Athens Meeting 8-10 October 2004, Contribution of Tudeh
Party of Iran
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From: SolidNet, Tuesday, November 16, 2004
http://www.tudehpartyiran.org ,
mailto:mardom@tudehpartyiran.org
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Dear Comrades,

The Central Committee of the Tudeh Party of Iran is
honoured to participate in this important international
meeting of the Communist and workers parties to exchange
views and experiences about critical issues affecting our
world today.

Firstly, I would like to express the deep gratitude of the
Tudeh Party of Iran to the Greek comrades for hosting this
event and creating favourable conditions for our work. I
would like to convey to the fraternal communist party of
Greece the sincere best wishes of the Tudeh Party of Iran
for their success in the struggle for peace progress and
socialism.

Dear Comrades,
In our analysis the current world balance of forces is a
major factor influencing the methods, domains and fronts
for the struggle in today's world. In the absence of the
Soviet Union which was a massive counter-balance to the US
led world imperialism, today the working people of the
world are subjected to a merciless aggression that
militarization, negation of all international laws and
conventions, and a very calculated offensive for
discrediting international organs such as the United
Nations are its main components.

As a result of this unfavourable world balance of forces
internationally, imperialism has been able to determine the
front of the engagement, i.e. the war against "terrorism",
and the weapons to be used in this war such as military
aggression and invasion or threats to invade other
countries. The world progressive forces cannot but
systematically challenge such a determination and introduce
other fronts and other methods of engagements, which
favours the involvement, and active participation of the
masses. It is an established fact that the US imperialism
is championing this war on behalf of the oil monopolies and
military industry complexes.

The policies of the United States of America, who is
intending to impose its unrivalled hegemony on the entire
world and transform the 21st century into "the American
Century" as George Bush declared, are not necessarily
agreed or supported by other imperialist countries. We
cannot but to consider these conflicts of interests by
other imperialist countries. We cannot but to consider
these conflicts of interests in our calculations when
determining our slogans and methods of struggle.

It is a fact that in the recent years a certain grouping in
the US Republican party who controls the pentagon and
"National Security Council" with calculated and detailed
planning and by turning the "pre-emptive" wars into the
main US policy have practically attacked and challenged the
United Nations charter. Under the leadership of this
neo-Conservative group militarization, aggression and
threats of use of force have been turned into the means of
advancing the IS policies.

The US policies of war and militarization have today become
the biggest threats to the humanity. These policies act in
harmony with the other policies to advance capitalist
Globalisation and spread the rule of "free market" forces
in far corners of the universe. For this reason it is
crucial that the cutting edge of the struggle of the
progressive forces, world wide, should be directed against
these policies.

One of the key aims of the United States ruling circles
from pursuing the current policy is to secure their control
over the world energy resources as a means of imposing the
US absolute universal control. This is not necessarily
favoured by other imperialist countries as has been evident
during the war and occupation of Iraq.

The Middle East has assumed more importance and
significance in imperialism's calculations and plannings.
The current calculated and sinister offensive under the
guise of "spreading democracy in the greater Middle East"
is in effect a policy of regime change in any country of
the region, which in the US calculation is not a secure and
stable environment for the US interests. We believe that
the progressive forces should attempt to frustrate the
imperialist plans by understanding the delicate and
sensitive situation and adopting compatible forms of
struggle. These should focus on the campaign for democracy
and civic society and rely on the effective mobilization of
people to defend independence and national sovereignty.
Dictatorships and aggressive forms of struggle and
provocative and uncalculated reactive actions and
inflexibility could provide the best present and context to
imperialism for continuing its aggressive policies. We do
not believe that being principled is in contradiction with
flexible policy making and policy formulation.

The current offensive by the US administration is in direct
contradiction with the interest of the working people
across the world, who are struggling to preserve their hard
won achievements and secure peace, independence and a
dignified living and working condition.

We are of the view that terrorism is a dangerous and
indefensible phenomenon, which should be eradicated
regardless of its deep origins, the economic and political
factors giving rise to it or the forces responsible for it.
It is a fact that terrorism has benefited the extreme
right, the most backward and right-wing forces. But at the
same time believe that the current policies adopted by the
US administration supposedly to fight terrorism are in
conflict with the interest of the working people.

Terrorism should be carefully defined and its roots must be
exposed and effective methods of challenging it must be
elaborated so that the progressive and justified struggle
of people cannot be undermined or misrepresented..

Terrorism should be carefully defined and its roots mist be
exposed and effective methods of challenging it must be
elaborated so that the progressive and justified struggle
of people cannot be undermined of misrepresented.

Terrorism has been used not only indirectly but also
directly by imperialism. The examples of terrorist
organizations facilitated and nurtured by the CIA in
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo are only the current ones.
The role played by the US, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan
in the developments in Afghanistan, which led to the coming
to power of Taliban, does not need explanation.

At present alongside social and political roots of
terrorism, one has to admit that the occupation of
territories belonging to other peoples, through use of
military force has became an important factor in spreading
terrorism. The tragic conditions currently prevailing in
Iraq and Afghanistan are two examples.

By military invasion and trampling upon the UN convention
and resolutions imperialism transported the most wide
spread type of terrorism to Iraq. Spread of terrorism,
insecurity and gaining strength of dark and reactionary
forces which today we witness in Iraq, is exclusively a
by-product of the US, UK invasion of an independent
country, a member of the UN, in complete disregards for the
legitimate organs of the UN and without even a UN "Security
Council" mandate. The US, which claimed to be presenting
Iraq with democracy instead deliberately, encouraged the
development of fundamentalist, reactionary, terrorist
forces through the conduct of a suspicious, provocative and
confused policy since the invasion.

Dear comrades,
The terrorist attacks on 11th September have enabled the
United States and its allies to re-invigorate their push
against progressive forces and o consolidate their post-
cold war new world order. The carnage of September 11th was
so horrendous that it was effectively impossible to state
that US policies and actions were partly to blame for the
rise of terrorism in the first place. This point now needs
to be made in a systematic way. There is a clear need to
explain that US military adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq
have neither created stable democracies nor rooted out
terrorism.

It is in this context that the importance of the
contribution by world Communist and Workers parties, and in
particular those in Europe and the US, is acknowledged.
Communists need to articulate policies and campaigns that
would enable the peace and labour movement to discharge
their historic responsibilities in the present difficult
conditions.

Understanding the complexities of the Middle East, the
World balance of forces, the need for mobilizing people for
effective actions, and avoiding simplistic pseudo analysis
is most important.

We need to expose the fact that in the Middle East, it is
the imperialists, the reactionary regimes and forces, the
Israeli ultra right wing government that benefit from war
and militarisation. In Iraq, in Palestine, in Iran and in
Afghanistan there are very strong forces calling for a
peaceful road towards developing a democratic society.
Peace is only possible within the context of a political
solution to the problems facing the Middle East- the past
decade has demonstrated very clearly that military
intervention obstructs rather than fosters the creation of
a democratic society. The denial of democracy itself more
or less inevitably leads towards unstable and violent
societies.

It ir our responsibility to expose the falsity of the
positions adopted by fundamentalist Islamic forces. There
are ample examples of the dangerous consequences of
allowing fundamentalist forces to portray themselves as the
natural allies of progressives in the struggle against war,
capitalism and for democracy, justice and peace.

Fundamentalism is characterized by repression of women and
democracy and by the violation of basic human rights. We
need to publicise the fact that peace, the creation of
conditions in which the struggle for socialism is possible,
and the movements for fighting for the rights of women and
minorities are indivisible.

What is clear is that religious fundamentalism, whether
Hindu, Christian, Jewish or Islamic, is a tool of reaction
and imperialism. In its rejection of any other perspective
than its own it is inherently and unalterably
antidemocratic. It doesn't exist other than in the context
of repression and as a tool of social control.

Islamic fundamentalism as a significant trend is barely 30
years old and has been inextricably linked to imperialism.
The Communist Parties in many countries in the Middle East
are deeply rooted in their societies and potent entities.
Let us not forget that the fate of the struggles waged by
he Tudeh Party of Iran, oi the Iraqi CP do have resonance
and impact within the movements for peace and progress
elsewhere and vice versa.

But what can be dove?

We believe that the most important factor and key to
offering a successful challenge to the enemy created "front
of war against terrorism" is the creation of an effective
and popular front for peace. The struggle for world peace
is that unique and fundamental key with which it possible
to untie all knots and promote the struggle of the people
to higher levels.

The struggle for peace can also combine with the struggle
for safeguarding the achievements of working people, which
are at present subjected to a multi faceted offensive in
all capitalist countries. This struggle should am to expose
how governments in the capitalist countries have exploited
the boggy of terrorism and the climate created in order to
consolidate their modern dictatorship. The example of Putin
and his dictatorship is a case in question. The joining of
the front for peace and the front for the struggle against
capitalist "globalization" which has assumed great
potential and its popular basis has become clear in recent
years, is a strategic necessity.

Also in recent years important attempts have taken place in
order to revive the Non aligned movement. This movement is
in essence and potentially an ally in the struggle of
working people for their rights and for world peace. It is
important to understand the characteristics and main
features of this movement and through understanding the
potential, capabilities and limitations of working people.

It is important to fully understand and appreciate the
characteristics and main features of this movement and
through understanding of its potential, capabilities and
limitations to adopt policies that help the strengthening
an growth of this movement and increase of its
effectiveness in the international relations and
developments.

The struggle for peace should be simultaneously advanced in
two main directions:

1. The campaign of opposition to any war, under any
condition except when a member country of the United
Nations is invaded by another country or countries,
irrespective of who they are.

The confrontation against the aggressor or aggressors
should be through the United Nations and military actions
directed to repulse the aggression should be under the
command of the United Nations.

2. Campaign against nuclear weapons and other weapons of
mass destruction. The campaign against nuclear weapons
should cover all countries that possess them we should be
mindful that:
i) No country should be considered as exceptional case as
regards to possession or non possession of nuclear weapons
ii) No other country should join the club of countries
possessing nuclear arms.

On the other hand we should consider expanding the campaign
to compel the countries the possess nuclear weapons to
declare that they would not be the first in using their
nuclear arsenals.

We must undertake a coordinated and massive campaign
vigorously that any country accepting this declaration
should not be easily targeted by other states possessing
nuclear weapons.

We must popularize the fact that joining this movement can
mobilize both the people and non-aligned countries in the
struggle and that could turn into the start of a properly
organized international campaign aimed at eradication of
WMD.

It is natural that in relation to such a platform, we must
adopt clear, specific and transparent positions and
policies favouring campaign for expansion of democracy,
negation of absolutist and totalitarian approaches and
terrorism and adventurist actions.

We believe that if such a platform is developed properly
and popularized, and is consistently followed up, can help
the consolidation of an effective world movement.

Dear Comrades

The real agenda of the current stage of the US push is the
control of the key strategic Persian Gulf region and its
vast energy resources. It is thus no accident that the US
has embarked upon the new phase of its adventures under the
false slogan of championing "democracy in the Greater
Middle East".

Dear Comrades

We are convinced that despite present difficult conditions
the progressive forces have the potential and historical;
opportunity to resist the imperialist offensive and create
favourable conditions for the struggle for world peace and
social progress to continue and develop.

We salute you in your struggle for Peace, progress and
Social progress. May victory be yours!

Long live International Solidarity!
Long live Socialism!

The International Department of the
Central Committee of the Tudeh Party of Iran.