Iraqi Communist Party contribution
to the
International Conference hosted by AKEL on the issue of
“The threats of fascism and reactionary
forces
in the
era of imperialism and wars”
4th
June 2015
Dear Comrades
Let me first convey the wholehearted greetings
of Iraqi Communists and their best wishes for a successful 22nd
Congress of the fraternal party of AKEL. We are confident that this Congress
will contribute to consolidating the outstanding role of AKEL in upholding the
fundamental rights of the working people of Cyprus and continuing the just
national struggle of the Cypriot people for the reunification of their
homeland.
We also express our high
appreciation to our comrades in AKEL for organizing this International
Conference on the issue of “The
threats of fascism and reactionary forces in the era of imperialism and wars”. This
topic has acquired exceptional importance for our movement and all progressive
forces, with the rise of fascist and ultra-reactionary forces, such as the
terrorist organization known as “Isis” (or Daesh), with the connivance and
support, directly and indirectly, of imperialism and its reactionary allies in
order to achieve their strategic objectives and justify more military
interventions and other forms of interference. This is demonstrated most
blatantly in the current situation in our region, the Middle East, and in our
country Iraq.
Dear
Comrades,
The peoples of the world celebrated in
May this year the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi-fascism,
the most violent form of class domination generated by capitalism and the
direct cause of the war and of the death of tens of millions of people. On this
occasion, we recall the heroism of the people and army of the Soviet Union, and
of millions of Communists and anti-fascist fighters from all over the world who
dedicated their lives to achieve that victory. It is also of great importance
for Communists to recall the lessons of history and the battle against fascism,
and not to forget the tragedy of World War II, as well as subsequent wars of
aggression instigated by imperialism and reactionary forces. This is essential
for intensifying the struggle against warmongers and the new forms of fascism;
for world peace, freedom, democracy and social progress.
Dear Comrades,
In this brief contribution, taking into
account the time constraint, we will focus on our Iraqi people’s long and
continuing struggle against war, for peace and democracy.
The 20th of March 2015 was
the 12th anniversary of the war and invasion of Iraq by the US and
its allies. On the 9th April 2003, three weeks later, Saddam’s regime,
the most vicious fascist dictatorship in Iraq’s modern history collapsed.
12 years on, Iraq is still confronting
and suffering the heavy legacy of three decades of dictatorship and three wars:
the Iraq-Iran war (for 8 years: 1980-1988); the First Gulf War (following
Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990); and finally the Second Gulf War
(2003). But the Iraqi people also suffered horrific “internal wars”, as well as
13 years of economic sanctions; the harshest sanctions regime ever imposed by
the UN. Saddam’s regime unleashed a war of genocide against the Kurdish people,
culminating with the barbaric use of chemical weapons. The Iraq-Iran war,
started by Saddam in collusion with US imperialism led to massive death and
destruction in both neighboring countries.
But it is important to point out here
that before that war started, Saddam’s regime had launched a barbaric onslaught
on the Communist Party and democratic forces, that began with executing 31
comrades in May 1978 under flimsy charges of organizing within the armed
forces. The anti-communist campaign, with physical liquidation and mass
executions, continued unabated until the shameful collapse of the dictatorship
in April 2003.
Dear Comrades,
Almost one year ago, on 10th June 2014, the
terrorist organization known as “Isis” (or Daesh), and its allies
including remnants and supporters of Saddam’s fascist dictatorship, launched an
attack on Mosul, seizing control of Iraq’s second largest city and unleashing a
wave of barbaric crimes against tens of thousands of innocent civilians. In the
days and weeks that followed, the whole world witnessed crimes against humanity
being committed against innocent Iraqi civilians. Religious and ethnic
minorities were targeted, especially Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and Shabak, with the aim of
uprooting indigenous communities that have peacefully lived and coexisted in
Iraq for over two thousand years. The terrorist onslaught that followed, and is
continuing since then, has created a humanitarian catastrophe. As a result, 3 million
people have now been displaced by violence in Iraq.
These grave developments cannot be isolated from what
Iraq has lived through in recent years.
The country has
been in a deep and total crisis caused by the legacy of long years of tyranny and
dictatorship, the consequences of the U.S. occupation and the interference of
regional powers. Its roots lie in the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing
system that has existed since 2003. The crisis 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 rampant unemployment, corruption and poor public
services, health and education, and the
deepening of the rentier nature of the Iraqi economy at the expense of
productive activities, in addition to the deteriorating security situation.
The radical remedy for the problems of
the country and its intractable crisis
lies in getting rid of the sectarian - ethnic
power-sharing system, commitment to the values of true democracy, with its political and social dimensions and institutions,
and building a democratic civil state.
Iraqi Communists and their party
organizations all over Iraq have been actively involved in the national effort
to fight and defeat the ultra-reactionary terrorists and provide humanitarian
support to the displaced communities. They are playing, along with other
democratic forces, a vital role in combating sectarianism, chauvinism and
nationalist bigotry, preserving national unity and upholding human and
democratic rights.
Our party is also firmly opposed to
the schemes that are aimed at dividing Iraq along sectarian lines. It is up to
the Iraqi people to decide their own fate, democratically, with their own
independent will, without interference by any outside powers, and rejecting
attempts to impose designs that serve imperialist agenda for hegemony and
exploitation.
International
Solidarity
In this just struggle, international solidarity is indispensible. All forms
of international support extended to Iraq in its battle against terrorism
should be based on international legitimacy and within the framework of the UN.
In this respect, it is of utmost importance to continue humanitarian help to
the hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Effective measures are needed to
cut off the funding from reactionary regional and Arab forces, as well as
blocking all external human resources and material support, that is flowing to
the terrorist organization “Isis” (Daesh) and its allies.
The barbaric crimes committed against
the Iraqi people and their perpetrators must be unequivocally and universally
condemned.
We call
on fraternal parties, and all the peace-loving and progressive forces in the
world, to express support and solidarity with the Iraqi people and democratic
forces in their fight against the ultra-reactionary terrorist forces and
political sectarianism, and for a democratic civil state in a unified
democratic and federal Iraq.
