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Statement Of Some Founding Organisational Members of ISML -
Upon the War of Aggression of the NATO and USA

UPON THE US-LED IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION IN THE BALKANS

At times of war - whether a war is declared or undeclared, Marxist-Leninists must be especially vigilant, and must not be misled by the profuse propaganda that erupts from all sides. Accordingly, the organisations/parties listed below, wish to make two main points about the current crisis in Europe. The parties listed are all represented on the editorial board of 'International Struggle Marxist-Leninist'.

FIRSTLY, we strongly condemn the barbarous war of aggression waged by the United State of America and the other NATO imperialist states. This war openly violates the United Nation Charter and indeed the NATO statutes, and rides roughshod over all the rules of International Law, against Serbia. Serbia is a sovereign state which has not made an act of overt aggression against them.

The military attack against Serbia shows once more the ferocious nature of North American and European imperialism and the true essence of NATO, which is a military instrument always well-trained to guarantee the undisputed control of the world markets to western financial capital. The rivalries of the USA and of the European imperialists have temporarily been diminished as a series of events have recently retarded and weakened the more determined and more "Eurocentrist" of the EEC capitalists. These various events, include the exposure of corruption of the Council of Ministers, the resignation in Germany of Oskar Lafontainne, and the blatant sycophancy of the Blair government in Britain to the USA. This weakening of the most determined anti-USA section of the EEC capitalist class, has facilitated the joint USA-NATO attack, at this time.

The reasons given by the USA-led NATO imperialists in order to justify their aggression are deeply hypocritical and false. The imperialists do not aim at all to "defend" and "protect" Kosova people, but in contrast, they aim to ensure for themselves a total, economic and political control of the Balkans. The easiest way for them to ensure this is to allow a continuing tension on the ground in the Balkans, to simmer into repetitive flames. This is precisely what they have done in the Balkans over the last years.

DOWN WITH USA AND EEC IMPERIALISM!

DOWN WITH NATO AGGRESSION!

Thus far, most organisations/parties who call themselves Marxist-Leninists will agree. We must however point out a second matter, which has received inadequate attention. The national liberation struggle of the Kosova people, even if at present it is not directed by communist forces, is a just struggle and must be backed by everyone who is for the Marxist-Leninist point of view and for the fundamental interests of the international proletariat. This includes the interests of the Serbian proletariat - who should heed the call of Marx and Engels to the British workers. Marx and Engels said the British workers would never gain their liberty until they actively fought for the rights of self-determination of the Irish.

The claws of modern day imperialism first raked across Kosova at the London Conference of 1912 following the defeat of the Turkish Ottoman empire. Then the imperialists "largely ignored demographic realities and ceded the vast region of Kosova to Serbia". During the Second World War, the right of the Kosova people to self-determination was recognized not only by the Communist Party of Albania but also by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. At the First Conference of the National Council of Liberation of Kosova, held at Bujan in December 1943/January 1944, a resolution was approved, this, after recognizing that Kosova was: "a region inhabited by a majority of Albanian population who aim, as they have always aimed, at unifying themselves with Albania". They declared that "the only way to be followed by the Albanian population of Kosova and of Dukajin plateau is a common struggle with the other peoples of Yugoslavia against the bloody German occupants and their serfs: this is the only way which brings to freedom, thanks to which all the peoples, and consequently the Albanian people too, will be able to decide their destiny under their right to self-determination up to secession".

Upon the basis of this resolution, the Albanian partisans united with the Yugoslav partisans in the armed struggle to free the Yugoslav soil from the Nazi occupation. But after the end of the war the revisionist leadership of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, who brought forward a nationalist, not a Marxist-Leninist, policy, violated the commitments taken at the Conference of Bujan, didn't grant self-determination to Kosova people and kept Kosova region within the boundaries of the new Federal Yugoslavia.

During the Tito years the region has always been exploited in a colonial way, being a producer of raw materials, by the bourgeoisie of the Federation's richer regions. After the Federal Yugoslavia disintegration, the new constitution of the Serbian Republic, in force since September 1990, abolished almost entirely the administrative autonomy granted to the Kosova region by the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. In October 1991 the Kosova Assembly - labeled "illegal" by the bourgeois and nationalist Serbian government of Slobodan Milosevic organised a popular referendum on the matter of regional sovereignty. 87% of Kosova population took part in it, and 99.87% voted for Kosova sovereignty.

In reaction to the heavy, and brutal repression of the nationalist Serbian government against their repeatedly declared will for liberation, the Kosova people, during the years of the 1990s, intensified and spread their resistance up to armed struggle. The under-signed organisations/parties, express total support to the national liberation struggle of the Kosova people who, in accordance with the Marxist-Leninist principle of self-determination for peoples, have their right to bring forward whatever strategic and tactical steps that this struggle may need; up to separation from Serbia and to the attainment of their complete national independence.

The under-signed organisations/parties, condemn the actions of the brutal Milosovic inspired aggressions aimed at de-populating and reversing the demographic reality of Kosovar-Albanian majority in Kosova. We must however point out to the Kosovar working class and peasantry, that supporting the US and NATO led imperialist bombing war in the North of the former Yugoslavia - once more ties their fate to that of the imperialists. The imperialist Treaty of London divided Albania into two, and "gave" Kosova to the Serbs. Relinquishing now their freedom struggle to imperialist USA and NATO - would lead the Kosovar people into yet another, and equally tragic blind alley. Therefore we criticise the Kosovar Liberation Army in calling for support of the NATO strikes - both before and since the start of air-strikes - as a grave mis-understanding of how to achieve real nationhood and meaningful independence.

For the Kosovar people - such calls to the NATO leadership, can only retard their main and final goal - socialism. If for the Serbian peoples it is necessary to repudiate their bourgeois leader's suppression of Kosova independence - the corollary for the Kosovar working peoples is to understand that national liberation of oppressed peoples involves a struggle against imperialism, as well as a struggle against the immediate oppressors.

TO CONCLUDE

All progressive peoples should recognise the validity of both these aspects. If only the first aspect (ie condemning NATO aggression) is adopted, this will not ensure either the future peace in the Balkans, nor will it assist any of the peoples of the Balkans whether Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian or Kosovar to abolish capitalism and establish socialism.

DOWN WITH USA AND NATO AGGRESSION!

FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE KOSOVAR ALBANIANS!

TAKE IMPERIALIST HANDS OFF THE BALKANS!

Signed by : Lenin Committee (Italy);
Alliance Marxist-Leninist (North America);
Communist League (UK);
Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (Turkey).
Issued 10th April, 1999

We must tell you that your decision (the decision of one of your moderators) to expel CEMOPI from the MLL needs more explanation than the few words we have read from a few days on the List. Of course our experience is not the same as your experience. For example, we do not wait until 1998 to know about Kosovo. Our situation, in the heart of European imperialism and colonialist countries, in countries like France who were occupied during the Second World War, and where revisionism is dominant from the years before the Second World War, lead us to understand very directly and in concrete terms how to fight against revisionism, and not only in words. We think that we are well known by some members of the List for our fight against Maoism in the years 1977-1978, and particularly against some members of the present "Quito Group". It is an old story, of course, but we think that there are some hidden reasons for our "expulsion". Anyway, it seems very strange to us that the MLL refuses to engage in real polemic - in Lenin's sense of the word - about the national question in the concrete case of Kosovo. Our way to engage in polemic is not to accuse one, or other one, of being a KGB agent, Trostkyite or anything else. Of course, it is more easy to adopt an 'Ayatollah' position, to excommunicate. In fact you have an advantage over us, having known something of each other for a certain period of time. For example, what is "Contracorriente" ? - an organisation ? - with what political background?

You must understand that an "expulsion" from the MLL will not have the effect of reducing us to silence: the question is not to fight against 'Jim', 'Bob', 'William', 'Steve' and so on, but against specific viewpoints. This fight, for us, is not to be conducted without discussion and controversy. It is for you to consider if you can afford this kind of polemic or not.

Patrick Kessel (CEMOPI - Bulletin International)

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