socialist construction fields under the Korean Workers’ Party Direction. Based on the united power between people and Army, military strategy is of great importance to the National State activity and development. The Revolutionary

Army is the main force to build a new society. Korean People is reaching great success in the struggle to empower auto defense and military power, as well as, to reactivate national economy and to accelerate an independent country reunification.

Science reflects the popular masses independent will, therefore, the victory of the Socialism cause is inevitable.

Considering to support actively and to manifest solidarity to the revolutionary cause, military priority is an important factor to safeguard the independent anti-imperialist and socialist cause all over the world.

The participants of the 10th Communists and Workers’ Parties International Meeting present its support and solidarity to the Korean People struggle under the Korean Workers’ Party direction towards building a great and prosperous socialist potency, as well as, to realize an independent and peaceful homeland reunification.

THE PARTIES PADS, Algeria Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Chile Colombian Communist Party Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party in Denmark Workers’ Party of Korea Hungarian Communist Workers Party Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Italian Communists Socialist Party of Latvia Party of Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of Mexico Communist Party of Nepal (UML)

Communist Party of Norway Palestinian Communist Party Palestinian People’s Party Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – ‘Patria Roja’ Peruvian Communist Party Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela πB - 1/2009 solidarity statements

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RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN THE CRIMINAL BLOCKADE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST CUBA

The Bush administration has carried

out a toughening of the policy of blockading Cuba and has undertaken irrational actions of persecuting government entities, companies, banking institutions and citizens of third countries.

The direct accumulated economic damages to the Cuban people until December 2007, as a result of the introduction of the economic, commercial and financial blockade by the United States against Cuba, exceeds 93 billion dollars, according to conservative estimates.

One must add to that figure more than 54 billion dollars caused by aggressions and terrorist acts perpetrated by the US government and their mercenary agents against the Cuban nation during almost half a century.

As part of their strategy to bring the Cuban people to their knees by hunger and disease, and thereby overthrow the Revolution, subversive plans against the Island and campaigns of disinformation, on international levels, to try to achieve the country’s isolation have been intensified.

The blockade is the main obstacle to the development and well-being of Cubans and constitutes a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the rights of an entire people.

The United States continues to ignore, with arrogance and contempt, the continuous resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly, which cry out, almost unanimously, for the lifting of this genocidal blockade.

The Cuban people will never renounce the defence of their Revolution and they will continue advancing in the enjoyment of their freedom and independence. No matter what obstacles and limitations they have to overcome. The will to resist of Cuban men and women is steadfast. The Cuban nation will continue working in sovereignty and tirelessly to deepen the aims of justice, equity and solidarity that uphold their Revolution.

We demand, with renewed vigour, the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States.

THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Workers’ Party of Belgium Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB Communist Party of Britain Communist Party of Chile Progressive Party of the Working People AKEL Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia Communist Party of Denmark

Communist Party of Ecuador Communist Party of Finland German Communist Party Communist Party of Greece Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Italian Communists Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Communist Party de Luxemburg

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Party of Communists Partido Popular Socialista de México Communist Party of Nepal (UML) New Communist Party of Netherlands Communist Party of Norway Palestinian Communist Party Palestinian People’s Party Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of

Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia South African Communist Party Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Union of the Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of USA Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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RESOLUTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE FIVE HEROES IMPRISONED BY THE EMPIRE

September 12th marked ten years of

the unfair incarceration of the Five Cuban heroes in the US prisons. After a rigged up trial, these brave comrades were convicted to serve four life sentences plus 77 years of imprisonment for having fought the terrorism that, with absolute impunity, is generated in the US territory against Cuba.

Throughout all these years, the Five have endured solitary confinement and been submitted to psychological pressures of every sort. The US government has imposed restrictions on their right to receive regular visits from their relatives. In particular, they have denied visas for two of their wives, Olga and Adriana, who have never been able to visit René and Gerardo in the last 8 and 10 years respectively.

Added to this is the delay in the legal process against the Five, who have been deprived from a fair, expeditious and impartial trial, as has been established by international law and the US Constitution itself. This was recognized by a Panel of three judges of the Court of Appeals of Atlanta, which vacated the sentences and ruled the celebration of a new trial, a decision that was later on revoked by that Court’s plenary.

On June 2008, another Panel of Three Judges of the Court of Appeals of the 11th Circuit ratified the convictions on all charges.

However, while recognizing that no espionage crime was committed, they ordered a resentencing trial for three of the comrades.

The Court of Appeals rejected the sentence review appeal lodged by the defense.

Thus, the only legal option left would be a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States to reconsider the case, which will mark the beginning of a new stage in the struggle for their release.

During all these years, the US government has ignored the claim for justice demanded by the UN and other international agencies, such as the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the Human Rights Council, as well as parliamentarians, intellectuals, Nobel Prize laureates, religious and human rights organizations and lawyers from all over the world.

That attitude ratifies that we are in the middle of a political battle, and that all actions are crucial to increase international pressure on this process so that justice is finally done in the case of these five Cubans.

For all of the above, communist and worker’s parties from all over the world ratify their solidarity with Gerardo, Rene, Raman, Fernando and Antonio and call for their immediate release.

The parties firmed, together in the 10th International Meeting of Communist and Worker’s Parties: Our solidarity to the Cuban people and their Socialist Revolution; Be compromised to continue the solidarity and support for Cuba because of the effects of economical sanction, now increased by the consequences of the natural disasters that the country was victim; We demand with renovated strength, the end of economical, commercial and financial sanctions by the United States Government.

THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Workers’ Party of Belgium

Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB

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Communist Party of Britain Communist Party of Bulgaria Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Chile Colombian Communist Party Communist Party of de Cuba Progressive Party of the Working People AKEL Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Finland German Communist Party Communist Party of Greece Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Communist Refoundation Party of the Italian Communists Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Lebanese Communist Party Communist Party de Luxemburg

Party of Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of Mexico Communist Party of Nepal (UML) New Communist Party of Netherlands Communist Party of Norway Palestinian Communist Party Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – ‘Patria Roja’ Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Party of the Russian Federation Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) New Communist Party of Yugoslavia South African Communist Party Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Communist Party of Turkey Communist Party of USA Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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STOP POLITICAL REPRESSION IN GEORGIA

Georgia under US-imposed President

Saakashvili has become a puppet militarizes state that serves the interests of American imperialism. Georgian troops participate in the colonial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Saakashvili is prepared to convert Georgia in a NATO military base for attacks against neighboring countries including Russia and Iran.

The pro-American foreign policy is accompanied y repressive and a viciously antiCommunist domestic polices. Hundreds of member and activists of the Unified Communist Party of Georgia have been detained over the last several years. Dozens were assaulted, 8 comrades were condemned to long prison sentences, 4 party activists disappeared after being kidnapped, Party leaders have to seek refuge abroad. Thus behind the curtain of Westernstyle democracy and unknown to the world the Saakashvili regime is practicing the worst example of dictatorship.

In a desperate attempt to erase en the memory of the Soviet Union in Georgia he recently declared his intention o destroy the world famous monument to Josef Stalin in the Stalin’s native city of Gori. If this happens it will be a worst case of political barbarism imaginable. The monument survived many previous attempts to destroy it.

The people of Gori have defended it courageously. But now President Saakashvili is not only going to destroy it but even to transform the nearby Stalin Museum in a museum of the “Russian occupation”.

We strongly condemn the repressive policy of the President Saakashvili, call for an immediate release of the political prisoners and freedom of activities for all political parties in Georgia, including the Communist Party.

We equally strongly condemn Mr. Saakashvili’s intention to destroy the monument to one on the most outstanding political leaders of the XX Century. Comrade Stalin and demand that such criminal plans be dropped.

THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Communist Party of Bolivia Communist Party of Belarus Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB Communist Party of Bulgaria Communist Party of Chile Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Greece Unified Communist Party of Georgia Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Lebanese Communist Party Party of Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of México Communist Party of Nepal (UML)

Communist Party of Norway Palestinian Communist Party Palestinian People’s Party Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – ‘Patria Roja’ Peruvian Communist Party Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Communist Party of Turkey Union of the Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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AGAINST THE IMPERIALIST THREATS AND FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN THE REGION AND IN IRAN

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the undersigned parties and or We, ganisations, participants at the 10th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties held 21-23 November 2008 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, express our grave concern about the continued military presence of US imperialism and its allies in the Middle East region and the continued US military build up in the Persian Gulf region and the continuation of the US militaristic and hegemonic stance in its conflict with Iran. George Bush, and his policies that were resoundingly rejected by the American people in the recent US elections, continues with its war mongering policies and in recent weeks has renewed the “emergency measures against Iran”. We believe that the US policy towards Iran in the past 8 years, as well as the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and threats towards Syria are all part and parcel of the US plans for the entire “Greater Middle East” and is aimed at securing the hegemony of the US over the region’s extensive energy resources.

The current atmosphere of tension with Imperialism as well as the US interventionist policies towards Iran is being exploited by the Iranian theocratic regime to justify and extend its suppression of progressive forces,

trade unions, women and youth and student movements. These same movements are crucial parts of the emerging movement for peace and social justice in Iran. We note with concern also the deterioration of human rights situation in Iran over the recent months. We have received reports of fresh attacks against the activists of women movement over the past few weeks.

We declare our commitment to campaign that the new incoming US administration, abandons the Bush aggressive policies towards Iran and adopts a new policy based on negotiations and non-interference. We once again express our total opposition to any military attack against Iran by the US, the EU or Israel.

The future direction of developments in Iran should be decided only by the people of Iran and no one else.

We call for the elimination of all nuclear weapons in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, strict observance of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and declaring the region a nuclear weapons free zone.

We declare our solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people for peace, democracy, human rights and social justice.

THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Communist Party of Argentina Communist Party of Belarus Workers’ Party of Belgium Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB

Communist Party of Britain Communist Party of Bulgaria Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Chile Colombian Communist Party Progressive Party of the Working People AKEL Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia Communist Party of Denmark

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Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Ecuador Communist Party of Finland Unified Communist Party of Georgia German Communist Party Communist Party of Greece Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (Marxist) Iraqi Communist Party Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Communist Refoundation Party of the Italian Communists Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Lebanese Communist Party Communist Party de Luxemburg Party of Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of Mexico Communist Party of Nepal (UML) New Communist Party of Netherlands Communist Party of Norway

Palestinian Communist Party Palestinian People’s Party Party of People of Panama Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – ‘‘Patria Roja’’ Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia South African Communist Party Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Communist Party of Turkey Communist Party of Ukraine Union of the Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of USA Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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KOSOVO RESOLUTION

The communist and worker’s parties

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of the world at their conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil (21 -23, November, 2008) are convinced that the unilateral declaration and recognition of Kosovo as a separate country and its recognition as a state by some countries is a grave violation of the UN charter and contrary to international agreements.

This is a dangerous action which could trigger a chain reaction in many parts of the world and will increase the danger of the conflicts.

Kosovo is an integral part of the Republic of Serbia. All the people in its territory, Albanian, Serbs, Roman and others, have to live in peace, equality and friendship.

THE PARTIES PADS, Algeria Workers’ Party of Belgium Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil Communist Party of Bulgaria Communist Party of Chile Progressive Party of the Working People – AKEL Communist Party of Greece Communist Party of Ireland Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Italian Communists

Socialist Party of Latvia Party of Communists, Mexico Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden Communist Party of USA Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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MOTION ON THE BICENTENNIAL OF INDEPENDENCE IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2009 begin to take place two From hundred years of struggles for independence of peoples in Latin American and Caribbean region. Haiti, process advance and heroic, has commemorated its own in 2004.

Even with its historical limitations, the struggles, mass actions and wars for independence have represented the first anticolonial movement of the modern world that gave a death blow to the old Spanish empire, promoting the rise and expansion of nascent capitalism. Also, put at the scene of fighting and the interests of new social forces, conquered, after several years, the end of slavery and introducing into the culture notions of human rights, political freedom, equality, democracy and republicanism that are part of the traditions of struggle of peoples.

The figures of Bolivar, San Martin, Morelos, O’Higgins, Artigas, Santacruz, among others, were the example that were later picked by Marti, Maximo Gomez and the heroes of Puerto Rico and other nations that have confronted the dawn of neo-colonialism and imperialism.

This bicentennial celebration takes on a new content. In the context of the current capitalist crisis has to be the scene of the battle of ideas by “a second and definitive independence.”

It puts, nowadays, the theme of human emancipation in the face of dehumanization imposed by capitalism, and the threat of global extinction. The Communists ideas are which may offer an outlook for future with the legacy of the libertarian struggles of the past and the revolutionary tasks of the present.

The socialist alternative to the crisis of capitalism on the continent is only viable in the framework of the unity and integration of the Latin American and Caribbean, on the basis of justice, sovereignty and dignity.

The Communists put their efforts and commitment to make the Bicentennial a new moment of the debate on human emancipation, the anti-imperialism, the overcoming of capitalism and the ultimate realization of socialism, from the angle of workers and peoples.

THE PARTIES PADS, Algeria Belgium - Workers’ Party of Belgium Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Chile AKEL, Cyprus Colombian Communist Party Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Communist Party, USA Communist Party of Finland

New Communist Party of the Netherlands Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Workers’ Party of Ireland Party of the Communist Refoundation Party of the Italian Communists Partido Popular Revolucion_rio do Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Party of the Communists, Mexico Popular Socialist Party of Mexico Communist Party of Norway Palestinian Communist Party Palestian People’s Party Communist Party of Pakistan

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Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – Patria Roja Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia

Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden Communist Party of Turkey Union of the Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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MOTION FOR THE RIGHTS OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE 10th International Meeting of The Communist and Workers’ Parties, that has taken place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from November 21 to 23, declares total support to the struggle of the Palestinian people who faces the occupation of his lands by Israel trough a cruel action, declares fair and legal this struggle of the Palestinian people, considering the occupation a violation of the international laws. This action is a danger to the world peace and, because of this, communist and workers’ parties declares that: 1. We are beside the national rights of the Palestinian people, of the self-determination and the right of building an independent state, defending the end of the occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel, since 1967, including Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, as said in the resolution 242 and resolution 338. In the same way, support the resolution 194, which states the return of the Palestinian refugees.

2. We claim the unification of the Palestinian forces, becoming urgent their meeting.

3. The nearer countries from Palestine

must unify themselves for the freedom of Gaza Strip and against the division of the cities, to they become as they were in the beginning.

4. Condemned the barriers that are been build by Israel to divide the occupied cities. Do not accept the stealing of the Palestinian occupied lands and condemned the racism of the division wall, witch Israel builds in the Palestinian occupied territories and deny the policy of the assentments that convert Palestinian land into Israeli’s. Considering that Israel praticies an policy against the resolutions of the international government and the Haia Court.

5. Support the invitation of the Palestinian’s Peoples Communist Party to join a committee of communist and workers parties from all parts of the world to watch closely the resistence of the Palestinian people and control the international activities in this meaning. This committee must support and visit the occupied territories.

THE PARTIES Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, PADS Workers’ Party of Belgium Communist Party of Bolivia Brazilian Communist Party Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB Communist Party of Britain Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Chile Colombian Communist Party Progressive Party of the Working People AKEL Communist Party of Denmark Communist Party in Denmark German Communist Party

Communist Party of Greece Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party Communist Party of India Tudeh Party of Iran Communist Party of Ireland Worker’s Party of Ireland Party of the Italian Communists Popular Revolutionary Party of Laos Socialist Party of Latvia Lebanese Communist Party Communist Party de Luxemburg Party of Communists Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Communist Party of Norway Palestinian People’s Party

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Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguayan Communist Party Communist Party of Peru – ‘Patria Roja’ Peruvian Communist Party Portuguese Communist Party Communist Workers Party of Russia-Party of Communists of Russia (RKRP-RPC) Communist Party of the Russian Federation New Communist Party of Yugoslavia

South African Communist Party Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syrian Communist Party Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Communist Party of Turkey Union of the Communists of Ukraine Communist Party of Uruguay Communist Party of Venezuela

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Parties that participated

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Algeria – Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism - PADS Argentina – Communist Party of Argentina Belarus - Communist Party of Belarus Belgium – Workers’ Party of Belgium Bolivia - Communist Party of Bolivia Brazil – Communist Party of Brazil – PCdoB Brazilian Communist Party– PCB Bulgaria - Communist Party of Bulgaria Canada - Communist Party of Canada Chile – Communist Party of Chile China - Communist Party of China Colombia – Colombian Communist Party Cuba - Communist Party of Cuba Cyprus - AKEL Czech Republic - Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia Denmark - Communist Party of Denmark Denmark - Communist Party in Denmark Ecuador - Communist Party of Ecuador Finland – Communist Party of Finland France – French Communist Party Georgia – Unified Communist Party of Georgia Germany – German Communist Party - DKP Great-Britain – Communist Party of Britain Greece - Communist Party of Greece Hungary – Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party India – Communist Party of India India –Communist Party of India (Marxist) Iraq – Iraqi Communist Party Iran - Tudeh Party of Iran Ireland - Communist Party of Ireland Ireland - Worker’s Party of Ireland Italy – Party of the Communist Refoundation Italy – Party of the Italian Communists Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Workers’ Party of Korea

I I I I

I I I

I I I I I I I I I I

I I

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I

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Laos – Peoples’ Revolutionary Party Latvia – Socialist Party of Latvia Lebanon – Lebanese Communist Party Luxemburg – Communist Party of Luxemburg Mexico – Party of Communists Nepal – Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Netherlands – New Communist Party of Netherlands Norway – Communist Party of Norway Palestine – Palestinian Communist Party Palestine – Palestinian People’s Party Panama – Party of People of Panama Pakistan - Communist Party of Pakistan Paraguay – Paraguayan Communist Party Peru - Communist Party of Peru – ‘Patria Roja’ Peru - Peruvian Communist Party Portugal – Portuguese Communist Party Russia – Communist Party of Russian Federation Russia – Communist Party of Soviet Union Russia – Communist Workers’ Party of Russia - Party of Communists of Russia Serbia - New Communist Party of Yugoslavia South Africa - South African Communist Party Spain - Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Syria – Syrian Communist Party Syria – Communist Party of Syria Sweden – Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) Turkey – Communist Party of Turkey – TKP Ukraine - Communist Party of Ukraine Ukraine - Union of the Communists of Ukraine United States of America – Communist Party of USA Uruguay - Communist Party of Uruguay – Frente Amplio Venezuela – Communist Party of Venezuela Vietnam - Communist Party of Vietnam

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ALBANIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF ALBANIA E-Mail: artankristo@gmail.com, code: (+355) phone: 382274111, fax:4251271 ALGERIA, ALGERIAN PARTY FOR DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISM http://pads.ifrance.com/ E-Mail: michellien@wanadoo.fr E-Mail: communistalgerie@yahoo.fr code: (+331) phone: 46637607, 46772082 fax: 46772082, 46637607

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Redlinks

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ARGENTINA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF ARGENTINA http://www.pca.org.ar E-Mail: relacionesinternacionales@pca.org.ar code: (+5411) phone: 43040066/0068 fax: 43040068 ARMENIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF ARMENIA code: (+37410) phone: 567933, fax: 541917 AUSTRALIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF AUSTRALIA http://www.cpa.org.au E-Mail: cpa@cpa.org.au code: (+612) phone: 9699 8844, fax: 9699 9833 AUSTRIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF AUSTRIA http://www.kpoe.at E-Mail: international@kpoe.at code: (+431) phone: 5036580, fax: 5036580499 AZERBAIDJAN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF AZERBAIDJAN code: (+99412) phone: 4417533, fax: 948937 BAHRAIN, DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE TRIBUNE http://www.almenber.com E-Mail: almenber@almenber.com code: (+973 17) phone: 244553, fax: 250404 BANGLADESH, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BANGLADESH http://www.cpbdhaka.org E-Mail: cpb@aitlbd.net E-Mail: manzur@bangla.net E-Mail: cpbdhaka@aitlbd.net code: (+8802) phone: 9558612, 9554703, fax: 9552333

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BELARUS, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BELARUS http://comparty.by/ E-Mail: karpenko@house.gov.by code: (+37517) phone: 2226211, fax: 222 43 79 (222 64 61) BELGIUM, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BELGIUM http://www.kp-online.be http://www.particommuniste.be/ E-Mail: parti.communiste@skynet.be E-Mail: kommunistische-partij@skynet.be code: (+322) phone: 512 23 84 fax: 512 23 84 BELGIUM, WORKERS’ PARTY OF BELGIUM http://www.ptb.be http://www.wpb.be E-Mail: wpb@wpb.be code: (+32) phone: 25040139, 25040111 fax: 25139831, 25040141 BOLIVIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOLIVIA http://www.pcbolivia.net/ E-Mail: marxmil@hotmail.com E-Mail: domich2001@hotmail.com code: (+591) phone: 2243252 fax:22770535 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, WORKERS’ COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA http://www.rkp-bih.cjb.net E-Mail: kontakt@rkp-bih.org E-Mail: kontakt@rkp-bih.cjb.net E-Mail: goran.rkpbih@gmail.com code: (+387) phone/fax: 55 240 973 BRAZIL, BRAZILIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pcb.org.br E-Mail: pcb.partidocomunistabrasileiro@gmail.com E-Mail: pcb@pcb.org.br code:(+5521) phone/fax:22620855 BRAZIL, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BRAZIL http://www.pcdob.org.br http://www.vermelho.org.br E-Mail: internacional@pcdob.org.br code:(+5511) phone:3054-1800, 30541822, 30541821 fax:3054 1848

BRITAIN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BRITAIN http://www.communist-party.org.uk E-Mail: international@communist-party.org.uk E-Mail: office@communist-party.org.uk code:(+44) phone: 2086861659 BRITAIN, NEW COMMUNIST PARTY OF BRITAIN http://www.newworker.org E-Mail: party@ncp.clara.net E-Mail: ncp@geocities.com code:(+44) phone: 207 2234050 fax: 207 2234057 BULGARIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BULGARIA http://comparty-bg.com E-Mail: comparty@abv.bg code: (+3592) phone: 9816093 fax: 9816093 BULGARIA, PARTY OF BULGARIAN COMMUNISTS http://www.communist-bg.org/ E-Mail: bcp.gd@mail.bg code:(+359) phone: 28621225 fax: 29744135 CANADA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF CANADA http://www.communist-party.ca E-Mail: inter@cpc-pcc.ca code: (+1416) phone: 4692446 CHILE, COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHILE http://www.pcchile.cl/ E-Mail: internacional@pcchile.cl code: (+562) phone: 6351601, 6347678, 6349608, 6651654 fax: 2222750 CHINA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA http://www.idcpc.org.cn http://www.china.org.cn/english/index.htm E-Mail: yuliagustavo@163.net code: (+8610) phone: 83907267 fax: 83907268 COLOMBIA, COLOMBIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pacocol.org E-Mail: pacocol@etb.net.co

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E-Mail: notipaco@pacocol.org code:(+571) phone:3203204, 2854188 fax:3384742 COLOMBIA, FARC-EP http://www.farc-ejercitodelpueblo.org/ E-Mail: news@farcep.org CROATIA, SOCIALIST WORKERS’ PARTY OF CROATIA E-Mail: vladimir.kapuralin@pu.t-com.hr E-Mail: Vladimir.kapuralin@pu.htnet.hr E-Mail: kapuralin@hotmail.com code: (+ 385) phone/fax:1 4835340 CUBA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF CUBA http://www.pcc.cu/ E-Mail: curbelo@cc.cu E-Mail: despacho@cc.cu code:(+537) phone: 8605678 fax: 8556836 CYPRUS, THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY OF THE WORKING PEOPLE - AKEL http://www.akel.org.cy E-Mail: InterBureau@akel.org.cy Phone: (+357) 22761121 Fax:22764725 CZECH REPUBLIC, COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA http://www.kscm.cz E-Mail: leftnews@kscm.cz code:(+4202) phone:22897428 fax:22897449 DENMARK, COMMUNIST PARTY IN DENMARK http://www.kommunisterne.dk E-Mail: KPID@kommunisterne.dk E-Mail: kommunist@kommunisterne.dk code:(+45) phone:38882833 fax:38882433 DENMARK, COMMUNIST PARTY OF DENMARK http://www.dkp.dk E-Mail: dkp@dkp.dk code:(+45) phone:33916644

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, FORCE OF THE REVOLUTION http://fuerzadelarevolucion.org E-Mail: fuerzadelarevolucion@latinmail.com E-Mail: frevolucion@latinmail.com code: (+809) phone:685-9362 fax: 687-3423 EGYPT, COMMUNIST PARTY OF EGYPT http://www.cpegypt.tk http://www.rezgar.com/m.asp?i=268 E-Mail: cpegypt@gmail.com E-Mail: cpegypt@yahoo.com code: (+202) phone: 66 403946 EQUADOR, COMMUNIST PARTY OF EQUADOR E-Mail: pce_ecu@hotmail.com E-Mail: g_yturralde@ecuabox.com code: (+593-2) phone: 2671108 fax: 2909454 (+593-4) phone: 2401462 fax: 2248643 ESTONIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF ESTONIA E-Mail: narvaSRG@rambler.ru code: (+37) phone/fax: 23591174 FINLAND, COMMUNIST PARTY OF FINLAND http://www.skp.fi E-Mail: skp@skp.fi code: (+3589) phone: 77438150 fax:77438160 FRANCE, FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pcf.fr E-Mail: international@pcf.fr code:(+331) phone: 40401293, 40401286 fax: 42404027 FYROM, COMMUNIST PARTY OF MACEDONIA E-Mail: cpmak@mail.net.mk code: (+389) phone: 23177248 fax: 23177248 GEORGIA, UNIFIED COMMUNIST PARTY OF GEORGIA E-Mail: yclgeo@yahoo.com E-Mail: cpgeo@narod.ru

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E-Mail: tpipia@rambler.ru code:(+99532) phone:743821, 766697, +(99593) 761363 fax: 766697 GERMANY, GERMAN COMMUNIST PARTY (DKP) http://www.dkp.de E-Mail: dkp.pv@t-online.de E-Mail: vitrales_gp@yahoo.com code: (+49201) phone: 1778890 fax: 17788929 GREECE, COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE http://inter.kke.gr http://es.kke.gr http://ru.kke.gr http://fr.kke.gr E-Mail: cpg@int.kke.gr code: (+30) phone: 210 2592111 fax: 210 2592298 GUADELUPE, GUADELOUPEAN COMMUNIST PARTY E-Mail: DC500009@exchange.FRANCE.NCR.COM code: (+590) phone: 821945 fax: 836990 GUYANA, PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY http://www.ppp-civic.org E-Mail: ppp@guyana.net.gy E-Mail: pr@ppp-civic.org code: (+592) phone: 2272095, 2274301-3, 2278755, 2251479 fax: 2272096 HUNGARY, HUNGARIAN COMMUNIST WORKERS’ PARTY http://www.munkaspart.hu E-Mail: mp200@t-online.hu code:(+36) phone: 13342721 fax: 13135423 INDIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA http://www.cpindia.org E-Mail: cpi@bol.net.in E-Mail: cpiofindia@gmail.com code:(+9111) phone: 23235546, 23235099, 23235058 fax: 23235543

INDIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) http://www.cpim.org E-Mail: intl@cpim.org E-Mail: cc@cpim.org E-Mail: cpim@vsnl.com code:(+9111) phone: 23344918, 23747435, 23747436, 23363692 fax: 23747483 IRAN,TUDEH PARTY OF IRAN http://www.tudehpartyiran.org E-Mail: mardom@tudehpartyiran.org code: (+44208) phone/fax: 3922653 code: (+4930) phone: 2587411 fax: 3241627 IRAQ, IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.iraqcp.org E-Mail: iraq@iraqcp.org E-Mail: icpinter@yahoo.co.uk E-Mail: salamsaadi@hotmail.co.uk code: (+44207) phone: 4192552, 939529280 fax: 4192552 IRAQ, COMMUNIST PARTY OF KURDISTAN-IRAQ http://www.kurdistancp.org/ E-Mail: maib55@hotmail.com E-Mail: kcp_ibrahim@kurdistancp.org E-Mail: kcp_kurdistan@hotmail.com code: (+4131) phone: 3719612 fax: 3719628 IRELAND, THE WORKERS’ PARTY OF IRELAND http://www.workerspartyireland.net/ E-Mail: wpi@indigo.ie E-Mail: info@workers-party.org code:(+3531) phone:8740716 fax:8748702 IRELAND, COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie E-Mail: cpoi@eircom.net code: (+3531) phone: 6708707 ISRAEL, COMMUNIST PARTY OF ISRAEL http://www.maki.org.il E-Mail: interelations@maki.org.il code: (+9723) phone: 6293944 fax: 6297263

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ITALY, PARTY OF THE COMMUNIST REFOUNDATION http://www.rifondazione.it/ E-Mail: esteri.prc@rifondazione.it E-Mail: internazionale@rifondazione.it code:(+3906) phone:441821 fax:44182286

LEBANON, LEBANESE COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.lcparty.org E-Mail: lcparty@lcparty.org E-Mail: lcparty@gmail.com E-Mail: lcparty@inco.com.lb code:(+9611) phone/fax:739615/6/7

ITALY, PARTY OF THE ITALIAN COMMUNISTS http://www.comunisti-italiani.it E-Mail: internazionale@comunisti-italiani.org E-Mail: esteri@comunisti-italiani.org code:(+3906) phone: 68627210/11/23 fax: 68627231

LITHUANIA, SOCIALIST PARTY OF LITHUANIA http://www.lsp.w3.lt/ E-Mail: socialistupartija@gmail.com code:(+370) phone:69836756 fax:(+370)52606130 code:(+37041) phone:452037 fax:(+37048)52460698

JAPAN, JAPANESE COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.jcp.or.jp E-Mail: intl@jcp.jp code:(+813) phone:54748421 fax:37460767 JORDAN, JORDANIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.jocp.org E-Mail: jcp@nets.com.jo code:(+9626) phone:4624939 fax:4624939 KAZAKHSTAN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF KAZAKHSTAN http://www.compartykz.info/ E-Mail: abdildin@parlam.kz KIRGIZIA, PARTY OF THE COMMUNISTS OF KIRGIZIA code:(+73312) phone:270497 fax:223991 DPR of KOREA, WORKERS PARTY OF KOREA http://www.kimsoft.com/dprk.htm E-Mail: permrepun@hotmail.com code:(+3906) phone:54220749 fax:54210090 LAOS, PEOPLES’ REVOLUTIONARY PARTY E-Mail: CERCCP@laotel.com code:(+856) phone:21414041-42, 21414046 fax:21414043 LATVIA, SOCIALIST PARTY OF LATVIA http://www.latsocpartija.lv E-Mail: latsocpartija@inbox.lv code: (+3716) phone:7555535 fax:7555535

LUXEMBOURG, COMMUNIST PARTY OF LUXEMBOURG http://www.kp-l.org E-Mail: kpl@zlv.lu E-Mail: zeiluvol@pt.lu E-Mail: aruckert@zlv.lu code:(+352) phone:446066 21 fax:44606666 MALTA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF MALTA E-Mail: pkmalti@hotmail.co.uk E-Mail: communistpartymalta@yahoo.com code:(+356) phone: 21223537 fax:21223537 MADAGASCAR, PARTY OF THE CONGRESS FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF MADAGASCAR (AKFM) E-Mail: akfm@netclub.mg E-Mail: akfm@wanadoo.mg code:(+261) phone/fax: 202227065, 202226828 MEXICO, POPULAR SOCIALIST PARTY, MEXICO http://www.pps.org.mx E-Mail: ppsprens@prodigy.net.mx code:(+5255) phone:330816-18 fax:330816-18, 257131 MEXICO, POPULAR SOCIALIST PARTY OF MEXICO http://www.ppsm.org.mx πB - 1/2009 red links

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E-Mail: ppsm@ppsm.org.mx E-Mail: amezcua910@yahoo.com.mx code:(+525) phone: 5672-2057 fax:5609-1896 MEXICO, PARTY OF THE COMMUNISTS, MEXICO http://www.comunistas-mexicanos.org E-Mail: comunista@mexico.com E-Mail: comunista@prodigy.net.mx code:(+52 734) phone:3425838 fax:3435466, 86340766

PALESTINE, PALESTINIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pallcp.ps E-Mail: Palestinian_cp_@hotmail.com E-Mail: palestinian_cp_alqam@hotmail.com code:(+97) phone/fax: 2267055, 22267644 PALESTINE, PALESTINIAN PEOPLE’S PARTY http://www.ppp.ps http://www.palpeople.org E-Mail: info@ppp.ps code:(+970) phone:22963593 fax:22963592, 22960104

MOLDOVA, PARTY OF COMMUNISTS OF REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA http://www.pcrm.md/ E-Mail: info@pcrm.md E-Mail: n.shidu@parlament.md code:(+3732) phone:2249441 fax:2233673

PANAMA, PARTY OF THE PEOPLE http://www.elpartiodelpueblo.org E-Mail: lpartido@elpartidodelpueblo.org E-Mail: partidodelpueblopa@yahoo.com code: (+507) phone:2259025/2272194

NEPAL, COMMUNIST PARTY OF NEPAL (UML) http://www.cpnuml.org E-Mail: umlcpn@gmail.com E-Mail: uml@ntc.net.np code:(+977) phone: 14278081/82 fax:14278084

PARAGUAY, PARAGUAYAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pcparaguay.org/ E-Mail: inter@pcparaguay.org E-Mail: pcp@pcparaguay.org E-Mail: pcp@card.net.com code:(+59521) phone:225116 fax:225116

NETHERLANDS, NEW COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE NETHERLANDS http://www.ncpn.nl E-Mail: manifest@wanadoo.nl code:(+3120) phone: 6825019 fax:6828276 code: (+3170) phone:3603676 fax:3603676

PERU, COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU (PATRIA ROJA) http://www.patriaroja.org.pe/ E-Mail: pcdelp@patriaroja.org.pe E-Mail: partidosec@yahoo.com E-Mail: amorenor@speedy.com.pe code:(+511) phone: 4270280

NORWAY, COMMUNIST PARTY OF NORWAY http://www.nkp.no E-Mail: nkp@nkp.no code:(+4722) phone:716044 fax:717907 PAKISTAN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF PAKISTAN http://www.cppak.org/ E-Mail: cppak2003@yahoo.com code:(+92) phone: 0222654531

PERU, PERUAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pcperuano.com http://www.pcp.miarroba.com E-Mail: unidad@ec-red.com E-Mail: pcperuano.rrii@gmail.com code:(+511) phone/fax:3306106 PHILIPPINES, PHILIPPINE COMMUNIST PARTY PKP-1930 E-Mail: philcompar@yahoo.com E-Mail: pbaguisa02@yahoo.com phone:code:(+6344) 9242280 fax:(+632) 9395791

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POLAND, COMMUNIST PARTY OF POLAND http://www.kompol.org E-Mail: kontakt@kompol.org E-Mail: kompol@o2.pl code:(+48) phone:228334288 fax:228334288

RUSSIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOVIET UNION http://www.shenin-kpss.ru E-Mail: shenin@cea.ru code:(+7495) phone:7946541, 2024167 fax:2001208, 2017525

PORTUGAL, PORTUGUESE COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.pcp.pt http://international.pcp.pt/ E-Mail: internacional@pcp.pt code:(+35121) phone:7813800 fax:7969824

SERBIA, NEW COMMUNIST PARTY OF YUGOSLAVIA http://www.nkpj.co.nr/ E-Mail: int_nkpj@yahoo.com code:(+38111) phone/fax:2642985

ROMANIA, ROMANIAN COMMUNIST PARTY E-Mail: infopcr@yahoo.com E-Mail: pantazipcr@yahoo.com code:(+4021) phone:6423615 fax: 642 3615 ROMANIA, SOCIALIST ALLIANCE PARTY http://www.pasro.ro E-Mail: pas@pasro.ro E-Mail: c.cretu@clicknet.ro code:(+40) phone:212522887, 314057078, 314057077, tel/fax:214133354 RUSSIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (CPRF) http://www.kprf.ru E-Mail: kprf@dol.ru E-Mail: zabirov@duma.gov.ru code:(+7495) phone:6927646 fax:6927646, 6925685 RUSSIA, COMMUNIST WORKERS PARTY OF RUSSIA-PARTY OF COMMUNISTS OF RUSSIA (RKRP-RPC) http://www.rkrp-rpk.ru/ E-Mail: rkrprpk@peterlink.ru E-Mail: tyulkin@duma.gov.ru code:(+7812) phone:2742772, 2748073 fax:2742818 RUSSIA, UNION OF COMMUNIST PARTIES-CPSU http://www.cprf.ru E-Mail: kprf@dol.ru E-Mail: zabirov@duma.gov.ru code:(+7495) phone:6927646, 6928736 fax:6925685

SERBIA, PARTY OF COMMUNISTS OF SERBIA http://komunistisrbije.110mb.com/ E-Mail: markan@eunet.rs E-Mail: yucomm@net.yo code:(+38111) phone:3196975 fax:658940 SLOVAKIA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF SLOVAKIA http://www.kss.sk E-Mail: sekr@kss.sk E-Mail: zahr@kss.sk code:(+4212) phone:44644101, fax:44362540 SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.sacp.org.za E-Mail: lucian@sacp.org.za code:(+2711) phone:3393621/2 fax:3394244 SPAIN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF SPAIN http://www.pce.es E-Mail: internacionalpce@pce.es E-Mail: comitefederal@pce.es code:(+3491) phone:3004969 fax:3004744 SPAIN, PARTY OF COMMUNISTS OF CATALUNA http://www.pcc.cat/ E-Mail: pcc@pcc.cat E-Mail: internacional@pcc.cat code:(+34 933) phone:184 282 fax: 180 011 SPAIN, UNITED LEFT SPAIN http://www.izquierda-unida.es/ E-Mail: iu.internacional@izquierda-unida.es code:(+3491) phone:7227500 fax:3880405 πB - 1/2009 red links

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SPAIN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PEOPLES OF SPAIN http://www.pcpe.es E-Mail: internacional@pcpe.es E-Mail: pcpecc@pcpe.e.telefonica.net E-Mail: qboix@sct.ictnet.es code: (+34) phone: 915329187, 934585063 fax: 915329187

code:(+992372) phone:232953, 231853 fax:351482, 232292

SRI-LANKA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF SRI-LANKA E-Mail: pvtsec@constitution.gov.lk E-Mail: minister@constitution.gov.lk code:(+9411) phone:2375377, 2695328, 2865987 fax:2375378, 2691610

TURKEY, COMMUNIST PARTY OF TURKEY (TKP) http://www.tkp.org.tr E-Mail: int@tkp.org.tr code:(+90216) phone: 4185351, 4146504 fax:3461137

SUDAN, SUDANESE COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.midan.net E-Mail: cpsudan@gmail.com E-Mail: imanhamad@yahoo.com code:(+4202) phone:33555668 fax:33555668 SWEDEN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF SWEDEN http://www.skp.se E-Mail: skp@skp.se code:(+468) phone:7358640 fax:7357902 SYRIA, SYRIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.syriancp.org E-Mail: scp-kb@mail.sy code:(+96311) phone:4455048 fax:4422716 SYRIA, SYRIAN COMMUNIST PARTY http://www.syrcomparty.org/ http://www.an-nour.com E-Mail: scp@scs-net.org E-Mail: scp@syrcomparty.org E-Mail: annour@scs-net.org code:(+96311) phone:4410264, 4429503 fax:4422383 TADJIKISTAN, COMMUNIST PARTY OF TADJIKISTAN http://www.kpt.freenet.tj E-Mail: communist_party@mail.ru E-Mail: t.karimova@mail.ru

TURKEY, LABOUR PARTY (EMEP) http://www.emep.org E-Mail: international@emep.org code:(+90212) phone:3612508 fax:361 25 09

UKRAINE, COMMUNIST PARTY OF UKRAINE http://www.kpu.net.ua E-Mail: inter@kpu.kiev.ua code:(+380) phone:44 4255487 fax:44 4635714 UKRAINE, UNION OF COMMUNISTS OF UKRAINE http://marx-journal.org/ E-Mail: marx-journal@mail.ru code:(+38044) phone:2906225 fax:2806225 URUGUAY, COMMUNIST PARTY OF URUGUAY http://www.webpcu.org E-Mail: pcuinternacional@montevideo.com.uy E-Mail: cripcu@yahoo.com.ar code:(+5982) phone: 9242697, 929 1433 fax: 9242697 USA, COMMUNIST PARTY USA http://www.cpusa.org E-Mail: international@cpusa.org code:(+1) phone:212 989 4994 fax:(+1) 212 229 1713 VENEZUELA, COMMUNIST PARTY OF VENEZUELA http://www.pcv-venezuela.org E-Mail: pcv_internacional@yahoo.es E-Mail: pcv@pcv-venezuela.org E-Mail: internacionalpcv@gmail.com

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E-Mail: pcv_internacional@yahoo.com code:(+58) phone:2122566386, fax:2122566386 VIETNAM, COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM http://www.dangcongsan.vn E-Mail: perc@fpt.vn code:(+8443) phone:8436278, 8436274 fax:8234514

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