p Dear Comrades,

p The delegation of the Communist Party of Ecuador warmly and sincerely greets the delegates of Communist and Workers’ Parties gathered here from all parts of the world comprehensively to discuss our tasks at the present stage of the anti-imperialist struggle and united action of Communist and Workers’ Parties and other anti-imperialist forces. Ecuadorian Communists welcome convocation of this International Meeting. In it are reposed the hopes of the forces of socialism, of the international workers’ and national liberation movement, the forces of democracy, progress and peace. Our Meeting is destined to play an historic role.

p Gathered here are representatives of the overwhelming majority of workingclass political Parties, their prominent leaders, who also head mass organisations in their respective countries. They are the most vivid embodiment of revolutionary thought, organisation and struggle. We deeply regret the absence of our General Secretary^ Comrade Pedro Saad, who was to have led our delegation. He was prevented from doing so by the difficult political situation resulting from the harsh repressive measures against the students and increased repression against mass labour movements carried out by the government under US imperialist pressure.

p We express our gratitude to the fraternal Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party for assuming the difficult job of initiating and efficiently organising preparations for the Meeting.

p We are grateful to the CPSU, and above all its Central Committee, for providing all the necessary conditions for the successful completion of this preparatory work. True to the spirit of internationalism, which is intrinsic in its policy, the CPSU has enabled us to assemble here to map out the most effective path of revolutionary struggle to put an end, once and for all, to imperialism’s crimes against mankind, its policy of aggression and plunder.

p We welcome the presence here of delegates from the fraternal Communist Party of Cuba—the Cuba "whose revolution has broken the chain of imperialist oppression in Latin America and has led to the establishment of the first socialist state on the American continent, marking a historical turning point and opening in this region a new phase of the revolutionary movement”.

p Comrades, this Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties is being held at a crucial time in human history, a time when the oncoming triumph of socialism and the radiant future of mankind, the era of human happiness, the era of Communism, can be seen more vividly.

p With the further aggravation of its last, general crisis, imperialism is vainly trying to regain the initiative. The system of imperialism has weakened, but imperialist aggressiveness is increasing. Imperialism continues to commit unprecedented crimes against Vietnam; instigate Israel’s aggressive ruling and militarist element against the Arab peoples; support the Bonn revenge-mongers in their drive for boundary revision. In collusion with its client reactionary regimes it is stepping up its neo-colonialist expansion in Latin America. It is murdering the finest sons of the working class, as we have seen in Argentina; brutally destroying Communist leaders and other patriots in Haiti; wreaking terror on students in our own country—and all in order to enable Nelson Rockefeller, that imperialist hawk, international oil monopoly magnate and envoy of a monopolistic, militarist state, to carry out his cynical and sinister mission to Latin America.

p It was against this background that we opened our Meeting, which infuses hope in all the progressive forces of mankind and excites fury in the imperialists and reactionaries of every stripe and hue.

p We must imbibe the spirit of Leninism, we must turn our thoughts to Lenin, that stalwart fighter against imperialism who was determined always to uphold the leading role of proletarian internationalism; that consistent champion of socialism, the founder of the Bolshevik Party and of the world’s first socialist state; the man who’penetrated to the very substance of Marxism and creatively developed it.

p Comrades, we welcome the methods and forms employed in preparing this Meeting. Communist and Workers’ Parties had an active share in the long preparatory work, beginning with the February Consultative Meeting in Budapest and ending with the Preparatory Committee Meeting in Moscow this May. They participated in the deliberations of the committees, working groups and sub-committees, all of which met in an atmosphere of democracy and comradeship, enabling a confrontation of views and thereby contributing to the drafting of our documents. The draft of the Main Document was composed not only by the delegations, but with the direct participation of Party Central Committees which carefully studied it and stated their views.

p Our Party had an active part in this process. In presenting the Central Committee report to the 8th Party Congress last August, our General Secretary, Comrade Pedro Saad, said: "Our Party has resolutely pronounced in favour of an International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties. Accordingly, we have sent a delegation to the February Consultative Meeting and reaffirm our resolve to help prepare the International Meeting and take part in its proceedings... Our Party has always consistently advocated unity of the world communist movement on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and the principles of proletarian internationalism... We hold that everything that harms this unity plays into the hands of the enemy of the peoples, imperialism, and undermines mass action for the world-wide victory of socialism and communism”. 87 This line was carried further in the Congress resolution, which stresses the obligation "to exert every effort to facilitate unity of the international communist movement, faithfully to abide by our internationalist positions, and participate in the Moscow International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties”.

p And now we are here. Our forces are modest, but our determination is great. And we feel sure that practical application of proletarian internationalism, upon which we take a firm stand, will still further strengthen our determination.

p The 8th Congress decision, reaffirmed by our Central Committee, is being carried out. At its last plenum in May, our delegation was given the following instructions: Unreservedly to approve the Document submitted to our Central Committee in its present contents, form and structure, which represent an integral whole, and endorse such changes as improve the Document without altering its substance. In pursuance of these instructions, we will sign the Main Document with a great feeling of satisfaction,

p In taking this decision, our Central Committee was guided by the fact that the Document gives a correct assessment of the present international situation and the alignment of forces. Such a correct Marxist-Leninist assessment, we believe, should be the starting point in defining the joint tasks of the Communist and Workers’ Parties and the anti-imperialist forces.

p We must indicate precisely what reactionary forces are endeavouring to perpetuate the conditions that make for backwardness and more poverty and misery for the people; the forces that use every available means, including the most brutal, to achieve these ends. We must indicate what forces are fighting for social progress, who can and is willing to combat reaction and open the road to peace, national independence, socialism and communism—the road to human happiness.

p For our Party, which is courageously fighting imperialism and its reactionary accomplices in a part of the world US imperialism considers its private domain, it is especially important accurately to gauge the size and strength of the forces upon which our chief enemies rely, and, on the other hand, the forces we can rely upon—on whom we can count in coping with our tasks, and with whom we can act jointly in the battle to destroy the common foe.

p The scientific Marxist-Leninist analysis of the world situation and the alignment of forces contained in Sections One and Two of the Main Document, which our Central Committee has studied and which was further improved at the May session of the Preparatory Committee, gives a clear and precise answer to these questions.

p The Document also contains a substantiated assessment of the present stage of the general crisis of imperialism, pointing-out the latter’s place in history and explaining its intensified aggressiveness, its crude, savage actions in an attempt to regain the initiative. Imperialism is shown as the main enemy of socialism and the main oppressor of the peoples. That is fully evidenced by its continuous provocations on the frontiers of socialist countries; its unjust aggressive war against Vietnam, against the peoples of Asia and Africa, against all the peoples of Latin America, and its positions-of-strength and brinkmanship policies.

p We have already stated the view of our Party’s 8th Congress that the situation 88 calls for unity of the international communist movement and united action with other anti-imperialist forces, and that this unity is an essential factor of the revolutionary, democratic and progressive struggle.

p And unity bears valuable fruit. Its results can be seen in things big and small. Take, for instance, the struggle of the heroic Vietnamese people who, assisted by the socialist countries, fraternal Parties and other anti-imperialist forces, have shown remarkable fortitude in the face of aggression by imperialism’s most powerful, brutal and bellicose state supported by other imperialist countries.

p We Ecuadorian Communists have our own experience in fighting the dictatorial military junta unscrupulously imposed on the country through a deal with Ecuadorian reaction, that accomplice of the dictatorship. The solidarity shown by our comrades of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the workers and all the people of the Land of Soviets, fraternal Parties in socialist and capitalist countries, and other anti-imperialist and anti-dictatorial forces, has been of immense help. It helped us free from prison and rescue from torture our dear leaders and other victims of the dictatorship. But solidarity was manifested also in the fraternal hospitality accorded men forced to leave the country. International solidarity was an inspiration to underground Party workers and the few Central Committee leaders who managed to escape the terror. It helped us marshal the necessary forces not only to resist the dictatorship, but, more important, to fight for its overthrow.

p International solidarity helped us successfully to carry out our 8th Party Congress, which strongly influenced unity on a progressive basis, and the advance of the revolutionary mass movement. The fact that, for the first time in our Party’s history, the Congress was attended by a delegation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and by delegates from other fraternal Parties, aroused a feeling of joy and enthusiasm among Party members, progressives and wide sections of the people. The fraternal delegations visited various parts of the country and were everywhere received by the people with affection and expressions of revolutionary faith.

p We apologise for dealing here with things that might seem of little relevance to the momentous task of this Meeting.

p But such expressions of solidarity and proletarian internationalism are very important for a Party and people locked in constant battle with US imperialism. For the unity and solidarity of all Communists, their joint action in alliance with all anti-imperialist forces combating the militarist state and its monopolies, further stimulates the political awakening of the people and their practical participation in the mass struggle. With what new force will that struggle develop once this Document, the fighting programme outlined in Section Three, is adopted! What faith and perseverance will our Parties and peoples draw from the practical measures outlined in Section Four to strengthen our organisation and unity!

p Comrades, the condition of the people in Ecuador is characterised by a further aggravation of the general economic and financial crisis, soaring living costs and a more direct and rabid attack by US imperialism as it intensifies its predatory neo-colonialist drive. The situation is further aggravated by the growing danger 89 that the reactionary forces, working hand in glove with imperialism, might again set up a dictatorial regime. But for all that, the people are fighting courageously: there have been more strike struggles, more cases of peasants requisitioning land, more region-wide strikes, more demands by students, women, the youth and progressive intellectuals. All of these forces are components of the multi-million world army which pins such hope on the success of.our Meeting.

p Proceeding from the above considerations, based on our experience and dictated by the historical requirements of our age, we consider that the priority task today is unity of the international communist movement, its joint action with other anti-imperialist forces on the basis of the scientific.Marxist-Leninist propositions of the Main Document. And from this stems our firm resolve to sign that Document. We hope that, true to the traditions of Marx and Lenin, all the representatives of the Communist and Workers’ Parties will sign it, thereby giving voice to our will to help our Parties and peoples successfully to accomplish the main task posed by their right to life and happiness, namely, destruction of the chief foe of humanity.

p Comrades, besides approving the Main Document, the delegation of the Communist Party of Ecuador fully endorses the other documents submitted by the Preparatory Committee: the address on the Lenin centenary, the appeal "Independence, Freedom and Peace for Vietnam!", and the Appeal in Defence of Peace.

p In expressing our gratitude for the reception accorded us here, we wish to add that we have come fully aware of our modest opportunities, but with limitless determination to do everything possible to advance the sacred cause of international communist unity and joint action with other anti-imperialist forces. And we regard this as a highly important task, the accomplishment of which will assure victory of the cause of all the peoples, victory in the struggle of the three principal revolutionary forces of our epoch—the socialist world system, the international working class, and the national liberation movement.

p Long live unity of the international communist movement!

p Long live united action of all anti-imperialist forces!

Long live the doctrine of the great Lenin!