Contribution to the 15^th International Communist Seminar
"Present and past experiences in the international communist movement".
Brussels, 5- 7 May 2006
www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org

Syrian Communist Party

Contribution by Almunzer MAAROUF Candidate member of the political bureau

Dear comrades and friends

I'm pleased to give you the best regards of the Central Committee of the Syrian Communist Party and its wishes of success and continuity to this seminar which has become a landmark in our struggle to achieve our mutual targets which express the peoples' wishes for good life and their aspirations to better future.

Comrades and friends

The world is still living in an atmosphere of increasing tension because of the aggressive expansionist policy led by international imperialism and American imperialism in particular.

Our Arab region might be the most tensed spot in the world because of the American occupation of Iraq, the continuous Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people and Israel's everlasting threats against Lebanon's security, and its refusal to negotiate for its withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, supported in this behaviour by the outlaw cowboy policy of the reckless American administration which has violated all moral and human laws and conventions in order to impose its economical, political and cultural hegemony on all peoples of the world.

The American occupation's crimes against Iraq's people, its economy and the unity of its land are increasing day after day. Its forces have saturated Iraq with killing and destruction, plundered its wealth and burdened the Iraqi people with debts and compensations the paying off of which will drain Iraq's enormous oil reserve. The occupation has mastered the art of creating brutal ways of arresting people and torturing them, as it is reflected by the pictures of the "American civilization" in Abu Ghreib.

As for Palestine, Israel is still going on with its aggression against the Palestinian unarmed people. Different Israeli governments continue to lead the policy of state terrorism through assassinating the Palestinian leaders and people, knocking houses down, destroying Arab lands and uprooting trees. This policy, which has the full support of the successive American administrations, aims at moving the Palestinians out of their country by means of the systematic killing of their will, resisting spirit and patriotic feeling in order to gain complete dominance on what is left of the Palestinian lands.

In Lebanon, some rightist forces, supported by the political capital, are trying to pounce on the achievements of the Lebanese resistance which has liberated the south of Lebanon aiming, thus, at drawing Lebanon to the barn of the countries revolving in the American orbit. Hence, the assassination of the Lebanese businessman and ex-prime minister of Lebanon Mr.Hariri, has formed an access to the ensuing of an internal disturbances, formation of anti-Syria public opinion and destroying the deep relations between the two countries. It is obvious that the efforts of the Israeli and occidental intelligences have been fruitful in creating this abnormal atmosphere.

The pro-west forces in Lebanon are exercising sever pressures on the patriotic resistance as an access to end the conflict between Lebanon and Israel according to Israel's conditions.

As for our country, the Western and American political and economical pressures on Syria are increasing in order to eliminate the last obstacle on the way of the Zio-American project planned for our region :the Great Middle East. The American administration is promoting this project in order to efface the national identity and the patriotic spirit of the Arabs. Therefore it is very important to talk about the war of terminology they are trying to impose on our people: the Middle Eastern identity substitutes for the Arab identity with all its diversities; and the Great Middle East replaces the Arab East or the Arab countries. What is most dangerous about this project is that the countries of this Great Middle East are going to subjugate to the strongest country in the region which is Israel according to the plan.

Dear comrades and friends

Despite this dark picture, we can still see flashes of hope which affirm that the peoples of the world reject to be humiliated and refuse to give up their dignity and freedom. The Iraqi resistance is still withstanding the occupation and burdening its troops with daily losses aggravating, thus, the U.S embroilment in the Iraqi swamp. This atmosphere of security disorder and national and sectarian splitting makes it easy for the terrorist gangs to carry out bombing operations which have killed thousands of innocent Iraqis.

Greeting the heroic Iraqi resistance, we denounce and condemn the terrorist actions in some of which the involvement of the American forces and their agents in Iraq has been proven.

The Palestinian people are still going on with their struggle for their land and legitimate rights asserted by the U.N security council resolutions starting with resolution N_~ 194 which Israel has refused to implement for more than fifty years taking the advantage of the overlooking of the international community.

The political and sectarian polarization is interacting in Lebanon.

This creates genuine fears of the return of the civil war. Accompanied by the occidental governments, the U.S administration is seeking to establish this reality. However, the patriotic and leftist forces and parties are sticking to their stance on protecting the resistance, preserving Lebanon from the interference of the ambassadors of the imperialistic countries and keeping its national identity.

At the international level, the victories achieved by the patriotic and leftist forces in Venezuela, Bolivia and Belarus among others prove the ability of the nations to resist the American legend and refute Fokuyama's statement about the end of history.

Comrades and friends

One face of the policy of the imperialistic hegemony in the world is demonstrated by the double-standard policy led by the great powers which neglect implementing the S.C resolutions N_~ 194, 242, and 338 related to the Arab-Israeli conflict and insist, at the same time, on the implementation of resolution N_~ 1559 which has been issued in the interest of their ally, racist Israel.

Overlooking Israel's nuclear arsenal, these countries are working hard to prevent Iran from using the nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. As you all know, Israel has so far refused to join the treaty of banning the dissemination of nuclear weapons.

These great powers haven't stopped their attempts to siege the new Palestinian government formed by Hamas movement. Despite the fact that we ideologically differ from Hamas, we have to admit that it won democratic elections on the basis of its electoral program which resists the Israeli occupation. Fighting Hamas with all possible means, the V.S administration is overlooking the existence of the allying-with-it repressive dictatorial regimes in our region and many other regions in the world.

Let me mention here an interesting, but real, example of the double standard policy, i.e. the case of the Bulgarian nurses who passed on the Aids virus to about 400 Libyan children. It is curios enough that the U.S.A and some western countries have demanded that these nurses should be set free. What if the case was the other way round? Would these countries have accepted to release Libyan nurses if they had committed the same crime? Or, let's ask the question in another way, would Libya, or any other country of the third world, be daring enough to ask for such a thing.

Comrades and friends

The Syrian communist party considers that the continuous pressures on Syria aim at smashing its resistance and subjugating it to the Israeli and American projects and plans in the region. Our party has always resisted the different forms of internal and external pressures. We affirm our determination to defend our people, country and independence in cooperation with the other patriotic forces in our country. Condolezza Rice has said about Syria." Don't let them feel comfortable for even one day". We assure Ms. Rice that we find our comfort in shattering her dreams and resisting the plans of her master in the White House.

At the Syrian internal level, our party is continuously fighting against the corruption and the attempts of some circles seeking to give up the public sector and privatize some of its branches. We do this because of the great political and social importance this sector enjoys. We are also fiercely fighting the admission of the foreign monopolistic capital into the country in order to avoid subjugating our national economy and, consequently, political decision to the external volition.

Our party is also opposing the liberal economic measures taken by the government. These measures have caused an inflationary leap which has been reflected in raising the prices of basic materials, including food, which has led to the lowering of the citizen's living standard.

On the other hand, our party asserts the importance of enhancing the cooperation among the progressive and patriotic forces in our country. It has also sought to strengthen the National Progressive Front, improve its performance and confront the attempts of pouncing on it in order to consolidate the national cohesion and the patriotic stance of the Syrian people.

Comrades and friends

The Syrian communist party has always sought to form, and asserted the importance of forming, an international anti-imperialistic front, especially under the anti-communist campaign launched by international imperialism nowadays.

This campaign is not a sudden one, it has existed since the beginning of last century. The communist poet Pablo Neruda wrote" communists are a cohesive family, they have patient thinking .... , and experienced hearts ... " but every one is showing their teeth in the faces of communists ... , only against communists".

Today, the world is witnessing a growth in joining the forces of the anti-imperialistic forces at world level, one of its forms was the international social forum held in Caracas, Venezuela. That forum has not only convicted imperialism, but also emphasized the socialist alternative for confronting the disasters brought in by capitalism.

In this context, our party emphasizes the priority of joining the forces of the international communist movement on the basis of scientific socialism, i.e. the Marxist-Leninist theory which is the basic weapon in the struggle for destroying imperialism and establishing the society of social justice.

The public protesting movements in the imperialistic centers are witnessing a clear rising for defending the interests of the proletariat, as has happened in some European countries. There is also a rising campaign for convicting the policy of military adventures and the risks it holds, this conviction is increasing even in some circles of the ruling class which see in this reckless policy real dangers on the interests of their countries.

The conferences and meetings of international communist parties, including this seminar, form an important and great contribution to the process of confronting imperialism despite the hostile front's attempts to launch its attacks one after another to defeat communists all over the globe and the last demonstration of which was the campaign launched by the Parliamentary Association of the European Council (P.A.C.E) through its project which included "the necessity of condemning totalitarian regimes" .

Comrades and friends

It is doubtless that American imperialism is the greatest terrorism threatening all peoples and nations. This is why we chose to confront imperialism, and our choice has proved to be realistic. The campaign against us as communists proves the increase in our strength.

Thanks for listening