Broaden the struggle for peace and solidarity against imperialist interference and aggression: PCP

Image via the PCP

The Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) met on June 29 and as part of a broader analysis and statement released this look at the international situation.

I – International Situation

1. The escalation of confrontation and aggression promoted by imperialism, with the problems it deepens, the threats it poses and the worsening of the international situation it entails, can only raise great concern. This escalation is inseparable from the structural crisis of capitalism and the difficulties and contradictions facing the main capitalist powers.

Using powerful political, economic and military means, the US, with the support of the other major capitalist powers gathered in the G7, is promoting all kinds of pressures, threats and blackmail, including the application of coercive measures, to try to impose its domination and prevent bilateral and multilateral development, relationship and cooperation options by countries that assert their sovereignty and rights.

The reaffirmation of NATO's warmongering nature at its Summit in The Hague on 25 June is an expression of this reality. With the imposition of the US and with the agreement of most of its members, NATO has set itself the goal of significantly increasing spending on militarism and war - 5% of GDP by 2035, when NATO countries already account for more than half of the world's military spending - with what amounts to a threat to peace and the diversion of billions of euros to the military-industrial complex, particularly of the US, resources that are essential for improving the living conditions of the workers and peoples.

Particularly serious is the insistence of the European imperialist powers and EU bodies to increase the militarist escalation and exacerbate the war propaganda, which is expressed in the stirring up of false external threats, with their efforts to prolong the war in Ukraine, thwarting lines of dialogue that will pave the way for a political solution to the conflict and guarantee peace and collective security in Europe.

It should be stressed that the militarist escalation is accompanied by an attack on labour rights and other fundamental rights and by the whitewashing and promotion of the extreme right.

Denouncing and rejecting NATO's confrontation and war aims, which carry the threat of a major conflict, the Central Committee of the PCP warns of the dangers of the ongoing arms escalation, which heightens the demand for the dissolution of this political-military bloc, the rejection of the militarisation of the EU and the establishment of an effective system of collective security.

2. The Central Committee of the PCP condemns the PSD/CDS government's subordination to NATO's warmongering policy and reaffirms that Portugal cannot continue to be an instrument of imperialism's strategy of confrontation. Portugal must safeguard national sovereignty and independence, defend the legitimate interests of the people and affirm the principles of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, namely by ensuring the conditions for the Armed Forces to fulfil their constitutionally enshrined mission. Portugal must have its own voice, an independent foreign policy, diversifying its external relations, contributing to the peaceful resolution of international conflicts, the defence of peace and cooperation.

3. The Central Committee of the PCP condemns the US and Israeli aggression against Iran, in clear violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law. This serious aggression, which included the attack on nuclear facilities, took place at a time when indirect negotiations were underway between Iran and the US regarding the agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018. We should recall that Israel is the only country to possess nuclear weapons in the Middle East, outside the scope of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and evading international scrutiny.

After decades of violations of international law, interference, destabilisation and war by the US, NATO, the EU powers and Israel, US imperialism and its allies continue to be the main culprits in the worsening situation in the Middle East.

The Central Committee of the PCP denounces the use of the Lajes Base in the aggression against Iran, with the resulting involvement of Portugal, and the alignment of the PSD/CDS government in the use of Portuguese territory for acts of imperialist aggression against other peoples.

Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people constitute a genocide that is taking place with the hypocritical complicity of the US, the EU and NATO, which continue to give Israel political cover and military support.

The scale of the barbarity, the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people and the pressure of the international solidarity movement are such that they are causing discomfort for the governments of the major Western powers, which nevertheless refuse to implement the decisions and actions that are needed.

It is imperative to end the massacres, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, a permanent ceasefire, as well as the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the illegally occupied Palestinian territories and the creation of the State of Palestine, where the Palestinian people will sovereignly decide their fate.

It is imperative that the Portuguese government condemn Israel's criminal policy of occupation, colonisation and aggression, demand an immediate end to the genocide, recognise and demand the creation of the State of Palestine and respect the Palestinian refugees' right of return, as determined by UN resolutions.

4. The Central Committee of the PCP, in view of the dangers that this escalation holds, calls on the workers, the youth and the Portuguese people to make their protest and outrage heard, and to continue and broaden the struggle for peace and solidarity with all the peoples who resist imperialist interference and aggression, particularly with the Palestinian people and other peoples in the Middle East.

The communists and all the revolutionary, progressive and patriotic forces around the world are faced with the demand to develop the resistance and struggle of the peoples in defence of their rights and sovereignty, including strengthening the bonds of solidarity and cooperation within the framework of a broad anti-imperialist front that will stop imperialism's attempts and pave the way for a new international order of peace and social progress.