Category: AKEL (Cyprus)
AKEL condemns attack on “Afrika” newspaper: “The moral perpetrator is President Erdogan himself”
worker | January 23, 2018 | 7:36 pm | AKEL (Cyprus), Cyprus, Turkey | Comments closed

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

AKEL condemns attack on “Afrika” newspaper: “The moral perpetrator is President Erdogan himself”

http://www.idcommunism.com/2018/01/akel-condemns-attack-on-afrika_23.html

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 22nd January 2018, Nicosia.

 
AKEL denounces today’s attacks by extreme nationalist forces against the “Afrika” newspaper in the occupied areas. The moral perpetrator of the attacks is the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan himself, whose recent references in Bursa bluntly targeted the newspaper “Afrika”.
 
As AKEL, we express our solidarity with Sener Levent and the newspaper “Afrika”, which is once again being targeted because it dared to refer to Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus on the occasion of Turkey’s ongoing invasion of Syria’s Arfin region.
Behind the demonstrations with an aggressive character appear to be mainly settlers who are aligned to the Justice and Development Party (AKP), as well as several ultra-right elements. We express our solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot progressive forces that oppose these attacks, but also stand against the invasion of Syria.
 
In general, these events further highlight yet another way by which Ankara is trying to further impose itself on the Turkish Cypriot community and transfer its internal problems to Cyprus and in doing so consequently reaffirming that only the solution of the Cyprus problem can free the Cypriot people as a whole from every kind of intervention by Turkey in Cyprus.
Common appeal by Communist and Workers’ Parties: Solidarity with the people of Iran – No to any foreign intervention

Monday, January 22, 2018

Common appeal by Communist and Workers Parties: Solidarity with the people of Iran – No to any foreign intervention

http://www.idcommunism.com/2018/01/common-appeal-by-communist-and-workers.html
With a common declaration, Communist and Workers’ parties from all over the world express their solidarity towards the people of Iran and condemn any attempt of foreign intervention in the country’s internal affairs:
The Communist and Workers parties that sign this statement have followed with concern the recent developments in Iran where tens of thousands of people in many towns and cities across Iran protested against the policies of the autocratic regime.
The protests were against the destructive economic policies of the regime, its brutal violation of human and democratic rights and disregard for the ILO conventions regarding workers rights and its widespread corruption. Young people have been the main victims of the regime’s policies, including more than five million unemployed graduates. Those who came out were predominantly young and from poor working class districts demanding fundamental economic, social and cultural change for jobs, a living wage, dignity, respect and justice.
We have received credible reports about brutal tactics used by the security forces and the regime’s paramilitary militia to violently break up these mainly peaceful demonstrations by ordinary people.  At least 20 demonstrators have been killed and more than 3700 people arrested and taken into custody.  The security forces have raided and occupied university campuses in different parts of the country to stop the student movement from joining the protests.  A significant number of university students not involved in any protest demonstration were arrested at home or on the campuses of their universities. The authorities have claimed that this illegal measure is preventative.
The people of Iran and their progressive forces have repeatedly and resolutely stated that, based on their own history and experience of recent tragedies in the Middle East, they reject any outside intervention in the internal affairs of Iran under any pretext whatsoever and believe that the future of Iran should be decided only by the Iranian people themselves.
We believe that the realisation of the demands of the protesters for peace, progress and social justice is the best guarantee for Iran’s independence and for genuine popular sovereignty.  This is the only sure way to guard against foreign interference in the internal affairs of the country and for the Iranian people to stand firm and united against the machinations of US imperialism and its allies, in particular the Israeli government and the reactionary regimes in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf States.
The Communist and Workers parties co-signing this statement of support for the struggle of the Iranian people for peace, progress and social justice are united in:
  • Condemning the use of repressive measures against civilian protesters which have resulted in at least 22 deaths and the arrest of thousands of protesters and activists. 
  • Demanding that the authorities publish a list of names of all those arrested during the protest demonstrations and where they are being held, and immediately release all those detained by the security forces. 
  • Requesting that all those held are guaranteed access to legal representation of their own choosing. 
  • Demanding an end to the use of all forms of torture. 
  • Demanding the removal of all military and security units from university campuses.
  • Supporting the demands of the protesters for an end to privatisation, unemployment and corruption – all outcomes of the neoliberal-driven austerity policies of the regime. 
  • Rejecting any foreign intervention whatsoever in the internal affairs of Iran and emphasizing that the future of Iran should be decided by the Iranian people themselves alone.
PARTIES THAT SIGN THE COMMON APPEAL:
1.   AKEL
2.   Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
3.   Communist Party of Greece
4.   Communist Party of India
5.   Communist Party of India Marxist
6.   Tudeh Party of Iran
7.   Communist Party of the Russian Federation
8.   South African Communist Party
9.   Communist Party of Spain
10. Communist Party of Turkey
11. Communist Party of Ukraine 
[The appeal is open for further signatures]
19 January, 2018.
Condemn U.S. decision on Jerusalem: Statements by Communist and Workers Parties across the world

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Condemn U.S. decision on Jerusalem: Statements by Communist and Workers Parties across the world

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2017/12/condemn-us-decision-on-jerusalem.html
The recent decision of the U.S. Trump administration to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of the state of Israel has sparked outrage across the world. Israeli and Palestinian communist and left parties have denounced Trump’s decision, while the Communist Party of Greece stated that the decision “adds fuel to the fire” to “burn” the perspective of a Palestinian state. Below, you can read announcements by various Communist and Workers Parties:
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the decision of US President Donald Trump, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to shift the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv.
This action goes against the United Nations’ and the international community’s stand that  East Jerusalem is an occupied territory by Israel since 1967.  An independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital is the internationally accepted position.  The United States has taken the formal step of legalizing the illegal occupation of Palestine territories by Israel.  No other country in the world has given recognition to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The United States is also responsible for scuttling any possible peace negotiations between the Israel and Palestine.  This decision by Donald Trump will trigger further tensions and conflicts in the region with global ramifications.
Unlike the worldwide opposition to this move, official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs has scrupulously refused to criticize the US decision.  This shows the extent of servility of the Modi regime to the United States.
The Polit Bureau demands that the Modi government come out strongly disapproving of the US action, as it goes against India’s longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.
AKEL denounces the unilateral decision by the United States to proceed to the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which violates the resolutions and decisions of the United Nations on the special international status of the city. The status of Jerusalem is a central issue for a comprehensive solution of the Palestinian issue, and the position of the international community is that East Jerusalem will be the capital of the independent Palestinian state.
This provocative decision constitutes a flagrant violation of the Palestinian people’s national rights and represents support for the Israeli occupation, threatening to undermine the possibility of a two-state solution and to provoke new conflicts both in Jerusalem and in Palestine, and more broadly throughout the region.
We believe that the international community has an obligation to defend its decisions and principles of law, to uphold the right of the Palestinian people to an independent and viable state. This is a critical time during which the UN and the entire international community – together with the EU as well – must demand in practice the immediate termination of the 50-year Israeli occupation, the recognition of the independent Palestinian state – with East Jerusalem as its capital – as a full member of the UN.
We reiterate that the Cypriot government must adopt a position based on principles and stand against this decision otherwise it will be exposed in the eyes of the Arab world, but also the overwhelming majority of the international community.
AKEL reaffirms its full unreserved solidarity with the Palestinian people, which it will intensify in a variety of ways. The Palestinian people, like all the peoples of our region, have the right to freedom and peace.
AKEL has submitted a relevant resolution to the Cyprus Parliament.
 
 
The PCP strongly condemns the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today announced by the US President, a decision that represents explicit US support for Israel’s Zionist policy and a frontal aggression on the martyred Palestinian people and provocation of the Arab peoples, with dangerous and unpredictable consequences.

The PCP considers this decision – which is associated with the announced transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem – which is all the more serious when it is taken at a time when plans for a new military escalation in the region are becoming increasingly clear with the danger of an enormous confrontation, with consequences far beyond the Middle East.

The PCP considers that the Portuguese Government should- in respect to the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and the decisions adopted by the Assembly of the Republic concerning the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to the construction of the State of Palestine, on the pre- 1967 borders and with capital in East Jerusalem – unequivocally condemn the decision now taken by the US administration.

The US Administration’s decision – which openly violates International Law and numerous UN Security Council resolutions on the status of Jerusalem, starting with Resolution 478 that explicitly determines the withdrawal of the diplomatic missions from that city, as well as Resolution 2334 of December, 2016, which, condemning the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, reiterates that the status of Jerusalem can only be settled by way of negotiation – constitutes a new and serious obstacle to the necessary negotiated settlement of the Palestinian question and highlights the hypocritical role of the United States regarding the just resolution of the conflict.

The decision now taken cannot be separated from the US Administration’s measures to sabotage the nuclear agreement with Iran; from Israeli military aggressions on Syrian territory; from the announcements of the constitution of a “NATO of the Middle East” aimed at Iran and involving dictatorships of the Gulf; from the conflicts instigated by Saudi Arabia, a historical ally of the USA, against Yemen and other countries of the region; the upsurge of terrorist attacks in countries like Egypt; from the persistent declarations by Israeli leaders threatening direct military conflicts with Iran and Lebanon – a framework of widespread degradation of the situation being fostered by the more adventurous and bellicose sectors of imperialism, faced with an increasingly clear defeat of their plans of destabilization and terrorist chaos in Syria, thanks to the resistance of the Syrian people and the help it has received from other countries and forces, now targeted by these same sectors.

The PCP considers that measures should be taken at UN level to condemn and deter the US administration from a decision that constitutes a provocation and a very serious step in the escalation of tension and conflict in the Middle East.

The PCP reaffirms its long-standing solidarity with the Palestinian people and its legitimate and heroic seven-decade struggle for the right to a sovereign and viable state on the pre-1967 borders and with its capital in East Jerusalem, and respect for the right of return of the Palestinian refugees that Israel’s policy of expansion and occupation of Palestine generated.

Considering that solidarity with the Palestinian people is now more than ever necessary, the PCP calls on all peace-loving forces to express their firm opposition, not only against the measures now announced by the US administration, but also regarding the plans and threats of escalation of military aggressions, which have already destroyed several countries in the Middle East and represent a very real and serious threat to peace in the region and in the world.

 
“Only under Socialism Jerusalem can be the capital of peace”.
It is pointless to look for a strategy on the Palestinian issue behind the US President’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The US imperialism has generated a plethora of “projects” from outright occupation to “moderate Islam”, from the so-called “Arab Spring” to the “fight against terror”, which all fizzled out and caused the major imperialist power to lose ground. On top of such unhindered descension, the ongoing fratricide among the dominant powers of the US has added insult to injury. Trump’s Jerusalem initiative is an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to allow the US take initiative in the region on the one hand and to provoke the region in order to save his own skin on the other.
This attempt is doomed to failure; it can result in nothing but another fiasco.
Jerusalem has a status specified by international agreements and United Nations documents. The “two-state solution” prescribed for the Palestinian issue identifies East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.
The United States and Israel have sabotaged all attempts to proceed in this direction for many years. These interceptions meant planting bombs on the road to a solution. Now, these bombs will explode in the hands of those who have planted them.
First of all, declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not a decision that can gain recognition in the present state of world affairs. It is impossible to assemble a coalition with other imperialist powers, global and regional powers to legitimize such decision.
Secondly, the forces of peace are not as weak as they are supposed to be. Imperialism, which miscalculated the resistance against occupation in the Middle East, the secular and patriotic background of the region in recent years, is engaged in an attempt doomed to failure once again. The people of Palestine will resist. The forces of peace in Israel will resist. Peoples of the region who live in countries which are friendly to Israel and adherents and pawns of the US, will stand by the resistance.
Trump’s fantasy to kill many birds with one stone will certainly backfire; the illegitimate policies of the state of Israel will meet with the reaction and abomination of all humanity.
Communist Party of Turkey strongly condemns the US President’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and highlights that this is an utterly provocative attempt. Provocations can be circumvented only through the joint political action of peoples.
Enemies of the people have no place in this fight. The reactionary political powers in the region, firs and foremost the AKP, have no legitimacy whatsoever to take part in it. Tayyip Erdoğan is not embracing the seemingly anti-Israeli demagogy today for the first time. Erdoğan’s defiance is nothing but an empty threat. Just as it was years ago in Davos, during Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The continuation of military cooperation between Turkey and Israel proved that this old demagogy was nothing but empty words. It became obvious as imperialism unleashed Turkey and Israel against Syria right off the bat. It became obvious as the massacres perpetrated by ISIS, which wreaked havoc on the region, gained the support of these countries. The fact that reactionism employs Islamist bigotry in Turkey and Jewish bigotry in Israel does not make any difference.
The fake reactions of the AKP and similar regimes in the region complement Trump’s sinister attempt. Provocation is welcomed with more provocation, and battle cries rang all around. Reactionism supposes that it can sustain its power by provoking peoples against each other.
In this very day, Communist Party of Turkey feels the necessity to underline the fact that reactionism is neither on the side of the Palestinian people, nor on the side of peace.
It is not impossible to make Jerusalem a center where peoples of diverse cultures, faiths and languages can and do live in peace side by side. Yet, it is time to remind ourselves that this objective can be attained only under socialism. The last assault of imperialism and Zionism shall not be an excuse to put other demands in front of the fight for peace and socialism. On the contrary, the fact that the threat of war could not be staved off so far proves that putting off the fight for socialism is a profound fallacy.
Communist Party of Turkey proclaims that the provocative decision about Jerusalem cannot gain validity in the face of the peoples’ will, and demands this dismal attempt to be revoked at once.
On this occasion, we once again demand to put an end to the occupation, to have an independent and sovereign state of Palestine to be established within 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, to have the Palestinian state accepted as a full member to the United Nations, to have Israeli military stop its invasion on Syrian and Lebanese territories, to have the blockade of Gaza lifted unconditionally and immediately, to have illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian territories abolished at once, to have the Jewish settlers leave Palestine, to have the wall of shame surrounding Palestine torn down, to have Palestinian refugees who have been forced to leave their homes to be able to return their lands, and to have all political prisoners in Israeli prisons to be released.
We repeat our solidarity with the toiling masses of Palestine, the forces of peace in Israel, and all oppressed, patriotic peoples of our region, and we hail the working classes of Israel and Palestine and the revolutionary, communist and peace loving  forces of resistance who represent them.
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the decision of US President Donald Trump, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to shift the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv.
This action goes against the United Nations’ and the international community’s stand that  East Jerusalem is an occupied territory by Israel since 1967.  An independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital is the internationally accepted position.  The United States has taken the formal step of legalizing the illegal occupation of Palestine territories by Israel.  No other country in the world has given recognition to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The United States is also responsible for scuttling any possible peace negotiations between the Israel and Palestine.  This decision by Donald Trump will trigger further tensions and conflicts in the region with global ramifications.
Unlike the worldwide opposition to this move, official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs has scrupulously refused to criticize the US decision.  This shows the extent of servility of the Modi regime to the United States.
The Polit Bureau demands that the Modi government come out strongly disapproving of the US action, as it goes against India’s longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.
(In Arabic)
نستنكر قرار ترامب ونتضامن مع الشعب الفلسطيني
نفذ الرئيس االمريكي يوم امس في اجراء متهور قرار الكونغرس األمريكي المتخذ سنة 1995 ، والذي
رفض الرؤساء االمريكان السابقون التوقيع عليه.
وجاءت خطوة ترامب باالعتراف بالقدس عاصمة لدولة االحتالل االسرائيلية ونقل سفارة الواليات المتحدة
االمريكية اليها ، حلقة في سلسلة مواقف االدارة االمريكية المعادية لحقوق وتطلعات الشعب الفلسطيني
العادلة ، وضمن نهج عدواني متغطرس لالدارة الحالية.
ان هذه الخطوة تشكل مخالفة صريحة واضحة لكل القرارات الدولية ذات العالقة بالقدس ووضعها النهائي ،
واضفاء شرعية على احتالل اسرائيل لها وعلى خطوتها العدوانية بضم القدس الشرقية التي احتلتها عام
1967 واعتبار القدس عاصمة ابدية موحدة لها.
و يضرب موقف االدارة االمريكية هذا عرض الحائط بكل التحذيرات االقليمية والدولية من االقدام على ذلك
لما يسببه من توتر وعدم استقرار في المنطقة ، وتقويض لحل الدولتين الذي تدعمه قرارات الشرعية الدولية
والمجتمع الدولي.
ان هذا القرار باطل في واقع الحال وغير قانوني ، وهو ال يغير من وضعية القدس كونها مدينة محتلة
يتوجب على المحتلين الرحيل عنها ، وعن كافة االراضي الفلسطينية والعربية التي احتلوها بعد حزيران
1967 ،وايقاف عمليات بناء المستوطنات االسرائيلية.
اننا اذ نستنكر هذا القرار غير المشروع ، ونجدد تضامننا مع الشعب الفلسطيني ودعمنا حقه المشروع في
اقامة دولته الوطنية على ارضه وعاصمتها القدس ، وتنفيذ قرارات الشرعية الدولية ذات العالقة ، ندعو
االمم المتحدة وكافة الدول والقوى المناصرة للعدل والسلم ولحق الشعوب في تقرير مصيرها، وشعوب
البلدان العربية واالسالمية وشعبنا العراقي وكافة االحزاب والقوى الوطنية ، الى التضامن مع الشعب
الفلسطيني والضغط بمختلف االشكال الشرعية والقانونية لحمل االدارة االمريكية على التراجع عن قرارها
العدواني ، واتخاذ اجراءات ملموسة وعملية في هذا الشأن، وان يتوج ذلك باتخاذ قرارات دولية ملزمة
تستجيب الرادة الشعب الفلسطيني وتضمن نيل حقوقه وتصحيح االجحاف التاريخي الذي وقع ضحيته.
اللجنة المركزية
للحزب الشيوعي العراقي
7/12/2017
KKE: People’s struggle for a united Cyprus without guarantors and protectors

Monday, February 20, 2017

KKE: People’s struggle for a united Cyprus without guarantors and protectors

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2017/02/kke-peoples-struggle-for-united-cyprus.html
Source: inter.kke.gr.
 
The Party Organization of the KKE in Cyprus held on Saturday the 11th of February a meeting in Lefkosia (Nicosia), Cyprus with as its theme the positions of the KKE on the Cyprus issue. Giorgos Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, spoke at the meeting.
His speech was as follows:
“The KKE is preparing for the 20th Congress which will be held between 30th of March and 2nd of April and there is an ongoing creative dialogue- on the basis of the theses of the CC- in which members and friends are participating, a large number of working people.
The major objective of the Theses of the CC and the final decisions of the Congress is the all-round ideological-political-organizational steeling of the KKE and its Youth, as a Party of revolutionary overthrow. This steeling is a necessary precondition in order to carry out the complex tasks of the labour movement’s recasting, the struggle against imperialist war, the building of social alliance towards an anticapitalist, antimonopoly direction aimed at workers’ power.
The positions of the CC for the 20th Congress pay great attention to the international developments and processes in our region, analyze the contradictions that permeate the imperialist system, highlight the characteristics of the military confrontations and flashpoints, in Syria, Libya, Iraq, in Ukraine and other regions of the globe, which create the conditions for even a generalized imperialist war.
In the text of the CC, there is reference to the developments around the Cyprus Issue, the relations between Turkey and Greece, the dangers which are evident e.g. in the Aegean and Thrace, within the framework of the contradictions between the bourgeois classes and the inter-imperialist antagonisms.
Dear Comrades,
We salute the members of AKEL and EDON and we honour the many years of our common struggles. The KKE looks the Cypriot people in the eye, with a clear consciousness, because all these years, in difficult conditions full of challenges and diverse interventions of powerful imperialist states, our Party stood by the side of Cyprus’ working people, Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, and expressed its internationalist solidarity by addressing the Cyprus Issue as an international problem of invasion and occupation.
The Theses of the CC of the KKE for the CYPRUS ISSUE which were published on 30th October 2016 found wide resonance in Greece and Cyprus:
Because, they address the heart of the problem of the elimination of Occupation and are based on the working peoples’ struggle and not on expectations derived from the intervention of the US, the EU and other imperialist centers.
Because, they reveal the dangerous character of the solution promoted by the Cypriot government, which is a dichotomous-confederal solution similar to the one of the Annan Plan that legitimizes the consequences of the invasion-occupation.
Because, the KKE’s proposal sets the basic axes for a truly pro-people, viable and fair solution which can unify the island, the Cypriot people, Greek-Cypriots, Turkish-Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins, on the basis of one- and not two- states,-with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality, which is the position that the KKE defends all these years with consistency.
Lately, there is an organized attack aiming to reduce the significance of the positions of our Party on the Cyprus Issue or to distort their content. The claims used for that are malicious and contribute to the deception of the Cypriot and Greek people- by cultivating in practice the submission to the dominant forces.
Our Party insists and considers as necessary the existence of substantial debate for such complex-difficult issues, it considers as legitimate the documented struggle between different positions. “Clever” jokes on the internet and slanders show weakness and prejudice. We have experience, forces which fight against the KKE today have been tested again, they have supported the antipeople political line of the social democratic SYRIZA regurgitating known positions about “left-progressive governments” which actually serve the interests of the big capital and work for the perpetuation of capitalist barbarity.
The Communists, the friends of the KKE in Cyprus and Greece, move forwards, defending a very just cause and will continue to struggle having as a guide the workers-peoples’ interests.
We insist on the discussion on the discussion, on the struggle on a political basis and in this direction we will respond to certain allegations which have been heard these days and are presented with a “progressive” mantle.
Firstly, some say: The KKE talks about the Cyprus Issue, violating the communist principle of internationalist solidarity, thus interfering in the internal affairs of another state or, they say that the KKE could only talk about the issues of security and guarantees.
We will repeat that proletarian internationalism is the soul of the KKE and this has been proved in its almost 100-year history, in even more difficult situations, and continues to be demonstrated daily in the principled stance that the KKE maintains in its relations with dozens of communist parties, by supporting the peoples’ struggle everywhere in the world.
KKE’s positioning on the Cyprus Issue is an obligation, because the problem is international and affects the developments in the region, the developments in Greece and the Greek people. The KKE exercises its right to defend its opinion and we would say to the devotees of this unfounded view to reconsider its implications and take into account that members of Greek political parties visit Cyprus and take positions, while members of the Cypriot parties have been visiting Athens and discussing with the governments all these years, they discuss with the political parties, organize events and many times the support of the KKE has been requested- and still is- for the Cyprus Issue.
Let us remember the 2002-2004 period, during the Annan Plan, and the militant contribution of the KKE to the plan’s rejection by the Cypriot people. The contribution of the KKE which then too, caught firmly the pulse of the developments, without wavering and while all the other Greek parties, PASOK, New Democracy, Synaspismos were supportive of the dichotomous plan.
Secondly, they say: The KKE entangles the Cyprus Issue with Greek-Turkish relations and that must not be done- Cyprus is an independent state.
This claim has no relation to any reasonable approach of the developments.
But, I will set some issues because the developments are very worrying and the myths invented for opportunistic reasons must be explained and refuted.
It is impossible to spherically, substantially examine the Cyprus Issue or the problems in Greek-Turkish relations detached from the developments in the broader region, from the course and intensity of the inter-imperialist contradictions, the intervention of the US, NATO, EU in competition, for example, with Russia for the natural resources and energy pipelines. These contradictions have led to the wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Ukraine.
You cannot examine the Cyprus Issue without taking into account the broader aggressiveness of Turkey’s bourgeoisie and state which maintains the occupation of 37% of the island for 43 years, has military forces, for example, in Syria, Iraq, military bases in the Balkans and elsewhere. While, at the same time, it talks about “grey zones”, indulging in daily violations of the borders, disputing the Greek islands, the sovereignty and the EEZ of Greece and Cyprus, raises the question of challenging the Lausanne Treaty and of border changes in the wider region.
These dangerous developments require responsible positions and fighting against perceptions which objectively lead to positions claiming that “no matter if the whole region is in flames, a fair solution to the Cyprus Issue can be ensured”.
Let us widen the issue. The KKE, for example, considers it necessary that the Cypriot parties take a position e.g. concerning the issue of the developments in the Aegean, also regarding the policies of the Greek parties and the policies of the SYRIZA-ANEL government which, alongside the implementation of the memorandums and the more general harsh antipeople policies, supports the NATO and EU “predatory alliances”, positions itself in line with the Common Security and Defense Policy and entangles our country in the imperialist antagonisms in the name of its geostrategic upgrading on behalf of the bourgeois interests.
Third, they say: the KKE misinterprets the statements made by Akinci or Turkish governmental-state officials regarding the “two states”.
KKE speaks on the basis of data and facts.
A basic issue which refutes the claim regarding an alleged misinterpretation is the initial agreement, the common statement of Mr.Anastasiadis and Mr.Eroglu on February 2014 which talks about “two constituent states”, with which Mr.Akinci agreed- thus fulfilling his own role in the enforcement of a dichotomous solution- two states.
But it is not only that.
Throughout the bicommunal talks there are interventions which show that the leadership of Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot side insists on maintaining the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” which is a result of invasion-occupation.
A basic dogma of the Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot side is that the Turkish-Cypriot constituent state will be the continuation of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC) – On April 2015, Mr.Akinci spoke about “two equal states”.
Recently, addressing the Greek-Cypriot side, Mr. Erdogan provocatively stated: “without being ashamed they participate in the EU summits with a flag with includes the whole Cyprus. You cannot have such a flag there, there is also a TRNC. You are the Greek-Cypriot administration of South Cyprus. In the North there is a Turkish republic…”.
On January 12th, commenting the progress of talks in Geneva, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Cavusoglu said that the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” is a mature state with vision and that the views of Turkey are fully in line with the TRNC”….
They say to us that statements do not count, but what counts is what is submitted and what is being discussed on the table of negotiations, and we say that this is a simplification because what the KKE puts are actual facts which show intentions, plans of Turkey’s bourgeoisie and every effort to downgrade this poses the danger of projecting a false image, in order to create an environment of artificial euphoria; but this causes damage because it generates false expectations, blunts the militant reflexes and intensifies the people’s manipulation.
Fourthly, they say: The KKE cannot talk about the Establishment Treaty because it constitutes the basis for the creation of the Republic of Cyprus.
First of all, we must note that Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, characterizing it as “defunct” and unfortunately this has become a habit that reaches the point of compromise and acceptance of such positions, as happened in the recent Geneva Conference on January 12th when the president of Cyprus was not addressed with his actual title, but as honorable Mr.Anastasiadis, just as Mr.Akinci was.
Indeed, the KKE criticizes all the three treaties; of the Establishment which provides for the status of the British bases, of the Alliance and of the Guarantees, and we consider that this stance is necessary and contributes to the struggle of the Cypriot people.
Besides, we are not saying anything new. We utilize the experience of the previous years and we reiterate the demand for the abolition the British bases which constitute a tool of NATO in Cyprus and, together with the US base in Suda, are being used in imperialist plans.
The sovereignty of Cyprus cannot be based on the problematic agreement of 1960 but on the struggles that the Cypriot people, who do not need imperialist “crutches”, have waged and must wage.
Comrade Ezekias Papaioannou, GS of AKEL for many years, with whom the KKE had comradely relations and honours him, raised important issues. In his book “Remembrances of my life” he writes that “the worst provisions of the Zurich-London Agreement which express the compromise with imperialism are the Treaties of Establishment, Guarantees and Alliance. Based on the Establishment Treaty, the British imperialists secured 99 square miles of Cypriot territory and 32 other points in various parts of Cyprus for the British sovereign bases”… and cde. Ezekias, talking about the necessary mutual confidence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, characteristically points out that these conditions actually “crippled the island’s independence”.
Fifth, they say: the KKE changed its position and today it does not support the Bicommunal Bizonal Federation, the issue is: “A Single state or a Federation?”.
The correct briefing of the Cypriot and Greek people regarding the history of the Bicommunal Bizonal Federation is necessary.
The Turkish bourgeoisie tried in a planned way to create faits accomplis for the creation of two states, by exploiting the problems of the Zurich-London Agreement, the position of the “Union (Enosis) of Cyprus with Greece”, the activity of extreme- nationalist forces from both sides.
The Turkish aspirations were advanced through the Turkish invasion and occupation on July 1974, after the coup organized in Cyprus with the responsibility of the Junta and the complicit stance of the US, NATO and Britain.
During the 1960s, the method of creating pockets and a number of Turkish-Cypriots were transferred to certain areas for the formation of a Turkish-Cypriot territorial zone.
Because the high level agreements between Makarios and Denktash in 1977 and Kyprianou-Denktash in 1979 are projected as the basis of the Bicommunal Bizonal Federation- but without presenting information about the discussions that took place, the relevant pressures and blackmails- we will refer to only one fact. In his interview in the Turkish-Cypriot magazine “Olay” (16/7/79), the Turkish-Cypriot leader Denktash, giving his own definition of the Bizonal Federation pointed out: “The concept of the Bizonal (Federation) is that I am a state with my own territory, like one of the two Federal States. I am sovereign regarding many issues, within my territory this sovereignty is absolute and no one can take it away from me”.
In 1983 the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” was declared and this was again utilized to create faits accomplis.
Dear comrades and friends,
In the main document of the bicommunal talks of this period, that means in the Common Statement of Anastasiadis-Eroglu on 11th February 2014, the promoted “solution plan for the Cyprus Issue” provisions the creation of “Two Constituent States” and despite the prettification efforts, this solution is dichotomous, dangerous.
In practice, as happened with the Annan Plan, partition goes through the so-called Bicommunal Bizonal Federation which from a “painful compromise”, as it was characterized by Cypriot and Greek parties, was later seen as a principled position.
The KKE, which had adopted the position of Bicommunal Bizonal Federation as a compromise, expressing its solidarity with AKEL, carefully examined the developments, studied the experience of the Annan Plan, the positions which were posed later and especially the position about “Two Constituent States” and decided to define its position on the basis for a new situation, retaining the basic framework for a “SINGLE STATE, a single sovereignty, a single citizenship, a single International Personality which acquire substance with the KKE’s proposal.
As is indicated in the Theses of the CC for our Party’s 20th Congress “the new processes lead to the finalization of the partition of Cyprus, substantially in the formation of two separate state entities which only formally and temporarily will establish a Federation”.
Thus, in practice it is a Confederation of two states, which will have their own territorial integrity, their own borders and therefore sovereignty, their own constitution, parliament and government, their domestic and foreign policy, their own policy for Education, Health, Social Security, labour relations, including wages- numerous discriminations which, apart from anything else, will be an obstacle to the common action of Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot workers who will continue suffering the consequences of a high degree of exploitation.
In practice, the principles for a single Sovereignty, a single Citizenship and a single International Personality are cancelled, thus negating the slogans which talk about the island’s unification.
The powers that the federal government will have do not reverse this situation. The major factor which is affected is the borders, the territorial sovereignty (territory) and the other issues mentioned above.
The effort to equate Cyprus, e.g. with the USA, Russia, Switzerland has no real basis, because the starting point and historical course are different and the effects of the occupation are intense. In the states mentioned there are no internal borders.
In practice, the Turkish-Cypriot constituent state will maintain strong ties with the Turkish bourgeois state, will implement its own foreign policy.
The problems which arise are very important, with geostrategic dimensions and implications of broader significance.
What is the stance that the Turkish-Cypriot Constituent State will have regarding the complex developments in our region, regarding the presence of Turkish forces in Syria and Iraq? What will happen in the relations with NATO? What is it going to do in relation to Greek-Turkish relations, the border violations, the provocations by president Erdogan and the challenging of the Lausanne Treaty, the EEZ, the Continental Shelf, the International Convention of the Law of the Sea of 1982?
The dichotomous solution contains many elements which in their development will have negative effects and may trigger even more the sharpening of the contradictions and the situation in Eastern Mediterranean with very painful consequences for the peoples in the region.
Because of its geostrategic position and role in a region which is a geographical crossroad, Cyprus – with natural resources in a region where powerful monopoly interests cross their swords – constitutes the terrain of inter-imperialist antagonisms and conflicts, with the involvement of the US, Britain, NATO, EU, of the bourgeois classes of Turkey, Greece, Cyprus.
This fact is connected with the birth and perpetuation of the Cyprus Issue and today it is obvious that the problem has passed into a new phase of sharpening, because of the imperialist military operations in the region and the antagonisms over the natural gas fields and the energy pipelines.
The systematic interventions of the US and the EU for the acceleration of the talks and the signing of an agreement “at any cost”, aim to create faits accomplis, in order to open the way for the exploitation of the island’s energy reserves to the benefit of the interests of the bourgeois classes and the euroatlantic plans.
We are talking about very big interests, opponents of the Cypriot people and must be understood that “they don’t give a damn” about a fair and viable solution, about the unity of Cyprus’ working people.
A glance is enough. The monopolies have taken their position. “Noble Energy”, “Delek”, “ENI/TOTAL”, “Exxon/Mobil”, “Qatar Petroleum”, “Statoil” and others.
It is not only that. The aim is also the utilization of Cyprus’ geostrategic position in the competition of the US, NATO and the EU with Russia in the conditions of the intensification of the overall inter-imperialist contradictions that have occurred in our region, where imperialist wars in Syria, Iraq and Libya are raging.
Dear comrades and friends,
Recently, members of SYRIZA in Greece, the known defenders of the Annan Plan as well as various other supporters of the new version of the dichotomous solution, persistently downgrade the international dimensions of the Cyprus Issue and try to impose an atmosphere that underestimates the invasion-occupation, by restricting the causes of the problem to developments and events of the 1960s, which of course have their own importance. But it is impermissible to use them in order to reduce the role of invasion-occupation which was a qualitative change and basic cause of the situation that has been formed in the island.
The same forces are also praising the role of the imperialist European Union and cultivate illusory expectations about its role, while they attempt to beautify the role of Turkey’s bourgeoisie – expecting benefits from its cooperation with the bourgeois classes of Greece and Cyprus.
The Cypriot and Greek people are required to be vigilant because such positions are not random but are in fact testing the waters, paving the way for very harmful developments, the acceptance of maintaining the occupation forces in Cyprus and the perpetuation of the status-quo regarding the guarantors, in the name of the realism of submission.
Dear comrades and friends,
From November until today, the talks in Switzerland were greatly promoted and especially cultivated false hopes for the Geneva Conference on January 12th, concealing the fact that the talks are undermined and their results are defined by the framework of “two constituent states”.
Regarding the interpretation of the talks in Switzerland, there is an effort to characterize them as positive, justifying their continuation on the same basis.
Under what criteria can they be evaluated as positive?
Let us look at some examples.
It is said that for the Territorial Issue the positive thing is that the two sides have submitted the maps held by the UN.
An agreement is sought concerning the territories which will remain under the control of the Turkish-Cypriot authorities, a percentage between 28.2% according to the proposal of the Greek-Cypriot side and 29.2% according to the Turkish-Cypriot one. We don’t know what will happen with the area of Morphou and Karpasia regarding which the Turkish side has reacted negatively. However, the positive assessment is not substantiated. In 1977, for example, the percentage in the proposal set by the Greek-Cypriot side was at 19.7% and afterwards gradually increased, up to the 28.7% of the Annan Plan.
What happens regarding the return of the refugees?
Due to the invasion-occupation some 200,000 refugees were uprooted.
In Mont Pelerin it was agreed, at first, the return of a minimum of 78,247 and maximum of 94,484 refugees, with a retreat by the Greek-Cypriot side to 92 thousand. The Turkish-Cypriot side did not abide by that and proposed the return of approximately 65,000 refugees. In previous period, the discussion included numbers about the return of about 120,000 refugees.
What happens in the property issue? After so many years of talks it has not been determined whether or not the legal owner will have priority over the user.
On the Settlers, Turkey does everything in order to legitimize a large number of settlers, even in discrepancy with the number of Turkish-Cypriots.
It has been said that an agreement for the Governance is being advanced but we believe  that it cannot be regarded as a positive outcome that the examined process for addressing deadlocks- by lot in the Cabinet, so that a four-member committee becomes a three-member one in order to take a majority- minority decision for potentially serious political problems.
Finally, what happens with the guarantees-  the security, the occupational military forces?
KKE has been criticized with the flimsy argument that it is not true that the replacement of the guarantor powers by an EU or NATO mechanism is being considered.
On March 2016 Mr.Akinci stated that “there can be no solution without the guarantees of Turkey”.
On 25 January 2017, Mr.Akinci stated that “The Turkish army will not fully withdraw after a solution…. and in case the constitutional order is under threat, the Turkish-Cypriots would be able to call Turkey after a decision of their parliament…”.
It is not a secret that the US Assistant Secretary of State Ms. Nuland has persistently raised the issue of maintaining the occupation forces thus favoring the solution of the establishment of a Turkish military base in Cyprus.
It is also not a secret that there is an effort to establish the EU as a guarantor power or that there are proposals to send an international police force- from Islamic or other countries.
It is necessary for all the occupational forces must immediately leave Cyprus, without the existence of guarantors and protectors- every retreat from this aim reproduces the problem.
As for the expectations being cultivated about a Friendship Agreement between Turkey, Greece and Cyprus or a Special (guarantee) decision of the UN Security Council, the answer is provided by the 43 -year o occupation under the responsibility of the UN too, the answer is provided by its role as a tool of the US and NATO in the imperialist wars, e.g. in Yugoslavia, Libya, while the Friendship Agreements and the Confidence measures have worked as a temporary relief valve without addressing the substance of the problems, they are not a  panacea.
Let me provide an example. Both the Dayton Agreement, as well as the relevant decision of the UN Security Council, supposedly guaranteed that Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia, but in practice that wasn’t respected- Kosovo became a protectorate.
The KKE says to the Cypriot and the Greek people to be cautious because there are positions and scenarios which do not have at the center of their attention the abolition of the occupation and guarantees, but their modernization.
Dear comrades and friends,
The KKE’s proposal provides a way out, it supports the immediate withdrawal of the occupation forces and all the foreign military forces and this is the proposal of popular struggle, of assertion, for immediate implementation- a clear one, without equivocations. The KKE proposal is firmly based on the unified interests of Cyprus’ working people, it respects the rights of Turkish-Cypriots, Greek-Cypriots, Maronites, Latins and Armenians.
It shows the way for an Independent Cyprus, a unified one, that means one and not two states, with the right to free, unrestricted movement, settlement and accommodation of working-popular families in all the  areas of the island, without conditions and commitments.
With the safeguarding of the labour, social security, social rights without discrimination, and this is very important. With respect for the right to language, education, religious choices and cultural traditions.
The working people, the people of toil have the right to live without the exploitation of man by man and those forces which incriminate the struggle for Socialism support the perpetuation of bourgeois power and capitalist barbarity.
Honouring, celebrating the 100 years of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the communists, men and women, in every country must consolidate their identity and trajectory, and strengthen the struggle for socialism.
The struggle of the working class and the popular strata everywhere, in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and the other countries of the region will be strengthened as long as Proletarian Internationalism is intensified and the struggle is directed against the monopolies and the exploitative system, for workers power and the socialization of the wealth, for  the disengagement from the imperialist organizations, the EU, NATO; for the formation of the conditions for international relations based on mutual benefit.
We believe that this is the direction which corresponds to the working class-peoples interests and can lend impetus and great strength to the coordinated struggle, to allow us combat the offensive of capital, to meet the requirements of the struggle against the imperialist wars.
Dear comrades and friends,
We hear unacceptable slanders about nationalism but those who repeat or tolerate them are completely exposed. We say them only that such accusations do not touch us: “No rust can stain this marble”.
The KKE clashes with bourgeois nationalism and cosmopolitanism, both of which serve the partition of Cyprus, either openly or in disguise, and we want to point out that it can be understood that nationalism is dealt a blow by the KKE positions which cancel the policy of “two states” that entrenches, reproduces every sort of discrimination and impedes the common struggle of the Cypriot people- Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots who have nothing to divide them.
In these complex situations, what is highlighted is the major significance of the necessity for the development of the working class-people’s struggle and the decisive response to illusions which have been cultivated about the role of the US, Britain and other powerful capitalist states. The expectation for a solution “from above” facilitates initiatives which position Cyprus on the chessboard of the inter-imperialist competition. It is especially necessary to struggle against positions that present Cyprus’ accession to the EU as a pro-people solution and regard as a panacea the so-called “acquis communautaire” which coincides with the promotion of capital’s strategy and interests, which are contrary to the interests of the working class, of the working people of Cyprus”.
No pasarán! We denounce the attempts to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

No pasarán! We denounce the attempts to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2017/02/no-pasaran-we-denounce-attempts-to-ban.html
Members from the International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties (IMCWP) have released a statement denouncing the attempts to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU). 
The statement points out the invalidity of the trial and underlines the grave responsibilities of the EU, NATO and USA in the process by supporting the ultra-right and fascist forces in Ukraine.

Apart from annihilating the CPU, the Ukrainian authorities attempt to falsify and distort the country’s history and turn former Nazi collaborators into heroes, says the statement.
Joint Statement of the Working Group of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties
“We denounce the attempts to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine”
7th February 2017
The undersigned Parties denounce once again in the strongest possible terms the attempts to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine in view of the relevant trial due to take place tomorrow (08.02.17) in Kiev. This parody trial aims at annihilating the CP Ukraine through a process that is contrary to the principles of International Law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international principles and conventions.
The attempt at prohibiting the CP of Ukraine is the culmination of a continuous and violent persecution of the Party with the ultra-right and fascist forces at the forefront. The European Union, the US and NATO, which have fueled and supported these forces, bear grave responsibilities. The attempt to impose the so-called decommunisation of the country, to falsify and distort the country’s history and collective memory, which is seeking to serve the ideological and political considerations and interests of the current order in Ukraine, is evolving within this context. The efforts to turn former Nazi collaborators into heroes are all part of this campaign in the country.
The undersigned Communist and Workers Parties will work both at a local and international level to condemn such actions and denounce them before the international community. At the same time they will stand in solidarity with the CP Ukraine until its final vindication.
The first signatories:
Cyprus – AKEL – Progressive Party of the Working People
Czech Rep. – CPBM – Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
Greece – KKE – Communist Party of Greece
Iran – Tudeh Party
Portugal – PCP – Portuguese Communist Party
Russia – CPRF – Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Turkey – TKP – Communist Party of Turkey
Decision of the CC of the KKE on the developments around the Cyprus Issue and the position of the KKE
worker | November 4, 2016 | 7:47 pm | AKEL (Cyprus), Communist Party Greece (KKE), Greece, political struggle | Comments closed

Friday, November 4, 2016

Decision of the CC of the KKE on the developments around the Cyprus Issue and the position of the KKE

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/11/decision-of-cc-of-kke-on-developments.html
Decision of the CC of the KKE on the developments around the Cyprus Issue and the position of the KKE / Source: inter.kke.gr.
The CC of the KKE met and examined the overall developments on the Cyprus issue through the prism of the new facts. It came to the following decision:
The Communist Party of Greece follows, studies and takes a responsible position on the Cyprus problem. It has made a significant contribution to the denunciation of the Turkish invasion-occupation, to highlighting the international character of the problem, to expressing internationalist solidarity with the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins.
The KKE fights against the negative, for the peoples, plans that are unfolding in the framework of the antagonisms of the bourgeois classes of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, as well as the in the context of the negative and dangerous role played historically and still being played today by the USA, Britain, NATO and the EU as regards the resolution of the Cyprus problem.
The problem, unsolved for 42 years, of invasion-occupation has today passed into a new phase of intensification, due to the imperialist military operations in the region and the inter-imperialist contradictions around the oil and natural gas pipelines, the transport routes for commodities etc. Greece, Turkey and Cyprus all have bases installed, i.e. they have provided territory for US-NATO bases and British military bases, which up to today play an increased role in the region, in the imperialist military operations.
The KKE comes into conflict with bourgeois nationalism, which expresses the interests of the bourgeois class only. The fact that bourgeois parties and cells of the bourgeois state had and have every interest in fostering nationalist and chauvinist confrontations and hatred amongst the peoples, so that their plans can always be facilitated on the background of the inter-imperialist contradictions, or, in other instances, in fostering bourgeois cosmopolitanism, should not mislead the peoples. Both these choices (different sides of the same coin) serve in the end the partition in an open or camouflaged way.
The KKE, alongside issues of principle, has a particular interest, as since the beginning of the 1950s the Cyprus Issue has been closely connected to the foreign policy of the Greek governments and as a result, in various forms, directly and indirectly, acts as a factor that has an impact on internal developments in Greece.
The contradictions between the governments, as well as inside the EU and NATO, the various alliances that are created temporarily or not, have nothing to do with the interests of the peoples and the internationalist solidarity amongst them. Today, more so than before, these developments are leading very rapidly to the partition and the creation of two states in essence, a plan that has existed for many years and was temporarily avoided in 2004 with the vote against the “Annan Plan”, which included this trajectory.
The KKE was the only political force in Greece that decisively and clearly denounced the confederal, dichotomous “Annan Plan” and supported the NO of the Cypriot people in the relevant referendum of April 2004. It was the only party in the Greek parliament that organized mobilizations against this plan and due to the pressure exerted by it a joint statement in favour of the “Annan Plan” was prevented at the meeting of the party leaders called  by the then President of the Republic in Greece.
The KKE examines the developments with the workers’-people’s interests as its criterion and focuses its attention on the following issues related to the Cyprus problem.
First, the CC of the KKE notes that, despite the compromises of the Greek-Cypriot side, Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot side recycle dangerous positions, which perpetuate the consequences of the invasion-occupation and promote the partition of Cyprus.
Specifically:
  • On the 3rd of October 2014, and while the bicommunal talks were underway, the Turkish authorities issued “a directive to seafarers”, which aimed at binding a large area of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in order for seismic research to be carried out by the Turkish boat “Barbaros”.
  • The Turkish/Turkish-Cypriot side argues that the Turkish-Cypriot constituent state will be the continuation of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”. Mr. Akinci (April 2015) spoke about “two equal states”.
  • In July 2015, in the period of the 3rd round of the concession of energy plots to monopoly groups, the Turkish side reacted intensely as regards plot 6 of Cyprus’ EEZ, disputed the sovereign rights and advanced provocative claims.
  • Mr. Akinci (March 2016) stated that “there can be no solution without the guarantees of Turkey” etc.
  • Mr. Erdogan, in his statements of the territorial issue, mentioned that Turkey is not willing to return the occupied area of Morphou.
Consequently, the euphoria that is being fostered for a solution to the Cyprus Issue does not have a real basis. The problems, which have led to today’s situation, to the perpetuation of the occupation, remain in place.
The political line that the government of Cyprus is following operates within the framework that led to the dichotomous “Annan Plan”, which was neither just nor viable and its promotion entangled the peoples of Greece and Turkey in new hazards.
The expectations about a just and viable solution, which are being fostered by the governments of Greece and Cyprus, are not rooted in real evidence. The joint statement of Anastasiadis-Eroglu (February 2014) and the basic position for Two Constituent States moves in the direction of a confederal, dichotomous solution.
The systematic interventions of the USA and the EU in order to speed up the talks and for an agreement to be signed, aim at the creation of a fait accomplis, with the goal of paving the way for the exploitation of the energy deposits of the Island to the benefit of the bourgeois classes and the Euro-Atlantic plans.
They have as their aim the utilization of the geostrategic position of Cyprus in the competition of the USA, NATO and the EU with Russia, in the context of the sharpening of the more general inter-imperialist contradictions that have manifested themselves in our region, where the imperialist wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya are raging.
The developments are very dangerous. The competition is sharpening and is related to which energy plans will prevail regarding the exploitation and transport of the natural gas of Cyprus and of other energy sources from the South East Mediterranean to Europe.
The situation is being complicated by the rapprochement of Turkey-Israel, the plans of Greece and Cyprus with Israel and Egypt. The following monopoly groups are involved in all these plans: DELEK, EXXON Mobil – QATAR PETROLEUM, ENI – TOTAL, STATOIL and CAIRN – DELEK – AVNER etc.
The developments confirm that the course of the “Cyprus Problem”, in each historical phase, is connected to inter-imperialist competition over the natural resources and the utilization of the strategic geographical position of Cyprus and the bourgeois classes of Britain, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus bear particular responsibilities. The USA, NATO and the EU are deeply involved in and bear responsibilities for the creation, in sustaining and sharpening the Cyprus problem.
The accession of Cyprus to the EU did not only not lead to safeguarding a united Cypriot state entity to the benefit of its peoples as a whole, as the supporters of the European predatory alliance claimed, but in reality was proved to be an additional factor that creates difficulties, refuting expectations that were fostered over the years.
Second, in relation to the Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation, which today is being promoted as the “heart” of the solution of the Cyprus problem, we note that since the 1960s, the Turkish bourgeoisie in a methodical and planned way has attempted to create a fait accomplis for the creation of two states, utilizing the problems of the Zurich-London agreements, the position for the union of Cyprus with Greece, the activity of nationalist forces from both sides, and even more so the coup that was organized in Cyprus, under the responsibility of the military junta in Greece.
During the 1960s, the method of forming enclaves was used and Turkish-Cypriots were moved to specific areas in order to form a territorial Turkish-Cypriot zone, while the Turkish aims were completed with the invasion and occupation, with “Attila 1” and “Attila 2”, in July and August 1974 respectively.
After the invasion, the Turkish state worked systematically to impose the position for a Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation and to achieve for this position -as a compromise -to be included in the materials of the talks, as a basis on its part for a dichotomous, confederal solution, of two states.
In 1983, the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” was declared and the false state was utilized once again to create a fait accomplis.
In practice, it has been demonstrated that a tactical position, a “final compromise” of the Greek-Cypriot side, which led to the position for a Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation, was later transformed into a position of principle and foundation for the solution of the Cyprus Issue.
Third, the downplaying of the international character of the Cyprus problem, as a problem of invasion and occupation, the prioritization of internal (governance etc.) aspects over international ones (withdrawal of occupation troops, rights of intervention of other states, British bases etc.) are characteristic features of the developments.
Cyprus’ continuing membership of the EU, the maintenance of British bases and military occupation forces, which are connected with the most unfavourable international correlation of forces as regards the resolution of the Cyprus problem, are taken as a given during all the years the talks have been conducted.
The “Annan Plan” made it clear that the issue of state organization (two states) is not some narrow internal aspect, but is interconnected with issues to do with international aspects of the Cyprus problem, with the involvement of the EU and powerful imperialist states.
On the basis of the experience that has been accumulated, the developments on the Cyprus issue must be dealt with from the standpoint of the role that Cyprus and the constituent states could play in a region with intense inter-imperialist competition, ethnic contradictions etc., in conditions of imperialist war in Syria, Libya and Iraq, of serious problems in Greek-Turkish relations, in the framework of Turkey’s policy in the Middle East and Balkans and Greece’s strategy for geopolitical enhancement on behalf of the monopolies.
The dichotomous solution of the Cyprus issue is a worrying international development, because apart from the fact that it does not guarantee a viable solution in favour of the people of Cyprus, it can be practically connected with the new sharpening of the contradictions in the Eastern Mediterranean, with very negative consequences for the peoples in the region.
Another characteristic feature of the talks between Anastasiadis-Akinci is the practice that prioritizes issues .e.g., of governance, the economy, the EU etc, downplaying and leaving to the end of the talks issues that have a central position as regards the consequences of the Turkish invasion-occupation.
For example:
–The occupation of territories, towns, villages, property, in combination also with the problem of the refugees.
–The withdrawal of the Turkish military occupation forces from Cyprus.
–The problem of the settlers who are acquiring citizenship in order to change the population composition and to reinforce the fait accomplis.
As regards the matter of guarantees, a discussion has begun that poses the issue of replacing the guarantor powers (Turkey, Greece, G. Britain) by an apparatus of the EU or NATO, or by a police, military force from various states or the maintenance of military forces from Turkey, perpetuating the problem.
It should be taken into account as regards this issue that three international treaties were agreed together with the Constitution of 1960.
–The “treaty of establishment” that also provides for the existence of two British bases.
— The “treaty of guarantee” that includes the rights of the guarantor powers to “take action with the sole aim of re-establishing the state of affairs established by the present Treaty.”
— The “treaty of alliance” that allows Greece and Turkey to «undertake to resist any attack or aggression, direct or indirect, directed against the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. »
Consequently, the opposition to the regime of guarantees must be accompanied by the struggle to cancel these treaties, something which has not been carried out by the Greek government or the Cypriot side.
Fourth, the KKE, immediately after the signing of the Joint Statement Anastasiadis-Eroglu in February 2014, focused its attention on criticizing the “two constituent states” which constitutes a confederal, dichotomous solution.
Aside from the federal state, each constituent state ( on the basis of the residual powers and in practice beyond) will have its own constitution, its own state apparatus, parliament, government and council of ministers, police, flag and anthem, its own state budget, its own policies for education, healthcare, pensions etc.
Consequently, the claim that the “Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation” with two constituent states safeguards one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality has no basis.
The “safety valves” that are being promoted through the powers of the federal state cannot objectively solve the problem. Even more so when Turkey is speaking precisely when it talks about a “partnership of two states” and declares that the Turkish-Cypriot state is the continuation of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.
In practice, the Turkish-Cypriot constituent state, connected by strong bonds to the Turkish bourgeois state, will implement its own political line and beyond what is provided for by the residual powers which will be given to it by the Federal Constitution.
On the basis of the two constituent states, the principle of “one international personality” will have no basis for application regarding difficult, complex international problems.
For example, how will this “principle” apply to Greek-Turkish relations, in the case of Turkey disputing of the Greek EEZ and continental shelf, the unacceptable positions about “grey zones”, the position of the Turkish President Erdogan that disputes the Treaty of Lausanne?
What will be its position, in the case of the deterioration of the situation in the Aegean Sea, in the South East Mediterranean?
BASIC AXES OF THE POSITION OF THE KKE.
The basis for the position of the KKE is the united interests of the working people of Cyprus as a whole, the necessity to coordinate the struggle of the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, confronting the situation caused by the invasion-occupation from the standpoint of the class struggle in the direction of liberation from the shackles of capitalist exploitation.
Specifically, the position of the KKE on the Cyprus problem is determined by the following axes.
The Cyprus problem is an international problem of the invasion and occupation of the northern part of Cyprus by Turkey. It is marked by the intervention of NATO and the more general imperialist plans in the region. The international character also arises from the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council.
We are in favour of the withdrawal of the occupation forces and all the other foreign military forces from Cyprus and more generally we support the elimination of the consequences of the Turkish occupation, the end to the settlements, the right of refugees to return to their homes and the withdrawal of the settlers, taking into account social and humanitarian criteria.
We support the closure of the British bases and the abolition of the special status they have enjoyed for so many years.
  • The KKE considers that the struggle of the working class and popular strata must be directed to the goal of a Cyprus, where its people will be the masters, Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians, Latins and Maronites. A Cyprus united, independent, with one single sovereignty, one citizenship and international personality, without foreign bases and troops, without foreign guarantors and protectors.
  • For the KKE, a united Cyprus means:
–A united state formation: One state and not two states.
–The right to free movement, residence and stay of working class-popular families in all areas of the Island, without conditions and commitments, regardless of whether they are Turkish-Cypriots, Greek-Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites or Latins.
–Safeguarding of labour, social-security, social rights without discriminations. Respect for the right of all people to speak their language and for their children to be educated. Respect for the religious choices and cultural traditions.
  • On this basis, the position of the KKE for a united Cyprus fights against nationalism and ghettoization, which are caused by “bizonality” and the two “constituent states”, and expresses the necessity for the united organization and joint struggle of the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians, Latins and Maronites, against the bourgeois class, against the EU, against NATO.
The conflict against capitalist exploitation and the confrontation against the aggressiveness of capital, the struggle for goals that serve the contemporary needs of the people, even more so in the complex conditions of the sharpening inter-imperialist antagonisms and imperialist wars in our region, require the utilization of the experience that has been accumulated, the reinforcement of proletarian internationalism and the coordination of the  struggle of the working class and popular strata in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and of other peoples in the region.
As a whole, the joint coordinated struggle of the working class and popular strata in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and the other peoples of the region must be directed against the monopolies and the exploitative system, for workers’-people’s power and the socialization of their wealth, for disengagement from the imperialist organizations, from the EU, from NATO, the formation of international relations, which will be based on mutual benefit. This is the basis for equal economic relations to the benefit of the peoples of different state entities.
October 2016
Central Committee of the KKE
Interview with the member of the CC of KKE Thanasis Pafilis: The Cyprus Issue, AKEL and the positions of KKE
worker | November 3, 2016 | 7:38 pm | AKEL (Cyprus), Analysis, class struggle, Communist Party Greece (KKE), political struggle, Syriza | Comments closed

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Interview with the member of the CC of KKE Thanasis Pafilis: The Cyprus Issue, AKEL and the positions of KKE

https://communismgr.blogspot.com/2016/11/interview-with-member-of-cc-of-kke.html
Interview of Thanasis Pafilis, member of the CC of the KKE, and parliamentary representative of the party to the MEGAONE news outlet in Cyprus- “Cyprus, united, independent, with its people sovereign”.
Source: inter.kke.gr.
 
1. Is the KKE not concerned about the fact that its decision could negatively affect AKEL, with which it has special relations, and indeed in a period where the process of the resolution of the Cyprus Issue, which is also supported by AKEL, is being called into issue by various sides?
The stance of the KKE is rooted in its deep internationalist solidarity with the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians,  Maronites and Latins, and is opposed to the monopoly interests that are promoting a new dichotomous plan so that they can gain control of the natural resources without any impediments. The leadership of AKEL has made its choices and its agreement with the framework of the government and President, a framework supported by the USA and the EU and especially Britain, is mistaken, without prospects and is leading the Cypriot people into great hazards.

2. AKEL, despite the fact that it does not overlook the struggles of the KKE, as it mentions in its statement, nevertheless makes it clear to the Communist Party of Greece that “how the future of Cyprus will be shaped is a matter of the Cypriots and they are the ones who will ultimately decide.”
a) Don’t you think that in such a crucial phase of the process, your policy of “revision” could possibly act like dynamite in this situation?
b) Do you understand the very clear message that AKEL is sending you?
The people of Cyprus have the first say, which, just as in 2004, must reject the new dichotomous solution, but the problem is more complex. I should remind you that then, in 2004, the KKE was the only party in the Greek parliament that organized mobilizations against the “Annan Plan” and due to the pressure exerted by it a joint statement in favour of the plan was prevented at the meeting of the party leaders called then by the President of the republic in Greece.
However, it is apparent that the Cyprus Issue, from the moment that it is an international problem of invasion and occupation, is of interest to other peoples as well. Any development will also create faits accomplis for other peoples. In addition, as is well-known to you, various “solutions”, such as e.g. the one described in the Annan Plan, are not only unjust and non-viable, but entangle the peoples of Greece and Turkey in major hazards.
The basic axis of the KKE’s positions remains in place and is enriched, decisively highlighting the position for one and not two states.
The stance of the KKE reinforces the struggle of the Cypriot people for a Cyprus that is unified and independent.
3. Do you consider that your new political position can be accepted by the Turkish-Cypriots so that the process can move forwards?
It clearly can also be accepted by the Turkish-Cypriot workers. As you are aware, the Communist Party of Greece closely follows the developments and takes its positions in a responsible way after studying the Cyprus Problem. The KKE has not even for one moment forgotten to underline that the Cyprus problem is an international problem of the invasion and occupation of the northern section of Cyprus by Turkey. It is marked by the intervention of NATO and the more general imperialist plans of the region. It bears the mark if the bourgeois classes of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, the nationalists, the capitalist system itself, which causes the imperialist wars. We have not retreated even one inch from the position for a united Cyprus, independent, with one single sovereignty, citizenship and international personality, without foreign bases and armies, without foreign guarantors and protectors, with the people sovereign and masters in their own land. Others have retreated and have been searching for many years for a solution inside the EU, to constituent states and with the alleged “friendly contribution” of the USA and Israel.
We, as the KKE, have a comprehensive view about what is in the people’s interests today. We believe that the way out is to be found in the struggle against the exploitative system, for workers’-people’s power and the socialization of their wealth, for disengagement from the imperialist organizations, from the EU and NATO, for the formation of conditions for international relations that will be based on mutual benefit. This is something that concerns every country and Cyprus and its people, and clearly the Turkish-Cypriots. This is related as a whole to the joint coordinated struggle of the working class and popular strata in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and of other peoples in the region.
Now if you characterize the abandonment of the Bizonal Bicommunal Federation as a “new political position”, we should note that for the last two years we have stopped referring to it. I.e. from the moment when it became very clear that this term is being used as an alibi for a new dichotomous plan for two states, for “ghettoization”. The KKE, which was stably in favour of a unified Cyprus (one state not two), which consistently struggles against nationalism, has no option but to take a position against “bizonality” and two “constituent states”, which recycle the division of the people on an ethnic, linguistic, religious basis, and to express the necessity for the unified organization and joint struggle of the working class and popular strata of Cyprus, of Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, Armenians, Latins and Maronites, against the bourgeois class, against the EU and NATO.
4. Do you consider what you propose to be possible in relation to the completion of the process of the resolution of the Cyprus Issue and the reunification of Cyprus and its people, especially if one takes into account the facts of the increased flows of settlers, the alteration of the population, the isolation and continuously increasing dependency of the Turkish-Cypriots, as well as the occupied areas, on Turkey and the fait accomplis that is being created on Cyprus’ territory?
As dangerous as the fostering of a false euphoria is, i.e. that allegedly there exist conditions which will lead to a just solution for the Cyprus Issue, it is just as dangerous for the people to submit miserably to the current negative correlation of forces. The correlation of forces, however, can change and this can only happen if the peoples struggle, on the basis of their common class interests, if they come into conflict with the monopolies and capitalism. Submission to the negative correlation of forces leads to a stance that says “Kill me, Aga, and make me a saint.”[i]
 
5. Do you disagree with AKEL’s conviction that “the abandonment of bizonal, bicommunal federation does not lead to a unitary state, but to partition which is catastrophic for Cyprus”? If yes, then what is the alternative?
In the decision of the CC of the KKE it is highlighted how the Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation was formed over time, which today is being promoted as the “heart” of the solution of the Cyprus problem. It is stressed that in the 1960s, the Turkish bourgeoisie in a methodical and planned way attempted to create a fait accomplis for the creation of two states, utilizing the problems of the Zurich-London agreements, the position for the union of Cyprus with Greece, the activity of nationalist forces from both sides, and even more so the coup that was organized in Cyprus, under the responsibility of the military junta in Greece. It notes how the method of forming enclaves was used and that Turkish-Cypriots were moved to specific areas in order to form a territorial Turkish-Cypriot zone, while the Turkish aims were completed with the invasion and occupation, with “Attila 1” and “Attila 2”, in July and August 1974 respectively. After the invasion, the Turkish state worked systematically to impose  the position for a Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation and to achieve for this position-as a compromise-to be included in the materials of the talks, as a basis on its part for a dichotomous, confederal solution, two states. In 1983, the “Turkish Republic of North Cyprus” was declared and the false state was utilized once again to create a fait accomplis. What has been demonstrated then? That in practice, a tactical position, a “final compromise” of the Greek Cypriot side, which led to the position for a Bicommunal-Bizonal Federation, was later transformed into a position of principle and foundation for the solution of the Cyprus Issue and is today being utilized to legitimize the invasion and occupation, through the creation of two constituent states. Life itself demonstrates how damaging this position is that leads to the division of the people of Cyprus, and to complications for the peoples of Greece, Turkey and the wider region. The dichotomous solution must be abandoned in the interests of the peoples and at the expense of the plans of the USA, EU, the bourgeois classes and the monopolies.
6. Are you not concerned about the fact that your position could possibly be exploited, as according to AKEL “Some circles and forces in Cyprus who up until a short time ago were insulting the KKE on a daily basis have now belatedly become fond of it because of the change in its position on the Cyprus problem”?
The KKE has a history of 100 years; it did not enter politics yesterday. It has a long history, with harsh and bloody struggles, which it continues today in the contemporary conditions, with the development of the class struggle, the people’s interests, the construction of a society without the exploitation of man by man, socialism-communism as its “compass». We oppose the participation of Communist Parties in bourgeois governments, in the management of the barbarity of capitalism and we struggle for its overthrow. Now, if some people state that “they love the KKE” but support capitalism, the EU and NATO, which the KKE fights against, it is obvious that they are doing so for their own reasons. And this also applies to those who state that they have the KKE “will forever be deeply rooted in our hearts”, but supported SYRIZA and its government, which implements the most barbaric and anti-people political line that Greece has seen in recent years.
We have confidence in the peoples, in their political criterion, their experience, which in the end “will put every rogue in their rightful place” and will sort “the wheat from the chaff”.
 03.11.2016

[i] A traditional Greek saying that means someone accepts their own murder passively without any resistance.