Middle Eastern peace movement conference held in Crete

Image via the KKE

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) reports that the World Peace Council (WPC) and the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) held a conference of Middle Eastern peace movements in Crete, an island that the Greek bourgeoisie and the US–NATO–EU have turned into a base for the bloodshed of the peoples. The conference brought together representatives of organizations from Cyprus, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Iran, who attended despite significant economic, political, and other obstacles.

The very convening of the Conference provided fresh impetus to the struggle against the defeatism and co-optation fostered by the forces of capital, which seeks to ensure that the peoples accept without protest that their children become cannon fodder in the service of the imperialists.

The discussions also underscored the need for peoples to unite against the false divisions (religious, racial, etc.) imposed upon them, to expose the true nature of current developments, and to demonstrate that genuine peace cannot emerge from the wars waged in the interest of monopolies.

Welcoming participants to the Conference, Manolis Papadomanolakis, president of the Chania Peace Committee, stated that the people can make life difficult for their opponents by putting into practice the slogan "No sacrifices for wars and capitalist profits". He added that the Conference aims to serve as “a milestone for the exchange and assimilation of experience, and for discussion on strengthening anti-imperialist movements so that they can contribute more effectively to organizing the struggle, particularly under current conditions, where the peoples are confronted with imperialist aggression in every aspect of life”.

In his opening address, Thanasis Pafilis, General Secretary of the WPC, emphasized that “in a world dominated by the international imperialist system, where imperialist wars are fought over for control of energy resources, wealth, markets, and spheres of influence, and where the profits of multinationals and big capital determine the fate of peoples”, the international anti-imperialist peace movement, together with the peoples, choose to struggle “through the organized peace movement, the labour and popular movements in every country, coordinating their actions and struggles against the enemies of their dreams and rights”.

The Conference was attended by Manolis Syntichakis, a member of the Crete Regional Committee of the KKE and the Party’s MP for Heraklion, and Alekos Marinakis, a member of the Crete Regional Bureau of the KKE and a regional councillor for Crete with “Laiki Syspirosi”. Also present were municipal councillors from across Crete elected on the “Laiki Syspirosi” list.