Final Communiqué of the Conference “Peoples Want Peace”

Monday, 13 May 2013 09:37 |

The conference entitled “Peoples Want Peace”, organized by the World Peace Council and the Peace Association of Turkey, concluded successfully with the participation of more than 20 national peace committees and international organizations, peace-loving journalists and artists in Istanbul and Antakya from 25th to 29th April 2013.

*The conference program included debate sessions in Istanbul, contacts with peace loving forces of Turkey such as trade unions and mass organizations and a peace concert in Antakya which has turned to be the largest anti-war demonstration in the region for solidarity with the people of Syria.

* The conference took place during a period of growing aggressiveness of imperialism and intra-imperialist contradictions, for the sake of control of energy resources and pipelines, as well as spheres of influence in the broader Middle East. The conference stated that the actions of imperialism for hegemony in the world and, in particular, in the Middle East are the main reason behind all the conflicts, tensions and wars in the region. Despite the antagonisms and rivalries imperialists are hand in hand in the attack against peoples’ rights and peace. The imperialism of the U.S., the E.U. and the NATO, along with the pro-imperialist reactionary regimes of the region share common responsibility for the crimes against the peoples of the region. Our conference is in solidarity with and salutes all the popular forces, peace movements, oppressed peoples who resist the provocations, threats and warmongering of the imperialists and their collaborators in the world and especially in the region.

* The fact that the NATO recently set up new radar facilities and installed Patriot missiles in Turkey, have been dangerous steps for the peace in the region and in the world. Instead of reinforcing NATO in the region, we call upon all peoples and countries to raise their voice and get rid of it.

* Imperialism in the Middle East instigates and uses the Islamic inter-sect conflicts and within this context supports the religious fundamentalist provocative organizations by supporting any kind of cloaks of the war drive forces under the pretext of “humanitarian intervention”.

* We believe in the absolute right of the Syrian people, who suffer from subversive attacks and terrorist actions supported by imperialism and the reactionary regimes of the region, to determine their political path and leadership without any foreign interference. The people of Syria may exercise this right only if they terminate the foreign-backed military and political interventions. The conference declares complete and unreserved solidarity with the people of Syria, its demands for economic, political and social changes and calls upon the involved parties to solve the conflict through negotiations, nevertheless recognizing the right of self-defense of Syria.

* Our conference states that, along with the other regimes in the region, mainly Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel, the current government of Turkey commits a crime against humanity in Syria in collaboration with the imperialist forces as USA, EU and organizations like NATO, having thousands of innocent civilians as their victims. The conference forewarns the government of Turkey to stop these prevailing policies.

* The international conference “Peoples Want Peace” calls upon anti-imperialist forces, peace-lovers, honest jurists, intellectuals and journalists to step forward to create an international non-governmental war crimes initiative to investigate the crimes against the Syrian people. Furthermore, the conference has decided to enforce the communication and networking in order to counteract the imperialist and reactionary black propaganda, foremost, on Syria.

* The international conference welcomes the resistance and struggle of the people of Turkey against inter-sect religious conflicts and warmongers and declares its solidarity with the forces of peace.

* The conference attaches importance to the cessation of warfare with regards to the Kurdish Question, which has caused irreparable sufferings for decades. However, it is noted that the frame proposed by the government of Turkey as solution for the Kurdish question fits “religionization” of the whole society and the region, and implies changes of the borders which will necessarily cause new conflicts in the Middle East.

* Our conference underlines the demand that the Middle East be purged from imperialist powers and nuclear weapons. We, once again, underline the position of the World Peace Council for the question of Palestine to be solved in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN and the establishment of the independent State of Palestine within the borders of 1967 and East Jerusalem as its capital, that Israel should respect the international agreements, abolish the siege of the Gaza Strip, and cease the occupation of the Syrian Golan heights and the Lebanese Shebaa farms.

* “The Peoples Want Peace” Conference calls for a nuclear weapons -free Middle East, including known nuclear weapons as in the case of Israel and unknown ones as in the case of NATO settings in Turkey.

* Keeping the consciousness about the risks of the use of nuclear energy, that have been experienced through recent tragic accidents, we state that every country has the right to freely choose the technique of producing energy and that the nuclear energy programs cannot be a reason for allegations or threats against any country. Thus we declare our solidarity with the people of Iran who resist the imperialist threats. On the other hand we declare our solidarity with the working men and women of Iran in their struggle for freedom and democracy, social and economic rights. We also condemn the economic sanctions applied by the US and EU upon Iran, under the pretext of its nuclear program, but in fact penalizing the large masses, and demand the abolition of all sanctions.

* Our conference protests the attempts for affiliation of Cyprus to NATO using the economic crisis as additional pretext for it. We support the solution of bi–zonal bi–communal Federation with political equality, as set forth in the UN Resolutions regarding Cyprus, top level agreements between the leaders of two communities in 1977 and 1979 and the principles of International Law.

* Our conference, which gathered in Istanbul and Antakya on 25-29 April, once more, declares its solidarity with all the forces of peace which struggle against imperialism and war, with all poor and oppressed who fight against imperialist wars and exploitation.

World Peace Council-Peace Association of Turkey 7 May 2013

Participants of the Conference: