12-02-06, 8:36 am

Statement on the NATO summit in Riga Issued by communist and workers' parties from NATO member states

The Riga NATO summit of 29th of November 2006 constitutes a further step in the reinforcement of NATO as 'gendarme du monde' and of its vital role in promoting the reactionary policies of big capital, of plundering natural and energy resources, in occupying and destabilizing sovereign countries, in subverting democratic rights and liberties, in backing reactionary forces and slandering the popular resistance.

Choosing Riga, NATO rewards once again the most reactionary, revanchist, anticommunist and chauvinist forces. Rewards all these which try to slander, distort and rewrite the history of the antifascist victory of peoples, of the popular struggle for democracy and social rights for all.

On the agenda of the Riga summit will not be the crimes of the occupation forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Balkans, not the genocide exercised by the Israeli army against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, not the aggression and treats promoted in implementing the Prague and Istanbul NATO summits and the plan for the 'democratization of the wider Middle east', nor Guantanamo, illegal detention centers and CIA flights

The massive rejection by the people of Ukraine of the NATO maneuvers in their country and the will of millions in Midle East, Latin America, USA and in all other parts are not of interest for the NATO-warlords.

On the contrary, the heads of states intend to deal how to further increase the military expenses, the 50,000 NATO militaries operating already in 3 continents, the stronger involvement of Australia, Japan, S. Korea and other countries.

On the table are measures further undermining national sovereignty, parliamentary control and popular rejection of military imperialist interventions abroad. On the agenda are steps on the future membership of Croatia, Albania and FYROM as well as the further expansion to Georgia and Ukraine.

We appeal to all peace loving forces, to the antiwar and anti imperialist movements to amplify the growing resistance and the encouraging steps of the fight against imperialist interventions, militarism and war.

We demand an immediate end of the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stop for the attacks against the Palestinian people. Total nuclear disarmament and closing down of the foreign military bases. Abolishment of NATO and of any aggressive military coalition. Jobs, education, health care and culture and not arms race.

28 November 2006

====================== The Parties

Workers' Party Belgium New Communist Party of Britain Party of the Bulgarian Communists [Georgi.Dimitrof] Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia Communist Party in Denmark Communist Party of Greece German Communist Party Hungarian Communist Workers' Party Socialist Party of Latvia Socialist Party of Lithuania Communist Party of Luxembourg New Communist Party of the Netherlands Communist Party of Poland Portuguese Communist Party Socialist Alliance Party, Romania Communist Party of Romania Communist Party of Spain Communist Party of Sweden Communist Party, Turkey Party of Labor, Turkey Communist Party, USA