Communist Party of Finland

Contribution to International Communist Conference
Athens 21-23 May 1999

Ms Terttu Ahokas
Member of Political Bureau
Secretary of the Section of international relations of
Central Committee of CPF

Dear Comrades on behalf of CPF, I would like to thank the
CPG for this important meeting.
Peace and socialism - the challenge for communists and the
left in nowadays world.

EU is part of capitalistic globalization, which is dealing
the world and the EU-countries themselves in more and more
unequal way. The policy of NATO and the Schengen-agreement
are rising new walls between peoples. In other hand it is
broadening the control on citizens and NGOs in member
countries. At the same time, they are feeding nationalism,
xenophobia and racism.
Since Finland joined the EU the main part of Finnish stock
exchange companies have been changed to hands of foreign
capital circles. Their greed for gain is ruling also
Finland's EU-policy. So the government supported the
MAI-agreement, which was meant to strengthen the power of
TNC over the rights of working people and protecting of
nature. Now when the active resistance on behalf of the NGO
overturned the MAI-initiative in OECD, this project is
proposed on the agenda of WTO.
The development of Russia is important for whole Europe.
That's why CPF demands, that the cooperation with Russia
must be seen as key area in Finland's and European
cooperation. The so called Northern aspect of EU must not
turn to attempt to give to Russia and its Northern area the
role of developing country, producing only raw material.
The cooperation with Russia should serve the interests of
Russian peoples, not the undemocratic administration of
Yeltsin and IMF.
The alternative, which CPF is proposing for Finnish people
is Europe, based on peaceful and equal cooperation of all
European countries. It opposites to Europe of capital,
based on economic wars, military alliances and exploitation
of developing countries. We demand the representatives of
Finland to influence on the EU, so that UN and OESC will be
the most important instruments for upkeeping the
international peace, security and cooperation.
We also demand Finland's represenatants to say no to MAI
and all kind of similar projects, which only add the power
of TNC. CPF proposes to Finland to forgive the debts of
developing countries and supports the cooperation with them
based on their own needs. This means, that the unfair
Lome-agreement of EU must be corrected on fair basis.
The capitalistic globalization means also strengthening the
role of military forces in world. The Amsterdam agreement
is strengthening the role of EU in foreign and security
policy. More questions can now be decided by majority.
More than that, Amsterdam agreement gives the Council of
Europe right to develop the common defense. During the 50th
Anniversary meeting NATO decided upon the European Security
and Defense Initiative. That means militarisation of EU as
the part of NATO's global strategy an on the basis on
NATO's military power. That's how even the nonallied
countries are tied up to NATO.
Last summer around 200 participants from more than 20
European countries participated in Budapest in meeting of
anti-NATO and peace movements. The themes of discussion
were, among other things, the Amsterdam Treaty, the
expansion of EU and NATO, neutrality, nuclear free zones,
the globalization process a referendum as a tool for
democratic decision making. One of the aims of Budapest
Congress was to broaden the NGO-network and to support new
and developing movements in the Baltic States and in
Central and Eastern Europe.
This summer a similar congress will be organized in Prague
from 2 to 4 July. This kind of network is an example of
wide cooperation between different political forces from
European East, West, North and South, worried of the future
of peace and security in this area of world which gave
birth to two world wars.
The aggression towards Yugoslavia in a dangerous precedent
of NATO's decision to have right to act everywhere despite
of UN rules. Especially USA tries with NATO's new strategy
to destroy UNs position and to strengthen imperialistic
rule in world. CPF demands: Stop NATO's aggression against
Yugoslavia and give the peace a chance! Human rights can
not be protected by means of war - war itself is a crime
against human rights.
NATO's attack to Yugoslavia shows also, that the
Partnership for peace is not based on common values and
goals of international community.
CPF is strictly against Finland's joining to NATO and the
militarisation of EU. We demand Finland to give notice to
NATO's new strategy as well as to Partnership for peace -
program. We demand Finland to be active in promoting the
Zone of neutral countries without nuclear weapons from
Nordic countries to Balkan area. We demand Finland not to
join the EU's cooperation in arm production and not to
export weapon to areas with crises like Turkey, which wages
war against Kurds and occupies part of Cyprus.
CPF is part of international movement against neoliberalism
and capitalism. EU carries out the neoliberalistic theories
of freedom, which centralizes more and more power to
transnational banks and companies. Owners of capital can in
a moment transfer sums, which can shake the whole national
economies and bring distress to million of people. This
development adds the problems of small countries and far
sides.
The growing instability in economy witnesses, that the
money should be directed and used in other way as it is
used in casino economy. Instead of speculation money is
needed for working places, for fending off the poverty, for
protecting the environment and for helping the developing
countries.
CPF demands to limit the export of capital with, for
example, imposing a tax, so called Tobin tax, on the
transfer of capital. The profit can be used for adding
working places and for needs of social development. The
role of central bank of EU must be re-estimated and the
bank should be under the parliamentarian control.
These are at the moment the few of the main areas for CPF
to fight for the future of our nation and peace in Europe.
We stress on the international solidarity and cooperation
between the communist and working parties in different
conditions in world, which has lost the influence of real
socialism. We are building a front of activist of different
NGOs, which works for example against EU, for peace and
solidarity, for women rights and for durable development,
with trade union activists.
In this kind domestic and international movement of people
the capacity of communists to connect their political and
intellectual knowledge with capacity to act and courage to
act can build the strengthen basis for world-wide protest
of people to reaction. This is a dignified challenge for
communist parties in nowadays world. The new technology
gives us more wide possibility for cooperation and for
promoting our socialistic and international views and for
building the most adequate and perfect standpoint on
capitalistic world today and vision about the socialistic
future of the human kind.