p We representatives of the Communist and Workers’ Parties gathered in Moscow for the International Meeting call upon all peoples of the world, regardless of their convictions and political views, to act jointly to defend and consolidate the peace.

p A struggle is being waged for the greatest cause of all—the future of mankind. In the first half of this century two world wars claimed more than 70 million human lives and wiped thousands of thriving towns and rural communities from the face of the earth. The sinister atomic mushroom over Hiroshima is a tragic warning of the possible consequences of a third world war should imperialism succeed in starting it.

p Today, when nuclear bombs can reach any continent within minutes and lay waste vast territories, a world conflict Would spell the death of hundreds of millions of people and the destruction and incineration of the treasures of world civilisation and culture.

p Wars, acts of aggression and violence, encroachments on the freedom of nations^-all have their roots in the policies of imperialism.

p It is imperialism, US imperialism in particular, that is stepping up the arms race, increasing international tensions, and sparking off conflicts and local wars in various parts of the globe. Sworn enemy of the freedom of nations, US imperialism seeks by all possible means to suppress the national liberation movement, organises reactionary coups and installs and maintains anti-popular regimes.

p For’ many years the US imperialists have been waging an aggressive war in Vietriam employing the most barbarous means.

p As a result of the Israeli aggression against Arab peoples, a dangerous breeding ground of tension remains in the Middle East, which may at any time kindle the flames of war.

p The provocative intrigues of imperialism against Cuba, off the shores of Korea and against many Asian, African and Latin American states are creating a constant threat to peace.

p Bellicose West German imperialism is gaining strength and neo-nazism is rearing its head in the heart of Europe. Relying on the aggressive NATO bloc and acting in close alliance with US imperialism, the ruling circles of Bonn, 48 who have not drawn the necessary lessons from the defeat of Hitlerite Germany, are pursuing a policy of revanche, eagerly reaching out for nuclear weapons and threatening the security of all European peoples. Military bases placed at the disposal of the US imperialists in various NATO countries and in Spain are a threat to peace.

p The policy of aggression and war, pursued for the profits of monopoly capital, intensifies, in the capitalist countries themselves, the exploitation of the masses, kindles racial discrimination, cultivates brute force, leads to the curtailing of democratic freedoms and jeopardises the vital interests of the people. The militarisation of the economy devours huge material resources, presses down the standard of living and places a heavy burden on the shoulders of working people. Imperialism is responsible for channeling the greatest achievements of science and technology, which throw open new vistas to humanity, for purposes of destruction, while at the same time hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger and poverty.

p That is why the struggle for peace merges with the struggle for the freedom of the peoples, for progress and democracy, for deliverance from alien domination, from colonialism and neo-colonialism, reaction and fascist dictatorship.

p Today lasting peace is no longer a Utopia—it is a fully feasible aim. Mighty social and political forces exist in the world today which oppose war and work for a relaxation of tension and broad international co-operation. The consistent peace policy of the first socialist country—the Soviet Union and other socialist states, the intensification of the working people’s struggle in the capitalist countries, the growth of the national liberation movement, and action by broad circles of world democratic opinion and by peace fighters remove the fatal inevitability of another world war and create a real possibility for effectuating the striving of the peoples for peace.

p Imperialism is no longer able arbitrarily to decide the destinies of the world. The US aggressors have been compelled to stop bombing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and agree to negotiations. A Treaty banning nuclear tests on land, under water and in outer space has been concluded, and a Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons has been signed. This means that when the peoples act vigorously and unitedly they can achieve concrete results.

p Although the threat of military conflicts remains as long as imperialism exists, peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems is a realistic matter in our days. But peaceful coexistence demands a constant and persevering struggle of the masses against imperialism., against its positions of strength policy.

p The struggle for peace embraces peace initiatives by the socialist countries, the victorious battles fought by the Vietnamese patriots in the jungles of South Vietnam, anti-war demonstrations in the cities of Europe and America, the Japanese people’s struggle against US military bases. The cause of peace is served by the actions of the working class against the omnipotence of the monopolies, resistance of the Latin American peoples to the dictatorship of military juntas, the anti-colonial movements in the countries of Asia and Africa, and the Negro people’s struggle for their rights in the USA. Every participant in this struggle, whether he works at a factory bench, tills the soil or labours in a laboratory, contributes to the common cause of upholding peace.

p WE ADDRESS OUR APPEAL

p   to working people—factory workers, peasants, intellectuals, to workers in science and culture, to all who want to save and multiply the fruits of labour and of the creative endeavours of mankind;

p   to mothers and fathers, who are concerned over their children’s future;

p   to young people and students striving to realise lofty plans and visions and dedicate their strength and energy to furthering the prosperity of their countries;

p   to parliamentarians, statesmen and political leaders evincing anxiety for the destinies of their peoples;

p   to political parties, trade unions, and mass organisations and movements;

p   to religious communities and associations, to people of different creeds;

p   to participants in the peace movement and anti-war campaigns;

p   to all men and women:

p   to demand an end to US aggression in Vietnam, the withdrawal of US troops, respect for the sovereign rights of the Vietnamese people, and independence, freedom and peace for Vietnam;

p   to secure the elimination of the consequences of the Israeli aggression in the Middle East on the basis of the UN Security Council resolution;

p   to work for the complete eradication of colonialism and neo-colonialism and the attainment of independence by all the oppressed pepples, for the ending of the wars of the Portuguese colonialists, for the uprooting of disgraceful racialism in South Africa and wherever else it is manifest, and the aboliti on of corrupt regimes serving foreign monopolies;

p   to exert greater effort in the struggle for the complete implementation of the principles of peaceful coexistence of states regardless of their social system, for the relaxation of world tensions, and the settlement of outstanding international issues by negotiation, against the encroachments of the imperialists on the independence and sovereignty of the peoples, for their right to determine their own future, and for the promotion of broad co-operation between countries on a basis of equality.

p We appeal to all who suffered and remember the horrors of the last world war, to all the champions of peace in Europe, including peace-loving social forces in West Germany:

p let us block the road to the policy of territorial claims pursued by the FRG and its striving to obtain nuclear weapons; let us compel the forces of neo-nazism to retreat!

p Recognition of the real situation which has arisen in Europe as a result of the Second World War, the inviolability of existing frontiers and recognition of the German Democratic Republic are the indispensable conditions for a lasting peace on the European continent.

p Let us launch a struggle for the establishment of an effective system of collective security in Europe and the elimination of the world’s division into military groupings, for the creation of an atmosphere of co-operation and mutual understanding between nations. The road to this would be paved by an AllEuropean Conference of states which has been proposed by the Budapest Conference of the Warsaw Treaty countries.

p Peace on earth cannot rest on a "balance of fear". Lasting peace is inconceivable without a cessation of the arms race.

p It is imperative to secure the creation of nuclear-free zones in different parts of the globe, the banning of all nuclear tests, the speediest possible enforcement of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the participation of all countries in this treaty, the banning of nuclear weapons and the destruction of their stockpiles.

p It is imperative to demand the dismantling of military bases on foreign territoryj the release of countries from the aggressive military pacts forced on them and the imposition of an effective international ban on all types of chemical and bacteriological weapons.

p It is necessary to work, consistently and perseveringly, towards general and complete disarmament.

p In face of all trials we Communists have preserved our boundless devotion to Lenin’s ideas of peace and friendship among nations. Today, as before, we shall struggle for these lofty aims of the whole of mankind together with all who oppose the policy of militarism, aggression and war. For these aims we are ready to develop contacts and co-operate with the most diverse public and political forces.

The unity of all progressive, peace-loving forces is the demand of the day. United We shall ensure the triumph of the sacred cause of world peace.