ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE MEETING OF BALKAN COMMUNIST AND WORKERSÆ PARTIES

Within the framework of the international conference of Communist and WorkersÆ Parties held on 21-23 May 1999 in Athens on the topic: ½The crisis of capitalism, æglobalisationÆ and the response of the labour movement╗, a meeting took place between six Communist and WorkersÆ Parties from Balkan countries.

At this meeting, each party informed the others about the activities each developed in their own country to protest against NATOÆs attack on the peoples of Yugoslavia and on the threat of war that hangs over all the Balkans. There was a common agreement on the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination and for the parties to develop common actions to confront the aggression and murderous bombings of civilians by the US and its NATO allies.

In this direction, it was decided to make 2 June a day of common action in the Balkan countries with rallies and demonstrations using predominantly the slogans: WORKING PEOPLE OF THE BALKAN COUNTRIES: ONWARD TO STOP THE WAR and NATO: HANDS OFF THE PEOPLES OF YUGOSLAVIA.

The parties agreed to hold another meeting in September regarding the further development of their coordination and joint efforts.

At the end of the meeting, the Parties approved a joint statement condemning NATOÆs attack on the peoples of Yugoslavia.

JOINT STATEMENT Athens, 23 May 1999

The attack by the imperialist military alliance of NATO on the Republics of Yugoslavia is still under way. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed and Yugoslavia, a founding member of the UN, has suffered severe material damages.

There is a real danger of a new Balkan-wide war which could evolve into a global military conflict of unforeseeable dimensions.

The NATO air strikes which, in fact, constitute an act of state terrorism against the sovereign Yugoslav state, are taking place without the sanction of the UN Security Council. The military intervention by the imperialist forces in order to manage an internal conflict in an independent state, will not bring about a positive solution to the crisis. On the contrary, it will intensify the conflict, to the detriment of all the Yugoslav Republics.

Today, on the threshold of the 21^st century, progressive humanity is witness to the way in which global imperialism has replaced the power of right with the right of power.

For this reason, we propose to all Communist and WorkersÆ Parties, to all progressive, peace-loving, anti-war, anti-NATO, and anti-imperialist movements, and to all peoples, that they:

1. Denounce decisively the criminal military actions against the Republics of Yugoslavia and take a resolute stance in favour of ending this barbaric attack.

2. Declare their unreserved support for the people of Yugoslavia in their heroic struggle against the imperialist invaders.

Here in Athens, we call on all Balkan Communist and WorkersÆ Parties to join their efforts in closer cooperation and to coordinate their actions in order to thwart the imperialist plans to launch a new war in our region.

Marxist Platform of the Bulgarian Socialist Party

Bulgarian Communist Party ½Georgi Dimitrov╗

Communist Party (of Bulgaria)

New Communist Party of Yugoslavia

Communist Party of Greece

Union of Communists of Macedonia

Communist Party of Romania