Yeni Kıbrıs Partisi’nin de gözlemci üye olduğu Avrupa Sol Partisi (EL) Yürütme toplantısı 11-12 Ocak tarihlerinde Berlin’de gerçekleştirildi. YKP’yi temsilen Yürütme Kurulu üyesi Murat Kanatlı toplantıya katıldı…
Toplantılarda uluslararası durum ve gelişmeler, çeşitli çalışma gruplarının raporları, 2013 Aralık ayındaki Avrupa Sol Partisi Kongre çalışmalarının değerlendirilmesi, 2013 ASP Yaz Üniversitesi, Avrupa’daki ve ülkelerdeki sosyal ve siyasi durum ve EL’in 2011-2012 bütçesi konuları değerlendirildi. Toplantılar sonunda çeşitli konularda karar tasarıları da onaylandı. Ayrıca Kongre için ilk taslak metnin çerçevesi de onaylandı.
Kanatlı, Kıbrıs’ın kuzeyi ile ilgili TC’nin dayattığı paketle ilgili bilgi verdi. Kanatlı, daha öncesinde bilgi veren İspanya, Portekiz ve diğer ülkeler gibi Kıbrıs’taki ekonomik dayatmanın da uzun bir özelleştirme listesi içerdiği ancak Avrupa’dakilerinden en önemli farkının Kıbrıs’ın kuzeyindeki özelleştirmelerde kamusal kurumların özel devri yanında TC sermayesinin buraya daha köklü yerleşmesi işlevi de gördüğü aktardı. Kanatlı, son dönemdeki nüfus hareketleri, vatandaşlık dağıtımlarını da gündeme getirdi ve seçmen listelerinin 2-3 yıl içinde ciddi şekilde şişirildiğine dikkat çekti. Kanatlı, polisin son dönemdeki saldırganlıkları ile ilgili de bilgi verdi. Kanatlı, özellikle BES merkezinin polis operasyonuna uğraması ve burada başkan ve yönetim kurulu üyelerinin gözaltına alınmasının çok sık olmayan bir durum olduğunu, Kıbrıs’ın kuzeydeki polis saldırganlığının günde ve gün arttığını söyledi. Kanatlı, ayrıca mahkemelerde süren YKP ve diğer sendikacıların durumları hakkında da bilgi verdi.
Genişleme gündeminde İskoçya Demokratik Sol’un gözlemci üye olarak katılmasına karar verildi.
Kolombiya Komünist Partisi Avrupa Koordinasyon üyesi Jairo Gonzalez 12 Ocak’taki toplantıların son kısmına katılarak Kolombiya’daki son gelişmeler ile hükümetle gerillalar arasında süren müzakereler konusunda bilgi verdi.
13 Ocak tarihinde ise geleneksel olarak düzenlenen Luxemburg-Liebknecht için anma etkinliğine toplantıya katılan örgütlerin temsilcileri de katıldı…
Convention of the 4th Congress of the party of the Party of the European Left
In accordance with Article 11 of the statute of the Party of the European Left, the Executive Board convenes the 4th Congress of the Party of the European Left to Madrid, Spain, for December 13-15th 2013.
The issues of the congress will be the further development of the Party of the European Left and the preparation of the elections to the European Parliament in 2014. Therefore, the congress will decide on a common Electoral Platform.
The Executive board invites all members, member and observer parties to actively take part in the process of preparation of the congress and of the decisions to be made.
The second anniversary of the Arab spring – a continuing struggle for democracy, social and human rights
This January two years ago a new movement was set in motion in the Arab world – the Arab spring. Two years later this movement is still alive – deepening and stronger with experience – despite the attempts by reactionary and conservative forces – in Egypt the military and now the Islamist regime – to suppress and subdue the movement.
On January 25 – two years after the first mass protests in the Tahrir Square in Cairo began – another demonstration has been called to mark the anniversary and to demand from the authorities the democracy, social and human rights that they have fought for the past two years and which they have been denied.
The movement of January 25 has not died, as the Islamist President Mursi has wrongly believed.
With the recent mass protests and demonstrations in Egypt before the vote called by the President on the new constitution, it became obvious that the election of an Islamist president has not led to popular resignation –but to more opposition and controversy.
President Mursi’s combination of Conservative Islamist rule, neo-liberal policies and his alliance with the USA and other Western powers has not improved and will not improve the lives, social and human rights of the Egyptian working class and many others living in deep social destitution.
It was the general opinion for some time that the strong Muslim convictions of a vast majority of the Egyptian population would make people resign to Islamist rule.
But President Mursi has ruled with still more restrictions and suppression, which has made an increasing number of Egyptians turn against him. With the embarrassingly low turnout in the vote on the constitution, which gave him the majority he wanted, the President has not strengthened his position. On the contrary, the increased demonstrations, the low turnout and new demonstrations will further weaken him.
The integration process and the left in Latin America
The arrival of the progressive forces and the Latin American left in government has opened the possibility of a new form of integration of a regional bloc. The creation of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the Union of the nations of South America (UNASUR), the consolidation of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and more recently the creation of the Community States of Latin America and the Caribbean are already changing the configuration of the political balance of power.
This new dynamic based on the principles of cooperation, complementarity is a tool for human development and progress.
This integration will draw its strength from policies in favour of employment, wages and fight against poverty and exclusion. By complementarity, these countries will create a regional market and production lines.
Cooperation on a variety of fields, the one of energy and education, health and infrastructure construction will create the conditions for the countries in the region to develop policies of industrialization and transform themselves natural resources they have.
In Latin America, the progressive forces that act and govern in a big part of the continent have created an unprecedented situation: they have managed to reduce neoliberalism and the applied hegemony of the United States since centuries; they were able to create the conditions for a united voice that matters in today’s world.
The foundations were laid down for the creation of a Bank of the South to finance major development projects, the SUCRE, is reinforced as a common currency for intra-regional exchanges, the establishment of a Security and defence Council that strengthens mechanisms of dialogue and conflict prevention that have already allowed to come out of crises and isolate coup forces. Latin America is today a zone of peace, nuclear-free and free of weapons of mass destruction. The constitutions of several of these countries express it with this way and prohibit the use of force.
In January 2013, Cuba will take the presidency of CELAC during its summit in Santiago, Chile. It’s a historical event that marks the political evolution of the region under the influence of progressive forces and the decline of U.S. hegemony.
The process of peace dialogue in Colombia has been possible thanks to this new context. It is the left and progressive forces to support this dialogue that brings a just and durable peace. The EL supports and backs the European platform for freedom in Colombia, we demand the international community to participate in it so the Colombian people can construct a new society.
These progressive logics contrast with the construction of Europe that goes through a deep crisis with serious consequences for the lives of millions of people. The implemented policies show the blind commitment of its leaders to liberal dogmas and to safeguard the interests of financial capital.
After many decades of construction, the European Union shows its incapacity on the international scene to be a force for progress and peace.
The Party of the European Left wants to promote convergence and develop relations of cooperation and solidarity with progressive forces and the left in Latin America that work in favour of democracy, justice, human development and peace.
The elections of the 17th of February in Ecuador promise to be successful for the process of the citizens’ revolution put in place by the government of Rafael Correa and its movement PAIS. The Party of the European Left congratulates the Ecuadorian government for its numerous accomplishments during 6 years of power and resolutely supports the re-election of Rafael Correa as the head of the Ecuadorian republic.
No to NATO troops on the Syrian border!
The European Left is deeply concerned that the current deployment of NATO troops and Patriot missile systems to the Turkish – Syrian border could further escalate the conflicts in the whole region and is a part of the overall interventionist strategy of NATO. Like in many wars before, the deployment of NATO troops and missiles to Turkey started with a lie. There is no concrete threat of a Syrian attack on Turkey. It is rather the other way round: Turkey continuously intervenes in the Syrian civil war and it assaults the Kurdish population on both sides of the border. The Erdogan government in Ankara even got the parliament to approve of an invasion to Syria. Therefore the deployment of NATO troops in the region has to be stopped immediately.
We are convinced that a NATO intervention will bring no solution to the Syrian civil war but instead will reinforce NATO’s role in the area. The disastrous situation inside Syria with a death toll of more than 60.000 and widespread destruction of civil infrastructure can only be resolved through a political process. The civil and peaceful movement in Syria has been marginalized between the atrocities of the Assad troops and on the one side and the sectarian violence of oppositional militias on the other side. The European Left urges the international community to stop deliveries of weapons to both sides, to support a ceasefire, to supply humanitarian help to the refugees in neighbouring countries and to aid the initiation of a real political dialogue.
The recognition of Palestine by the UN General Assembly – a huge victory for the Palestinian people
With many years of obstacles and delays, the recognition by a large majority of the United Nations General Assembly on November 29, 2012, of Palestine as a non-state observer of the UN is a huge victory for the Palestinian people and for the PLO diplomatically.
The European Left welcomes this recognition, which gives the Palestinian and Israeli people new tools to promote a just solution in the conflict.
It is noteworthy that after the resistance to recognition by nearly all of the EU member states (and the EU itself) for a considerable number of years – most of the EU member states chose to support the recognition in the UN. This is a small step in the right direction after years of inaction in the search for peace.
We deplore that the response of the Israeli government to the recognition has again been to increase the punitive measures, heightening the conflict.
Immediately after the recognition in the UN, the Israeli Government announced the building of 3,000 new settlement units and to withhold more than 100 million USD of Palestinian import and export taxes collected by the Israeli authorities.
It is of huge importance that the EU member states follow up on their decision to back the recognition of Palestine by acting against continuing Israeli breaches of international conventions. First of all it is crucial to resist the expansion of illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
We urge the following steps among others:
* The preferential EU-Israeli Trade Agreement must be immediately suspended as long as Israel violates international conventions and human rights.
* The EU and the EU member states must increase their aid to Palestine as long as Israel withholds taxes belonging to Palestine.
* Palestine should be recognised as an independent state by the EU and the EU member states.
* We support the Palestinians in their struggle for full recognition as a UN member state – on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the capital, and the return of the Palestinian refugees based on the UN resolution 192.
* Israel must end its siege on Gaza.
Venezuela; Solidarity with the elected President Hugo Chavez and with the popular mobilisations in defence of democracy
Thousands of Venezuelans have mobilised this 10th of January in order to manifest their support to the elected President Hugo Chavez, who fights courageously against illness, and in order to show their agreement with the Supreme Court of Justice decision which has decided to postpone the presidential inauguration to a later date.
These popular manifestations represent also a new episode of confrontation with the right and the most reactionary forces: they seek their revenge after their failure in the elections of 2012 and to create a climate of instability and violence by putting in question the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice. These are the same forces which actively took part in the organisation of the military coup of 2002 against the President Hugo Chavez who claimed to question the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice.
In similar mode of mobilisations, 22 governments of the region have signed the “Declaration of Caracas” which warns those who utilize the health condition of the legitimate President as a pretext to attack the democratic institutions of Venezuela.
The Party of the European Left reaffirms its full solidarity with the elected President Hugo Chavez, with the democrats, with the progressive and with the people of Venezuela who defend the democratic process of deep transformations underway.
