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p Dear Comrades,

p I take great pleasure in conveying to you revolutionary greetings on behali of the Communists and Communist Youth of Venezuela.

p The political situation in our country in the sixties is a historical process rich in important events. The working class and people of Venezuela are fighting staunchly ,and courageously against their internal enemies and US imperialism.

Our people’s fight against the pro-imperialist governments of Betancourt and Leoni has added brilliant chapters to the history of our revolution.

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p You know that world imperialism, especially the US monopolies, has made deep inroads into the Venezuelan economy. The imperialists exploit our world-renowned oil resources and our rich deposits of iron ore. Foreign investment in our country is enormous and the US monopolies derive an annual 40 per cent in profit from the capital invested in the oil industry. This scandalous plunder of Venezuela’s oil resources explains in a way the sharp social and political struggles in our country, as well as the marked degradation of parties and rulers who forget about their political programmes and promises as soon as they find themselves in power.

p The ruthless exploitation of Venezuela by the US and other monopolies angers its patriots. The submission of the country’s rulers to the foreign exploiters objectively helps to unite the most diverse revolutionary and progressive-minded people, as is evident, in particular, from the failure of Rockefeller’s attempt to visit Caracas. Whenever patriotic sentiment leads to joint action against foreign domination, it does not take the people long to win the upper hand.

p Rockefeller, the most privileged exploiter of the working class and the riches of Venezuela, a man sent by Nixon to impose new onerous terms on our people, was unable to visit Lima and La Paz. Nor could he go to Caracas, The reason for all this was that the peoples of Latin America united to keep him 60 out. Rockefeller’s personal fiasco was also a fiasco for President Nixon and his predatory policy in Latin America, whose peoples are going through a period of powerful upsurge in their fight for independence and freedom.

p The youth of Venezuela—over 70 per cent of the population are under thirty years—are firmly opposed to the imperialists and strongly insist on a progressive policy on the part of the state.

p We Venezuelan Communists, operating in difficult conditions, have been waging big battles in every sector.

p , Thanks to resolute and staunch resistance to the dictators, we have secured the release of thousands of our imprisoned comrades and the legalisation of the Communist Party. In this struggle we have made mistakes and scored gains, as is usually the case in fighting a powerful enemy. However, we must tell the spokesmen of the Communist Parties present here that the CPV as a political force carries considerable weight with the working class and other classes and progressive social strata of the country. Our enemies announced the abolition of the CPV more than once, but our Party proved indestructible because it is closely linked with the people.

p Today the CPV is fighting to regain lost positions and reorganise on a nation 1 scale. We are concentrating on the task of winning more members among the working class, on the Marxist-Leninist training of our comrades, on the application of the principles of proletarian internationalism, on the class struggle. We are doing all this on the basis of sustained struggle against imperialism, for national independence, against the national oligarchy.

p The tactic of rallying our own forces and of winning allies, if only for separate actions, exemplified by the successful popular movement Which kept Rockefeller out of Venezuela, is the main aspect of the home policy of our Party.

Before closing this part of my speech, I wish to use this opportunity to express once again our deep gratitude to the brother Parties for the many-sided solidarity they showed us in the dark years of the most brutal repression. We Venezuelan Communists do appreciate in full measure the vast significance of proletarian solidarity.

II

p Comrades, the CPV wholeheartedly congratulates the Preparatory Committee on the valuable work it has carried out in fulfilling the tasks entrusted to it by the Communist Parties. Its patient effort has been crowned with results beneficial to all Marxists-Leninists.

p The Central Committee of the CPV is aware of the difficulties which the world communist movement is passing through. After the.Second World War, as a result of the historic victory of the Soviet armed forces over German fascism, the working class triumphed in a number of countries standing at the most diverse levels of material and cultural development. In each of them the approach to age-old problems had to be different in one way or another. Thus our communist movement came up against complications arising from considerable growing pains. Its growth has substantially changed.the balance of work forces in favour of socialism.

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p Lastly, and regrettably, some contingents of our movement were faced with problems that have yet to be solved in a satisfactory manner. An indication of this is the absence of some of the invited brother Parties from this important communist conference.

p Nevertheless, and despite the absence of these Parties, the fact that so many Marxist-Leninist Parties have agreed to meet for a discussion of the most urgent problems agitating the working people all over the world, and that we have come here to seek and find ways and means of reaching agreement and extending our joint struggle against our common enemy, is highly important for Communists and the international working class. For this Meeting is paving the way for a future world conference that will be attended by both us and those who are absent today. The quest for ways of establishing closer links and achieving unity should become a necessary objective of the world communist movement.

A frank, comradely discussion of ideological matters, like the one we are beginning today, will be very useful for both Communists and the entire national liberation movement, for both the brother Parties in power and those operating in the conditions of brutal capitalist oppression.

III

p The world communist movement needs a platform for fighting against imperialism. The basis of this platform is united action by Communists fighting in different latitudes and different conditions against one and the same chief enemy.

p As the anti-imperialist struggle goes on, action by the masses is a requisite of the success of the policy of peaceful coexistence, which does not restrict the peoples’ right to use in class battles any form of struggle according to the level achieved by the proletariat concerned.

p It is necessary to fight unrelentingly, demanding respect for human rights in every corner of the globe, win guaranteed civil rights, secure the release of and freedom for political prisoners.

p Great importance attaches from this point of view to the effective and permanent solidarity of all Communist Parties and popular movements of the world with the peoples of Spain and Brazil, Portugal and Haiti, Greece and Paraguay, Indonesia, Guatemala and Panama, with all peoples living under frightful political oppression.

p A task of tremendous importance today is militant support for the Peruvian people, who are resisting the brazen policy of the US government. It is also as necessary as ever for all the peoples of the world to continue their fraternal support of socialist Cuba.

p The armed struggle of African peoples against Portuguese colonialism—in Guinea, Angola and Mozambique—the struggle against the infamy of racial oppression in South Africa and Rhodesia, against neo -colonialism in any form, as well as the Arab peoples’ resistance to imperialist aggression deserve our warm sympathy.

p Besides, we must remember that while one and a half centuries have passed since most Latin American countries won freedom from Spanish rule, the sores 62 of colonialism are still visible on the American continent. Not long ago the people of Cura9ao, who have close geographical, economic and historical ties with Venezuela, set an example of courageous resistance to colonial rule.

p What is needed first and foremost, however, is to extend all-out assistance on a world scale to the Vietnamese people’s victorious fight—a fight unexampled in history—against the wanton aggression launched by the US government. In Vietnam, imperialism is digging its own grave. The freedom-loving peoples of the world must not slacken their solidarity with the heroic people of Vietnam.

p From this high rostrum we send heartfelt greetings from the Communists and other progressives of our country to the fighters in North and South Vietnam. We firmly pledge ourselves to do all in our power to give them the requisite moral and material support.

p The Central Committee of the CPV subscribes to the thesis that the militant solidarity of the peoples of the socialist countries and all contingents of the working-class and national liberation movement with every people fighting for independence and freedom, against imperialism must be strengthened.

p The CC CPV declares without qualification for the broadest possible unity of action of all the forces fighting against imperialism on a world scale.

Accordingly^ we are prepared to make our modest contribution to attaining maximum understanding between the Communist and Workers’ Parties, and to fulfilling the common tasks of all Marxists-Leninists wherever they may be.

IV

p We agree that relations between the Communist Parties should be based on proletarian internationalism. Strict adherence to this fundamental principle promotes unity, increases the strength of Communists and makes for more harmonious development of their relations and mutual assistance.

p We agree that the effect of the political activity of each Communist Party depends on that Party’s achievements in its own country, the achievements of brother Parties and the extent of co-operation between the various contingents.

p We regard the national and international responsibility of every Communist Party as an indivisible whole. Marxists-Leninists never separate patriotism from proletarian internationalism. At the same time they reject both national narrow-mindedness and underestimation of national peculiarities.

p Naturally, the CC CPV deplores the existence of ideological and political contradictions in the world communist movement. But we are not pessimists.

p We think true Communists will always find a way of working together. We are faced with the very serious fact that imperialism profits by our disputes. This is what really worries us, just as it worries, to the best of our knowledge, our brothers in other countries. We trust that the debate begun here will help us chart the course of the struggle for the independence of the oppressed countries, for the freedom of the peoples enslaved by capitalism.

p The Preparatory Committee of this Meeting has worked out a draft that has already won the support of numerous Parties. We can say that some differences have been overcome while others persist and may not be fully settled at this 63 Meeting. Be that as it may, they have been specified and reduced, which will make it easier to discuss them in the future. Besides, developments usually come to our aid in situations of this kind. Much depends on proper application of the principles of internationalism, which guide our activity. The working class of the world expects of us sincere efforts for unity. This hope of the working class is fully justified as far as the Communists are concerned. This is proved by the revolutionary road we Communists have travelled in our respective sectors of the fight against imperialism.

p Comrades, the CC CPV has approved of an international political line aimed at maintaining and fostering friendship and solidarity with all Communist and Workers’ Parties on the principles of Marxism-Leninism, equality and mutual respect and finds it necessary to strive continuously for greater cohesion of all contingents of the world communist movement.

The CPV does not make friendship and solidarity with its brothers in other countries conditional on whether or not they approve of its activity in its own country. On the contrary, we are willing to listen carefully to constructive criticism of our mistakes by brother Parties in the course of bilateral or multilateral meetings. We are ready to work in this spirit, along these political lines.

V

p Comrades, the CC CPV is grateful for the invitation to attend this great International Meeting of Communists. Its members have studied the Document entitled "Tasks at the Present Stage of the Struggle Against Imperialism and United Action of the Communist and Workers’ Parties and All Anti-Imperialist Forces”.

p The CC CPV has sent to this Meeting a delegation of four members of the Political Bureau, whom it has explicitly instructed to sign this Document.

p The CC CPV will continue to take a collective stand on the political and ideological problems discussed on an international scale and to seek unity of action with other fraternal Parties, with the entire progressive movement of the world, with all forces opposed to imperialism.

p Our international policy is based on Lenin’s recommendation to hold frank discussions, achieve international solidarity, respect the principles of Marxism and be loyal to the cause of the world proletariat.

p Comrades, on behalf of the Party and the Communist Youth of our country we wish the best of success to the work begun in Moscow, capital of the first socialist state—a state founded by Lenin, the eminent teacher of freedom fighters.

p Paying tribute to Lenin on the 100th anniversary of his birth, we promise to work with devotion for the fulfilment of the tasks facing the world communist movement today.

p We fraternally greet all the delegations present here and thank the comrades from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, especially its Central Committee, for the warm welcome they have given us and the facilities they have provided to make our deliberations fruitful.

I salute you, comrades.