Peace and International Solidarity – a Necessity

The globalization of the economy, technology, politics and culture has createdincreasingly wider and closer mutual dependencies. At the same time, it has also meant exploitation, oppression, and internationalization of many other conflicts. The contradiction between labor and capital, democracy and capital, nature and capital, peace and the pursuit of profit by capital deepens.

Big business uses globalization as a justification and a means of reducing the rights acquired by the labor movement. International financial markets which have gigantically grown and supra-national power structures, such as European Union , trample rights of the working people andthe poor as well as national interests. The imperialist competition for natural resourcesand the management of the global market generate wars and cause immense destruction. Carelessness for nature’s sustainability threatensthe future of mankind.

The world has also witnessed other changes. Internationalpower relations have changed as a result of the economic growth of countries such as China, India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa, at a time when the economy of the United States and of the European Union is in trouble. Advancement of the Left has resulted in many Latin American countries in a disengagement from neoliberal policies, in the nationalization of natural resources, a new kind of regional cooperation and the edification of alternatives aiming towards socialism. In many Arab countries,the people have taken to the streets to demand their rights and for example in USA the Occupy-protest movement taken place. International trade and climate change negotiations have highlighted the aspiration of developing countries to free themselves from neo-colonialism.

The situation in Europe has changed dramatically. On the one handthere is increased resistance to austerity politics pursued by banks, governments and the EU. In addition to cooperation among European trade unions, international cooperation among environmental movements and social movementsopposed to the power of the financial markets has developed.On the other hand, the crisis, insecurity and violating people’s right to self-determination have given rise to ultra-national, right-wing extremist and racist movements.Words such as ”the clash of civilizations” cover the class nature of the conflict, the responsibility of big business and governments forthe problems. In Finland, this is associated with an intimidation related to the ”Russian threat” and anti-communism, as well as xenophobia, which has reached now entry into Parliament.

For Peace

The Congress of the Communist Party of Finland stresses the primary importance of peace and international security. Without peace there is no development and no human life.

The hundreds of thousands, even millions of victims of war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, show that theweapons will not bring peace. The Communist Party of Finland demands that from the Government of Finland to withdraw immediately all the Finnish troops out of Afghanistan. The government must also stop favoring U.S. and Israeli policy regarding the Palestinianissue, ”the Syrian friends’ group, the threats against Iranand other conflicts.

The CPF strongly opposes Finland’s accession to NATOmilitary alliance, which has been prepared for through ever closer partnership with NATO. In Parliament, almost all of the political groups have been willing to even give up the notion ofmilitary non-alignment.

Today we cansee more clearly that the NATO partnership leads to a continuous arms race and to more and more conflicts. That is why the CPF demands the disengagement of Finland from NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and the return to the path of military non-alignment. Finland should not participate in the development of European Union joint military capacity, which takes place in close cooperation with NATO.

Finland should not take part in the militarization of northern regions and the air control operations of Iceland, which is part of NATO operations. Instead, it is necessary to bringup again the proposal for a Nordic region free of nuclear weapons and to promote disarmament.

Solidarity

The world needs independent and active peace builders.

The CPF demands from government to stoparms sales to Israel, it calls on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and it actively supports the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state.

The Finnish government must not silently accept continued occupation by Turkey of the Northern part of Cyprus, but it must act for the reunification of Cyprus in conformity with UN resolutions. Finland can also act in support of the Sahrawi people’s rights by demanding a referendum on the implementation of self-determination of Western Sahara, which at present is suppressed by Morocco.

The CPF expresses its solidarity with the Latin American peoples’ aspirations for freedom. We call forthe lifting of illegal blockade against Cuba and for the release of the ”Cuban Five”.We are involved in building cooperation between the Latin American and European Left, inter alia, through the São Paulo Forum.

The Government of Finland must not accept in the EU such trade agreements, which aim to subjugateLatin America, Africa and other developing countries. The CPF is also opposed to the Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. andEU, which has been described by U.S. Secretary of State as an ”economic Nato”. The Lisbon Treaty gives the EU-Commission the competence to negotiate an agreement without consulting members States. Rather than promoting such agreements, Finland should take stock from cooperation and development among Latin American countries based on equality, which strengthens public services, participatory democracy and national sovereign management of natural resources.

Cooperation

For a small country like Finland, it is important that the international economic and political system be reformed to become more democratic and fairer.

Strengthening the struggle of the working class and international solidarity is a key factor to achieve such reforms. It is important to move from individual demonstrations to joint action among trade unionsand beyond national borders. This will require a class conscious trade union movement, which encourages civilorganizations and makes them join in the common struggle.

In many countries, the trade union movement has responded to the austerity policy in recent yearswith large demonstrations and general strikes. The CPF calls on the Finnish trade union movement to actively engage in the European and the international class struggle.

The CPF actively participates in international meetings of communist and workers’ parties. We want to develop this cooperation to become more practical, in particular with political parties of neighboring regions such as the Nordic region, Russia and the Baltic States. We condemn the discrimination against Communists andother left-wing forces during the elections in Russia and elsewhere, in particular in Eastern Europe.

The CPF participates in the activity of the European Left in order to build up a strong counter-force and alternative to EU rule. It is imperative to disengage from EU Treaties to safeguard workers and low-income people classinterests, national sovereignty andthe collective rights of European people. A different Europe must be built, where the human being is more important than the freedom of capitaland where priority is given to equality, justice, democracy, environmental protection and solidarity. Developing European security and cooperation requires proactive input of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and non-governmental organizations.

It is important for Finland to develop cooperation with Russia in various fields: economy, prevention of social dumping of labour, environmental protection, science and culture, asin other areas too. Such cooperation plays a big role in promoting employment in Finland as evidenced by the experience in many industrial sectors. Rather than scaring people with the Russianthreat, it is important to see the great potential of such cooperation.

The UN Millennium Development Goals

Finland is in principle committed to the strengthening of the United Nations and of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. President TarjaHalonen has played a prominent role in promoting these objectives. However practical actions by the Government of Finland have been low key and for some of them in opposition to UN’s goals.

More than one billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day. Poverty is increasing even in the richest countries. Nearly 800 million people lack access to clean water. Such problems affect in particular children and women. At the same time,the Finnish government has cut aid budgets, and the European Union is acting, inter alia, for the privatization of the water supply. Warlike NATO partnership has almost entirely replaced Finland’s participation inUN peacekeeping missions.

The CPF demands from government and parliament to reduce Finnish arms expenditures and to allocated the amounts saved to aid for the self-reliant development of developing countries, to the implementation of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and international cooperation to protect the environment.

UN targets call for acts to abolish poverty and hunger, to guarantee universal access to education, to improve the statusof women, to prevent disease, to achieve a more just economic order,to implement ecologically sustainable development and to achieve peace and disarmament.

Congress of the Communist Party of Finland, 8 – 9 June 2013

Congress of the CPF