p Comrades,

p The delegation of the Communist Party of Greece brings comradely greetings to delegates of the fraternal Parties attending this momentous international Meeting from our Central Committee and our Party, from those who continue to fight the fascist dictatorship and the military junta in prison, concentration camp and underground.

p Our Party is in agreement with the propositions enunciated in the draft of the Main Document, We approve also the other documents and we are authorised by our Central Committee to append its signature. The Main Document is the result of collective analysis and creative work by nearly all the fraternal Parties represented here. It correctly assesses the changes in the international situation over the past years, generalises the rich experience of anti-imperialist struggle and unerringly indicates its orientation. The Main Document can become the basis for united action of all the anti-imperialist forces against imperialism, for peace, national independence and social progress.

p In the view of our delegation, the principal propositions of the Main Document are corroborated by our practical work and by our people’s irreconcilable struggle against the imperialist onslaught and imperialist intervention. Our Central Committee has approved the Main Document because it is conceptually correct, based on Marxism-Leninism and imbued with the spirit of proletarian internationalism.

p The drafting of the Main Document, our Party believes, is a major success for the international communist movement. And our Central Committee is confident that its approval will not mark the end of our persevering efforts for still closer unity, but merely successful completion of the first stage in the advance to that goal, a starting point and a firm basis for continued development of unity of the international communist movement and joint anti- imperialist struggle. And we feel sure that the movement will make much wider use of its vast potentialities for a broad offensive against imperialism and the forces of reaction, fascism and war, thereby accelerating the attainment of our goals.

p The present complex international situation, the increasing aggressiveness of imperialism and its continued machinations in various parts of the world, 557 the use of more subtle methods against the communist movemdht—all this makes it imperative to cement our unity on the basis of Marxism-Leninism.

p Comrades, the Greek people and their revolutionary movement are going through a trying ordeal. The coup of more than two years ago was encouraged and supported by the most aggressive faction of American imperialism, and carried out in conformity with NATO plans providing for the use of NATO weapons. Since then Greece has been under a military-fascist dictatorship, led by a tight group of officers, agents of Greek and foreign monopolies and of the US secret services, whose interests they serve. Behind this Colonels’ junta stand the aggressive forces of the United States which, together with the Bonn revenge-mongers, are a clear menace to peace in the centre of Europe. The United States started and is waging war against the heroic Vietnamese people, encouraging and supporting Israel’s aggression against the Arab peoples, engineering provocations against Cuba and the Korean People’s Democratic Republic, organising coups d’etat in Africa, Latin America and other areas.

p Greece has always, and particularly in recent years, been the object of imperialist pressure and aggressiveness. US imperialism’s special interest in our country is part of a much broader plan to keep the crucial East Mediterranean area under its control by every and any means. For here US imperialism has vast economic and strategic interests and is anxious to use Greece as an operational base against Arab and socialist countries. The US imperialists assumed that, by snuffing out Greek freedom and installing a military junta, they could rely on Greece as a main link in their international strategy of aggression. And that the US imperialists have a special interest in the area is evidenced by the frequent NATO land and naval manoeuvres on Greek territory*

p Fully aware of all these factors, our Party has always, both in its programme and conferences, singled out as a priority task organisation of an anti-imperialist democratic front to extricate the country from the imperialist stranglehold.

p Our people, our progressive forces, of which the Communist Party is the vanguard, are fighting a grim and costly battle to rid the country of this regime of venal reactionary forces imposed on it by armed force and foreign imperialist interference against the will of the people. By dint of hard struggle, in 1963 our people were able to overthrow the reactionary Right forces and pave the way for democratic development. This was the pre-condition for more effective struggle to end imperialist dependence and move ahead to social progress.

p The democratisation process, of which the country was in such dire need, was in the interests of the people and the nation. That is why it encountered such adamant resistance from Greek and foreign reaction. The process was cut short on April 21, 1967, when the military-fascist dictatorship came to power. The coup fully revealed the role of American imperialism as the world gendarme. The democratic forces failed to repel the plans of the plutocratic oligarchy by creating conditions that could considerably hamper the reactionary takeover, though • the relation of political forces and public sentiment favoured such action. But the leaders of bourgeois-democratic parties, especially the Centre Union then in power, were blinded by their anti-communism and refused to co-operate with the Left to ward off the fascist danger. Instead, they/ rigged 558 up a comprd&nise with the reactionary Right and the Court, virtually surrendering to them. And this despite the fact that the Centre Union’s mass following was prepared and eager to co-operate and fight with the Left. The Communist Party, its leadership weakened by the emergence and activities of a Right-wing opportunist group in the Central Committee, did not act in the very best way. Our Party proved unprepared adequately to cope with the situation and organise decisive resistance to the reaction.”

p The Colonels’ coup destroyed the very concept of freedom and instituted a reign of merciless terror against the democratic forces. The junta has murdered, tortured, jailed or banished to concentration camp thousands of patriots. Its main blow was, of course, directed against Party members and activists, the most Consistent fighters against any tyranny.

p Among the thousands of Communists and other patriots kept behind prison bars, ’on the death islands and in concentration camps, are many members of our Central Committee. A large number of women are in a special concentration camp.

p This May alone, many anti-fascists were tried by military tribunals and sentenced to inhumanly long terms of imprisonment. The list includes Grigoris Farakos, a member of the Party Political Bureau. What is happening in Greece corroborates the Main Document’s proposition—though imperialism as a world system has not grown stronger, its aggressiveness has, and it finds manifestation now in one, now in another part of the world. This means that we must strengthen the anti-imperialist unity of the socialist countries and of the world communist and workers’ movement.

p The present regime, a faithful servant of the most aggressive elements of US imperialism, the Pentagon and its secret services, has become a centre of provocation against neighbouring countries. This refers above all to the national interests of the Cypriot people. There is a constant menace to Cyprus, constant plots to impose on it decisions that would further US and NATO imperialist aims, with all the consequences this would have for Cypriot freedom, and for peace in this part of the world.

p The fascist junta has no support among the people. Practically all political leaders have come out against it. Popular resistance has multiplied in these past two years, and differences within the junta have become more pronounced. The resistance movement is spreading to the army, from which more than 2,000 officers have been expelled. A short while ago there were fresh arrests of senior-rank active-duty and reserve officers. The junta knows that its position is anything but secure. Objective conditions are arising for the emergence of new popular Resistance organisations and for a broad nation-wide antidictatorship and anti-imperialist front.

p Our Party exposes all plans which, in effect, do not envisage removal of the dictatorship, but merely its replacement by another form of power that would continue junta policy. We are concentrating on bringing together all the forces, all old and new anti-dictatorial organisations, all enemies of the regime, into a united front on a minimum programme for restoring the people’s freedoms.

p Our experience and an appraisal of the situation lead us to conclude that 559 our people will, very likely, have to resort also to armed struggle, to topple the dictatorship and re-establish democratic rights.

p Illegal Party organisations in the bigger cities are at the very heart of the fight against the regime, and similar organisations, are being formed in. the provinces. Though they have to face all the severities of a police regime, they are well to the fore in building resistance organisations and giving leadership to the people in their fight against the junta. The opportunist group of splitters now conducting an open campaign against the Party, has been condemned by Party members and activists and is being increasingly isolated..

p Collective and Greek experience proves that if the Party is to discharge its mission and play its role in marshalling the forces opposed to,the regime, it must uphold its ideological and organisational unity against all deviations and consistently apply the Marxist-Leninist principles of its policy, organisation and activity. We must firmly oppose opportunism, whether from ’Right or “Left’.’, which at one time did so much damage to our Party and movement.

p We agree with the Main Document on the question of combining natiqnal tasks with international duty. In common with all other Marxist-Leninist Parties, our Party is accountable to our working class and people, but also to the international working class. Fulfilment of our internationalist duty implies, above all, defence of proletarian internationalism, firm and unswerving solidarity with the socialist countries, with all fraternal Parties and peoples fighting imperialism. But the greatest internationalist duty of all, our Party holds, is defence of the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries. Their history, their sacrifices, their might and consistent revolutionary internationalism are a source of inspiration and strength for the Communists and peoples of the world in their battle for freedom and independence.

p Acting from positions of nationalism, anti-Sovietism and chauvinism, the Mao Tse-tung group has jettisoned the principles to which we adhere and no longer has anything in common with proletarian internationalism. It is trying to undermine and split international communist unity. Its provocations and conflicts on the Soviet frontier objectively play into the hands of mankind’s sworn enemy, US imperialism, and encourage its provocations and aggression. Mao Tse-tung’s policy weakens the anti-imperialist struggle, hampers the heroic fight of the Vietnamese and other peoples and does damage to the Chinese people and their Republic.

p Comrades, in this grim and difficult struggle,, the Greek people have the support of the great Soviet Union, the Soviet people and the CPSU, which, in keeping with their long tradition, are rendering our embattled people limitless assistance.

p Solidarity with and support for our people, so generously offered by the socialist countries and fraternal Parties, by the whole of progressive mankind, is of inestimable value. And we take this occasion to renew our expressions of gratitude for this support.

p Our Party holds that unity must not be confined to appending our signatures to the Document; it must find expression in practice. Our Party believes that all methods should be employed to study common problems and exchange information and experience as a means of strengthening international 560 communist unity. We support the proposal of Comrade Brezhnev and other speakers for periodical conferences to discuss theoretical problems. In this respect, the journal Problems of Peace and Socialism could be of much help.

p Comrades, now as always, the Communist Party of Greece is fighting with utter devotion, making many sacrifices, devoting all its energies to serving the people. It considers it a supreme internationalist duty to facilitate, to the best of its ability, unity of the international communist movement. For such unity is the best requisite of success in the anti-imperialist struggle and in our own struggle for freedom, national independence and social progress.

In conclusion, I wish to convey our gratitude to the Central Committee of the-CPSU and the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party for all that they have done^to prepare this Meeting. We are also grateful to the CPSU for its warm hospitality and for its excellent arrangements for this Meeting.