p Dear Comrades,

p We convey our assurances of solidarity on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Norway to the Communist Parties represented at, this Meeting. At the same time, we express the hope that the Meeting will be an important step to restoring lasting unity among all Communist Parties and to intensifying the struggle against imperialism.

p The foreign and military policy of Norway, a member of NATO, is subordinated to the interests of United States imperialism and those of other imperialist states. Norwegian territory is a forward area in NATO’s atomic strategy. It is therefore vitally necessary for our country to break away from the NATO system, the key task of the Communist Party of Norway and the country’s other progressive forces being to win the majority of the nation for active participation in the drive towards this aim. That will extend the nation’s possibilities for independent development.

p Norway’s anti-imperialist forces are in the process of growth. That growth has been particularly marked after US imperialism started the Vietnam war to rob the Vietnamese people of their freedom.

p It should be said, however, that the progressive movement in our country encountered difficulties in its growth, some traceable, among other things, to negative phenomena stemming from the split in the world communist movement and from the serious problems and conflicts that arose among the socialist countries.

p We think it is important to stress this here, at our broad meeting, because it is the duty and task of all Communist Parties to help overcome the negative effects of those aspects of activity that impede our work and struggle. We cannot bring into play all the possibilities of the world communist movement unless our principles accord fully with their practical application.

p We regard the situation of sharpening differences between some Communist Parties and socialist countries over the recent years as a grave obstacle limiting the ability of the peoples to combat breaches of peace, national freedom and democracy by reaction and imperialism. This could only impair, rather than serve, our common interests.

p The Communist Party of Norway considers it the principal task of both big and small Parties to work for the restoration of respect for the standards of cooperation and contact among Communist Parties as defined in the Statement of the 1960 International Meeting. Our Central Committee stressed this in its resolution back in October 1963 and has tried to act accordingly ever since.

p ’We hold that the existence of divergent views among Communist Parties should be recognised and that these differences should be clarified and discussed in a comradely way consistent with the principles of proletarian internationalism.

p Difficult problems exist in the communist movement, a discussion of which at this Meeting could yield no beneficial results. However, unity among our Parties can be buttressed by joint action, even though not all controversial issues are resolved at once. That is our view. On the other hand, the relationships among our Parties will not be completely satisfactory until questions on which we lack agreement are discussed thoroughly and conclusively. Our discussions in the context of the world communist movement should not evade the sharp issues. We should not create the impression of a taboo on problems over which differences of opinion arose in certain serious situations. That kind of fundamental problems should be discussed and we must find suitable forms in which to do so. This does not imply any interference in the internal affairs of other Parties; what it implies is that clarity is needed on theoretical, ideological and political problems now creating difficulties for us.

p We once suggested forming committees of representatives of different Parties to examine these problems, and should like to renew that proposal at the present Meeting.

p One thing is quite clear: the present problems of the world communist movement can be resolved provided the sharp polemics between Parties cease and the Parties display mutual respect and understanding, and provided, too, a comradely atmosphere prevails at our international meetings. This comradely atmosphere at the present and subsequent meetings will serve to consolidate the unity of our ranks. As we see it, unity cannot be restored unless the differences between Parties, the different conditions in which the Parties work, and the indisputable right of each Party to formulate its own policy, are fully taken into consideration.

p We hold that the agenda drawn up in Budapest for the present Meeting in 1968 offers opportunities to reinvigorate co-operation among Communist Parties. It will be quite realistic, we think, if the Parties participating in the Meeting concentrate on matters helping to unify our movement, while not allowing the fact that we lack agreement over some questions to escape us.

p Thorough preparatory work has been done on the drafts of the documents submitted for the consideration of this Meeting, laying a good foundation for our discussion. However, we hold that the draft of the Main Document does not quite fit the framework of the agreement reached among the Parties in Budapest. We should, therefore, like to make a few remarks on the draft submitted as the basis for the Main Document of the Meeting.

p The analysis of imperialism at the present stage, as set out in the draft, doubtlessly contains some interesting points. It fits our own views in the main. But the entire part of the draft is watered down by excessive detail. 277 Furthermore, the first two sections contain points of a conflicting nature, with the formulations bearing the imprint of unsatisfactory compromises.

p We are not content with the wording of these and other propositions, and disagree with some of the suggested amendments. Besides, we also have some suggestions of our own. However, as we see it, it is best to leave out the first two sections and work out an introductory part with a concentrated description of imperialism and of the anti-imperialist forces. We feel that the main attention in the Document should be concentrated on Sections Three and Four. Section Three, as you know, defines the tasks over which the Communist Parties can and must unite at the present time, while Section Four contains important points concerning relations among all the Parties of the world communist movement.

p In our view, the last two sections also contain paragraphs that are not quite satisfactory. We agree that these paragraphs, like the Document as a whole, should be offensive and unequivocally oriented against, imperialism. They could be made stronger by a brief reference stating clearly that the principles of nonintervention in the internal affairs of other countries, of sovereignty, equality and territorial immunity, should apply to relations among all countries.

p In principle, the drafts of the Appeal in Defence of Peace and the call " Independence, Freedom and Peace for Vietnam!" coincide with our views. We should also like to express our satisfaction over the submitted draft of the document devoted to the celebration of the centennial of V. I. Lenin’s birth next year, a great event in the life of all Communist Parties. We consider it proper that by paying tribute to the memory of V. I. Lenin, the Meeting thereby underscores the common Marxist-Leninist foundation of all the Communist Parties.

p Comrades, you will realise from the above that we have our own opinion on some issues, divergent from that of other Parties. All the same, we feel the need for the Communist Parties to join forces more closely, because we have to resolve very big problems in common.

p Fighting imperialism is the most important question of our time. Section Three of the draft Main Document defines that task as a struggle against a definite adversary, a struggle for concrete aims.

p For the people of Norway it will be a struggle for the country’s deliverance from NATO, from subordination to the imperialist states. It will also be a struggle for the erection of a system of European collective security that could lead to the abolition of the existing military blocs. That is an important sector in the world-wide struggle against imperialism, and insistently requires solidarity with the people of Vietnam and cohesion of all the peoples dominated by imperialism, oppressed or threatened by it. Still more insistently, it requires that all Communist Parties cement the unity of their ranks. Our Meeting offers opportunities for this. So let us make the most of them and achieve unity of action in the fight against imperialism, a unity which, as you know, is the prime compulsion.

We hope that the Meeting will bring us closer to this great and important goal.