People's Democracy

Yechury to Attend Working Group Meeting

Of Communist and Workers' Parties

THE working group of the International Communist and Workers' parties is going to meet in Beirut, Lebanon on  October 22-23, 2011 to finalise the draft statement of the 13th International meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties. Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member and Head of the International Department of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will attend this crucial meeting of the working group. The working group meeting will also take a final call on the applications of the new parties that have expressed their interest to take part in these international meetings and place its decisions before the assembly for its consideration.

The 13th International Meeting of the Communist and Worker's Parties is going to be held in Athens, Greece from December 9-11, 2011 with the theme: “Socialism is the future! The international situation and the experience of the communists 20 years after the counter-revolution in the USSR. The tasks for the development of the class struggle in conditions of capitalist crisis, imperialist wars, of the current popular struggles and uprisings, for working class-popular rights, the strengthening of proletarian internationalism and the anti-imperialist front, for the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of socialism”.

It should be recollected that the 11th Meeting was held in New Delhi, organised jointly by the CPI(M) and CPI. In that meeting, an analysis of the current global economic crisis was made and it was concluded that it is a systemic crisis that can be brought to an end only by ensuring a change in the existing social system. The meeting also gave a call for worldwide struggles against the increasing burdens put on the shoulders of the working and toiling sections of the society as a result of the crisis and link it with their political struggle for socialism.

The 13th International meeting assumes its significance as it is going to be held in Greece, which is in the midst of intense struggle against the 'austerity' measures introduced by the Social-Democrat government of the country at the behest of the IMF and the European Union. Moreover, the experiences from the struggles taking place throughout the world, particularly in the West Asia and North Africa, will be exchanged in the meeting.

The working group, meeting in Beirut, apart from finalising the draft statement, will also be finalising the modalities of the discussion and the proposals for further strengthening of the solidarity and joint-struggles throughout the world against growing income inequalities, poverty, hunger, exploitation and imperialism. These struggles, the communist and workers' parties feel, form the foundation for the ultimate emancipation and liberty of humanity – for which socialism alone is the alternative.