Iraqi CP: Iran nuclear deal is a step in the right direction

Political Editor of “Tareeq Al-Shaab”: 

Iran nuclear deal is a step in the right direction

The following is an article by the Political Editor of “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), the daily newspaper issued by the Iraqi Communist Party, in its edition on 28 November 2013. 

Finally, the two sides, Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of nations, have reached a deal over Iran's nuclear program. As a result, a serious danger that was threatening the region at any moment has been removed. Some parties in the region, in the forefront of which is Israel , did all they can to prevent achieving this result which has came in the final analysis in the interest of all the peoples of the region and serve their stability and security. It has also spared them the dangers of an international military conflict, especially since the region has still not recovered from the wars that broke out on its territories. In addition, the Palestinian issue remains inflamed as a result of Israel's intransigence, arrogance and aggressiveness, continuing to deny the Palestinian people the right to establish their state on the their own homeland.

What has been achieved in this deal is not unrelated to the changes in Iran's presidency and the new approach of opening up to the world, showing flexibility and giving precedence to the interests of the of Iranian people, and the retreat of hardliners. But it is also linked to a host of other developments and their repercussions on the regional and international levels. It is important in this respect to point to what is happening in Syria, and what is changing on the ground daily, despite the undesirable widespread external intervention. The interests of the Syrian people and their hopes for security, stability, free dignified life and democracy remain meanwhile undecided.

It is obvious however that America is unwilling to engage in new military conflicts in the region, especially after its bitter experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq and the consequences and tragedies they left behind. These wars have affected the American people themselves, with a negative impact on their lives and standard of living through massive military spending, high rates of poverty and unemployment, the bitter struggle waged by Obama in order to keep his health care program, and the disruption of the American state because of a failure to approve the federal budget, while still suffering from inability to overcome the consequences of its economic and financial crisis that has extended to cover the capitalist world as a whole.

There is no doubt that the deal that has been achieved is a step in the right direction. It is a welcome step that demonstrates the importance of constructive dialogue, making reciprocal concessions, showing flexibility and the adoption of peaceful and diplomatic solutions to existing problems whether between countries or on the regional or international level. It is an approach that responds to the interests of the peoples and spares them the evils of wars and their tragedies.

All the parties concerned must ensure the proper implementation of what has been agreed and adherence to the prescribed timetable. The efforts by war hawks and advocates to inflame differences, agitate and get things back to square one should be curbed.

All the countries in the region must seize this moment and develop it for the benefit of the peoples of the region, ensuring their development and right to choose their own political, economic and social systems, in order to achieve security, peace and progress. In this respect, the Iraqi government and its officials should make an effort in this direction, seeking to establish balanced and equitable relations with neighboring countries and the world, and to spare our country the dangers of foreign interference in its affairs. Proper consideration should be given to the possibilities and changes that may take place in the coming days regionally and internationally. This is essential in order to preserve the unity of Iraq and its social fabric, achieve security, stability and lasting peace, so as to ensure the country’s reconstruction, progress and proper democratic development.

Central Committee of Iraqi CP holds regular meeting

The Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party Holds its Regular Meeting

The Central Commission of the Iraqi Communist Party held its regular meeting on Friday 8 November 2013, in Baghdad. The meeting coincided with the start of the celebrations of party’s 80^th anniversary. With a sense of great pride and inspired by the rich significance and implications of this anniversary, the meeting stressed the need to celebrate it and highlight the role of the party at present and in future. It decided to issue a declaration on this occasion that is dear to the hearts of Iraqi patriots and communists.

The meeting began with a minute of silence in memory of the comrades and friends who passed away during the past few months, and for the martyrs of our people and the victims of terrorism and its crimes.

The meeting discussed a report on the work and performance of the party, its leading bodies, organizations and specialized committees. It considered the conferences of the party’s provincial committees that have just been accomplished and unanimously endorsed their outcome. It highly evaluated the successes that have been achieved by communists’ relentless work and enthusiasm, and the development of organizations, enhancing their role, dealing with loopholes and shortcomings, and improving their performance. The meeting called for strengthening ties with the people, taking up their demands, defending them and standing with them to seize their rights. It called for urging and encouraging the people to take part effectively in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, and to cast their votes for the better, honest and capable candidates despite the shortcomings in the new election law. The meeting considered this to be a big challenge facing the civil and democratic parties and forces. It should be an incentive to mobilize forces, ensure their coordination and cooperation, and build their broad democratic civil alliance in order to gain seats in Parliament and transform it into an additional platform for defending the rights of the masses, serving the people and defending their interests and the supreme interests of the homeland.

The meeting considered the political developments in the country and the general crisis which is grinding it and increasing the suffering of the people and their legitimate concern for the future. The participants dealt with the manifestations of the crisis and its multi-faceted consequences, especially the increasing scale of terrorists’ operations in recent times, with their intensification and extensive range, and the frantic efforts to stir up sectarian strife and fuel its flames.

The meeting stressed the country’s urgent need for serious reforms that would lead to a change in approach, mentality and performance, and opens the way for rebuilding the political process on a sound basis, getting rid of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system, preserving the unity of the country and averting the pitfalls of division and internal strife, leading to the establishment of a democratic civil state and social justice.

The meeting also considered the developments in the region, and in the world. It saluted with pride the successes of peoples and their patriotic, democratic and Left forces in building their regimes in accordance with their will, and the establishment of societies enjoying development, progress, justice and democracy.

An extensive statement from the meeting will be issued soon.

Resolution on the Arab region - 15th IMCWP in Lisbon, Nov. 2013

Resolution on the Arab region

Issued by the 15^th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties

(Lisbon 8-10 November 2013)

The Communist and Workers’ Parties meeting in Lisbon – Portugal, within the framework of their International Meeting, consider that the Middle East area, and specifically the Arab region, continues to constitute the principal target of the new offensive by imperialist forces against all the peoples of the world, in a desperate attempt to extricate themselves from their structural crisis in which they are mired, through tightening control over the world, its wealth and markets. Imperialism, led by the United States, and relying on NATO, is implementing a renewed old plan, entitled the “New Middle East”. The aim of this plan is to undermine the idea of the national state and transform the Arab world into a group of dependent statelets that are fighting among themselves on religious, sectarian and ethnic basis, so as to allow world capitalism to seize control of the natural resources of the region, especially oil and gas.

The Communist and Workers’ Parties, meeting in Lisbon – Portugal in the their 15^th International Meeting, while highlighting the need to confront this destructive plan, stress the following: 

First:  Support for the uprisings and revolutions of the Arab peoples, especially the revolutions of Egypt and Tunisia, in overthrowing dictatorial and despotic regimes, for radical change, and getting rid of subservience to imperialism, for liberating Arab land and natural resources. We also support the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies among groups of Political Islam that are supported by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others with the blessing of American imperialism and European Union.

Second:  Stressing the pivotal position of the Palestinian issue and support for the Palestinian people in confronting the Zionist policies of aggression, building settlements and “Transfer” (the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland), and for the right of al refugees to return and to establish their national state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Third:  Solidarity with all Arab peoples in their struggle against imperialism and the regimes of repression, despotism and dictatorship, especially Sudan, Bahrain and Kuwait. We reject the political and military interference by imperialism and Arab reaction in the internal affairs of these peoples, especially the Syrian people. We express solidarity with the Iraqi people against the sectarianism and terrorism. We support the resistance of the Lebanese people against Israeli aggression.

Fourth:  To prepare for an International Campaign against imperialist military bases and build-up in the Gulf region and the Eastern Mediterranean area, to be launched at the beginning of 2014, as a starting point for campaigns that the International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties intends to organise on the 100^th anniversary of the First World War.

Lisbon – Portugal   

8 – 10 November 2013

Signed by: 

- Egyptian Communist Party

- Lebanese Communist Party

- Sudanese Communist Party

- Iraqi Communist Party

- Palestinian People’s Party

- Democratic Progressive Tribune of Bahrain

Iraqi CP - Brief Report on Current Situation in Iraq

IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY

Brief Report on Current Situation in Iraq *

Iraqi Communists and democrats are continuing their relentless struggle under the most difficult and complex conditions. They are also facing the enormous legacy of US occupation, as well as the legacy of decades of fascist dictatorship, leaving behind a fractured society.

The ending of the American military presence in our country, almost two years ago, was a victory for the will of the Iraqi people. It was an important step along the path of regaining full independence and national sovereignty. It came about as a result of a unified popular stance and national consensus. Our Communist Party had rejected all attempts to maintain foreign military presence on Iraqi territory, under any pretext or title. One of the prerequisites for full sovereignty is to end Iraq’s subjugation to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, and to stand firmly against the covetous designs of some of the neighboring countries that are exploiting Iraq’s difficult situation and chaos.  

Iraq has been engulfed in a deep political crisis that has continued since the parliamentary elections in March 2010. Its roots lie in the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system that has existed since 2003. The crisis has opened up the door for increased interference by external forces, especially the US and regional forces. It has also exposed the agenda of the ruling political forces and their fighting to maintain positions in political power and privileges, while the people’s suffering and anger intensify as a result of the rampant unemployment, corruption, poor public services, health and education, in addition to the deteriorating security situation.

It is important here to highlight briefly the socio-economic nature of the present regime. Iraq has a rentier economy that is heavily dependent on oil revenues, with marginalized productive sectors, and is highly consumerist, relying heavily on imports. As a result, there has been a growth of comprador and parasitic strata accumulating enormous wealth from public money grabbed through corruption, big contracts with the state, in collusion with influential officials, as well as speculation, smuggling of funds and other parasitic activities. There is a tendency, which is becoming increasingly obvious, of the tangling of interests between influential political forces in power and the growing parasitic and comprador strata. These forces as whole, with support from international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, organisations of the UN and others, stand for transforming the Iraqi economy to a total market economy and breaking up what is left of the public sector through privatization and other measures that are inspired by the ideological arsenal of neo-liberalism. The Iraqi Communist Party firmly stands against these policies, puts forward its alternatives and works to develop alignments bringing together those have an interest in resisting this neo-liberal orientation. 

Our party has been actively involved in organizing and supporting mass popular protest movements that have called for radical reform and were characterized by active participation of youth. These movements exposed the anti-democratic policies of the rulers and the bankruptcy of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system. They also demanded firm measures against the scourge corruption. Our party strongly condemned government interference in the affairs of workers’ unions, professional associations and civil society organisations. Thousands of workers participated in free trade union elections in late 2012, despite the provocations and threats by influential ruling groups that attempted to falsify the will of workers and impose their hegemony over the unions. These elections were culminated by holding a national conference of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers.

The Iraqi CP has also warned in recent days against the danger of the country sliding once again into sectarian strife, and has called for urgent action by the democratic forces, and for popular initiatives, to safeguard Iraq’s national unity.

Iraq has witnessed a new episode of the political crisis, posing a grave danger that threatens civil peace and Iraq’s national fabric. Our Party has called upon the government to respond, in a speedy and serious manner, to the just and legitimate demands of the people, and warned against resorting to violence against peaceful demonstrations. The infighting among ruling groups, over power and privileges, has provided a fertile ground for extremist Islamist and shadowy groups to intensify acts of terrorism, carrying out heinous atrocities, with the aim of pushing Iraq into sectarian strife and civil war. More than 7000 people have been killed so far this year, by waves of car and suicide bombings. The victims are mainly innocent civilians, including workers and the unemployed in poor districts. These barbaric crimes and the perpetrators must be unequivocally condemned by all progressive forces, with effective support and solidarity extended to the Iraqi people. 

The Iraqi CP, which represents the main force of the Left in Iraq, has exerted relentless efforts to achieve unity in action of the democratic forces. It has played a leading role in setting up a broad coalition called the “Democratic Current”, which was launched in Baghdad in October 2011. The party is striving to transform it into an effective principal force in the ongoing intensified struggle over the future of Iraq. This vision requires greater efforts to involve the trade union movement and democratic organizations, especially those of women, youth, students and other civil society organizations, in mass struggles to defend human and democratic rights of workers and people.

The Iraqi Communist Party, along with the Democratic Current, was actively involved earlier this year in setting up broad democratic civil electoral coalitions in Baghdad and other provinces which contested the provincial elections in April 2013. These coalitions achieved a modest but politically significant success that provides a good basis for developing a broad democratic civil coalition to contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections in April 2014. 

We believe that  overcoming the crisis of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system in Iraq can only be achieved by changing the political balance of forces in society, in favour of the supporters of a national democratic plan that calls for establishing a democratic civil state on the basis of the principle of citizenship, freedoms and social justice. 

(*)  This report was prepared for the 15^th International Communist & Workers’ Parties, held in Lisbon - Portugal, 8-10 November 2013.  

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