Reflections on the DPRK issue from the Communist and Workers' Parties of the World

Statements and reflections regarding the tension between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the capitalist powers of the World. WPK, KKE, CPA, CPI-M, TKP, KPRF, JCP, TPI (to be updated)

ICP, 20 September 2017

 

WORKERS' PARTY OF KOREA (WPK):

On 11 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Monday released the following statement:

DPRK FM Warns U.S. Frantic to Fabricate Harshest Ever "Sanctions Resolution"

The sanctions and pressure racket of the U.S. to completely obliterate the DPRK's sovereignty and right to existence is reaching an extremely reckless phase.

The U.S. is going frantic to fabricate the harshest ever "sanctions resolution" by manipulating the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over the DPRK's ICBM-ready H-bomb test.

The DPRK has developed and perfected the super-powerful thermo-nuclear weapon as a means to deter the ever-increasing hostile moves and nuclear threat of the U.S. and defuse the danger of nuclear war looming over the Korean peninsula and the region.

However, instead of making a right choice based on rational analysis of the overall situation, the U.S. is trying to use the DPRK's legitimate self-defensive measures as an excuse to strangle and completely suffocate it.

Since the U.S. is revealing its nature as a blood-thirsty beast obsessed with the wild dream of reversing the DPRK's development of the state nuclear force which has already reached the completion phase, there is no way that the DPRK is going to wait and let the U.S. feast on it.

The DPRK is closely following the moves of the U.S. with vigilance.

In case the U.S. eventually does rig up the illegal and unlawful "resolution" on harsher sanctions, the DPRK shall make absolutely sure that the U.S. pays due price.

The DPRK is ready and willing to use any form of ultimate means.

The forthcoming measures to be taken by the DPRK will cause the U.S. the greatest pain and suffering it had ever gone through in its entire history.

The world will witness how the DPRK tames the U.S. gangsters by taking series of action tougher than they have ever envisaged.

The U.S. should be fully aware that as long as it persists with intense political, economic and military confrontation with the DPRK in defiance of its repeated stern warning, the former will never be able to avoid its permanent extinction.

 

OTHER REFLECTIONS FROM WCP's OF THE WORLD

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE (KKE):

The Press Office of the CC of the KKE on September 12th, declared a statement about the dangerous developments in the Korean Peninsular.

In the statement, the KKE expresses its intense concern about the escalation of the economic and military competition and inter-imperialist competitions in the entire Asia and Pasific region between powerful capitalist states and business interests, at an international and regional level. According to the Party, these antagonisms between the USA, Japan, China, Russia etc. are particularly related to the new division of the markets, the exploitation of the energy resources, which are to be found in regions such as the Korean Peninsular, the South and East China Sea, the Arctic and elsewhere.

In the statement, amongst the capitalist states with a nuclear arsenal, the dominant position of the USA which maintains powerful military forces and military hardware in their bases in South Korea and constantly conducting major military exercises, was particularly underlined. The KKE declared that it finds the entreaties of the USA about the nuclear programme of North Korea enormously hypocritical the moment when the USA and other capitalist states like Britain, France, Pakistan, India etc possesses nuclear weapons. The KKE also reminds that recently the USA, Britain and France absented themselves from negotiations for the treaty of signing of a treaty to ban nuclear weapons.

The KKE also, stated the enormous responsibility that the Greek government is undertaking which continues to its contribution to the enormous NATO budget and integrates its armed forces even more deeply into the imperialist plans.

Finally, it calls for the intesification of intenationalist solidarity and the strengthening of the struggle against the imperialist interventions and wars, against nuclear weapons.

You may find the whole statement below:

The KKE expresses its intense concern about the dangerous situation in the Korean Peninsular. The developments reflect the escalation of the economic and military competition and inter-imperialist contradictions in the entire Asia and Pasific region between powerful capitalist states and business interests, at an international and regional level. It is not the result of choices of the allegedly ‘crazy’ leaders of the USA and North Korea, as is being deliberately cultivated by the mass media in order to conceal the real causes of the controntation.

These antagonisms between the USA, Japan, China, Russia, etc are related in particular to the new division of the markets, the exploitation of the energy resources, which are to be found in regions such as the Korean Peninsular, the South and East China Sea, the Arctic and elsewhere. All this results in the constant intensification of the dangerous arms race and even the possibility of a military conflict. The USA is also paving the way for the increase of the sales of modern armaments to Japan and South Korea, while maintaing powerful military forces (28.000 troops) and military hardware in their bases in South Korea. It is constantly conducting major military exercises with provocative scenarios for the invasion of North Korea.

It is no accident that from the very first moment, the new US administration of Trump, together with the goal of renegotiating large scale economic agreements, like the Trans-Pasific Partnership Agreement (TPP), turned its attention to this specific region, which is in the underbelly of China and Russia and is considered by China to be a region vital to its interests, as well as other regions of Asia that are on the ‘Silk Route’. All the above, together with USA’s large trade deficits in relation to China, influence the formation of an aggressive political line in order to defend the US monopolies.

The USA is in the dominant position amongst the capitalist states with a nuclear arsenal, which it has already used, while it is characteristic that very recently the USA, Britain and France absented themselves from negotiations for the signing of a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, with the excuse that this is not compatible with the realities of the international security environment. At the same time, NATO is talking openly at its summits about the possibility of using nuclear weapons. Consequently, the USA’s entreaties about the nuclear programme of North Korea are enormously hypocritical and serve as an alibi, the moment when the USA and other capitalist states, like Britain, France, Pakistan, India etc possess nuclear weapons.

The USA invokes the nuclear threat from both Korea and Iran in order to install its so-called ‘anti-missile shield’ both in the Pasific and in the Europe, while in collaboration with the EU it follows the path of overthrowing or supporting governments in line with its own ineterests and imposes sanctions that target the peoples. In addition, it is once again reinforcing its military presence in Afghanistan, with its attention turned towards China and also Russia. The same is also true regardind the concentration of NATO troops in the Baltic.

On its part, Russia is taking a position against these plans, which objectively serve the aim of impeding a possible response by Russia, in the instance when the USA and NATO alliance attempt a ‘first nuclear strike’.

The USA is utilizing the stance of North Korea to develop its own nuclear programme, to promote its geostrategic interests in the region and more generally. However, the brutal crime the USA committed 72 years ago, with the nuclear destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the long-term consequences of  this crime, demonstrate that the solution is not to be found in the development of nuclear weapons. It is no accident the first workers’ state in the world, the USSR, had abandoned the first nuclear strike and played a leading role for a world without nuclear weapons.

The exacerbation of the situation in the Korean Peninsular will not change or reduce in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. This is not only because the consequence of a possible military clash, with the use of nuclear weapons indeed, will be global, but because in the final analysis we are talking about fragile inter-imperialist ‘balances’ and a geopolitical ‘domino set’ that is unfolding on an international level, from the Baltic, Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean to Africa, Asia and the Pasific.

This is not the first time the USA has focused on this region. It played the leading role in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, which led to over half million dead and to the dismemberment of the country. In any case, it should not be forgotten that Greece sent troops to participate in the imperialist military intervention in Korea, with over 180 Greeks being killed and 600 wounded. This was the choice if the Greek bourgeois class and its representatives.

The Greek government, with the support of the official opposition and the other bougeois parties, is undertaking enormous responsibilities, as it participates in and agrees with the decisions and dangerous plans of NATO, serving the interests of the local bourgeois class, as all the bourgeois governments have done up until today. It has just recently agreed to expand the base at Souda and other military bases and infrastructure for the operations of the USA, NATO and the the EU. It continues Greece’s contribution to the enormous NATO budget and integrates the armed forces even more deeply into the imperialist plans, intensifying the competition with Turkey.

Various mass media, as well as politicians, utilize the situation around the nuclear issue related to North Korea, not only slandering the struggle of the peoples for a world without exploitation of man by man as a whole, but also in order to prepare the ground so that our people accept a military intervention by the USA and NATO in the North Korea, under the pretexts of ‘restoring democracy’ and ‘dealing with weapons of mass destruction’, which were also utilized in other imperialist interventions, such as in Iraq. The KKE supports the position that it is exclusively a matter for the people of each country to decide on the economic, social and political regime they will have, and also whether they will change it, through their own organization and struggle.

The develpoments impose vigilance, the intensification of internationalist solidarity and the strengthening of the struggle against the imperialist interventions and wars, against nuclear weapons. This struggle is integrally linked for bread and wages, agaings capital and its governments, whatever shade of bourgeois government they may be. It is linked to the struggle against the imperialist unions, like NATO, the EU, as well as against others in Asia and elsewhere, against the capitalist system of exploitation and the power of capital, which as history has shown, does not hesitate to commit all kinds of crimes against the peoples in order to overcome the sharpening contradictions and major problems, in order to achieve its goals and to safegueard its dominance’.  

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF AUSTRALIA (CPA):

Article by Mike Whitney on Guardian of CPA, 13 September 2017:

What the media isn’t telling you

Here’s what the media isn’t telling you about North Korea’s recent missile tests.

Last week the DPRK fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan’s Hokkaido Island. The missile landed in the waters beyond the island harming neither people nor property.

The media immediately condemned the test as a “bold and provocative act” that showed the North’s defiance of UN resolutions and “contempt for its neighbours.” President Trump sharply criticised the missile test saying:

“Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table.”

What the media failed to mention was that, for the last three weeks, Japan, South Korea and the US have been engaged in large-scale, joint military drills on Hokkaido Island and in South Korea. These needlessly provocative war games are designed to simulate an invasion of North Korea and a “decapitation” operation to remove (ie: Kill) the regime. North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un has asked the US repeatedly to end these military exercises, but the US has stubbornly refused. The US reserves the right to threaten anyone, anytime and anywhere even right on their doorstep. It’s part of what makes the US exceptional. Check out this excerpt from an article at Fox News:

“More than 3,500 American and Japanese troops kicked off a weeks-long joint military exercise Thursday against the backdrop of an increasingly belligerent North Korean regime. The exercise, known as Northern Viper 17, will take place on Hokkaido – Japan’s northern-most main island – and will last until August 28 ...”

“We are improving our readiness not only in the air, but as a logistical support team,” Colonel R Scott Jobe, the 35th Fighter Wing Commander, said in a statement. “We are in a prime location for contingency purposes and this exercise will only build upon our readiness in the case a real-world scenario occurs.” (“US, Japanese troops begin joint military exercise amid North Korea threat”, Fox News 10/08/2017)

The missile test (which flew over Hokkaido Island) was conducted just hours after the war games ended. The message was clear: The North is not going to be publicly humiliated and slapped around without responding. Rather than show weakness, the North demonstrated that it was prepared to defend itself against foreign aggression. In other words, the test was NOT a “bold and provocative act” (as the media stated) but a modest and well thought out response by a country that has experienced 64 years of relentless hectoring, sanctions, demonisation and sabre rattling by Washington. The North responded because the Washington’s incitements required a response. End of story.

And the same is true of the three short-range ballistic missiles the North tested last week. (Two of which apparently fizzled out shortly after launching.) These tests were a response to the three week-long joint-military drills in South Korea which involved 75,000 combat troops accompanied by hundreds of tanks, armoured vehicles, landing craft, heavy artillery, a full naval flotilla and flyovers by squadrons of state-of-the-art fighters and strategic bombers. Was the North supposed to sit on its hands while this menacing display of brute military force took place right under its nose?

Of course not. Imagine if Russia engaged in a similar operation over the border in Mexico while the Russian fleet conducted “live fire” drills three miles outside of San Francisco Bay. What do you think Trump’s reaction would be?

He’d blow those boats out of the water faster than you could say “Jackie Robinson”, right?

So why the double standard when it comes to North Korea? Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

North Korea should be applauded for showing that it won’t be intimidated by the schoolyard bully. Kim knows that any confrontation with the US will end badly for the North, even so, he hasn’t caved in or allowed himself to be pushed around by the blustering, browbeating thugs in the White House. Booyah, Kim.

By the way, Trump’s response to the missile test was barely covered in the mainstream media, and for good reason. Here’s what happened two days later:

On the Wednesday, a US-led flight-group of F-35B fighters, F-15 fighters and B-1B bombers conducted military operations over a training range east of Seoul. The B-1B’s, which are low-altitude nuclear bombers, dropped their dummy-bombs on the site and then returned to their home base. The show of force was intended to send a message to Pyongyang that Washington is unhappy with the North’s ballistic missile testing project and is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the North if it fails to heed Washington’s diktats.

So, Washington is prepared to nuke the North if they don’t straighten up and do as they are told?

It sure looks that way, but who really knows? In any event, Kim has no choice but to stand firm. If he shows any sign of weakness, he knows he’s going to end up like Saddam and Gaddafi. And that, of course, is what’s driving the hyperbolic rhetoric; the North wants to avoid the Gaddafi scenario at all cost. (By the way, the reason Kim has threatened to fire missiles at the waters surrounding Guam is because Guam is the home of Anderson Airforce Base which is the point-of-origin for the B-1B nuclear-capable bombers that have been making threatening flyovers on the Korean Peninsula for some time now. The North feels like it has to respond to that existential threat.

Wouldn’t it help if the media mentioned that fact or does it better serve their agenda to make it look like Kim is barking mad by lashing out against the “totally innocent” United States, a country that only seeks to preserve the peace wherever it goes?

Give me a break!

It is so hard to find anything in the media that doesn’t reflect Washington’s bias and hostility. Surprisingly, there was a pretty decent article on CBS Newslast week written by a former Western intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia. It’s the only article I’ve found that accurately explains what’s really going on beyond the propaganda. Check it out:

“Prior to President Trump’s inauguration, North Korea made it clear it was prepared to give the new US administration time to review the policy and come up with something better than President Obama’s. The only wrinkle was that if the US went full-steam ahead with its annual joint exercises with South Korea (especially if that were accompanied by more talk of “decapitation” and more flights of strategic bombers over the Korean peninsula), the North would react strongly.

In short, the US did, and the North reacted.

Behind-the-scenes contacts went up and down, but couldn’t get traction. In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un paraded new missiles as a warning, to no effect. The regime launched the new systems, one after another. Still, Washington’s approach didn’t change.”

Okay, so now we know the truth: The North gave it their best shot and came up snake eyes, mainly because Washington doesn’t want to negotiate, they’d rather twist arms (Russia and China), tighten the embargo and threaten war. That’s Trump’s solution. Here’s more from the same piece:

“On July 4, after North Korea’s first successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, Kim sent a public signal that the North could put the nuclear and missile programs ‘on the table’ if the US changed its approach.”

“The US did not, so the North launched another ICBM, very deliberately deeming it a warning to the US that they were to be taken seriously. Still, more B-1 bombers flew over the Peninsula, and the UN Security Council passed new sanctions.” (CBS News)

So, the North was ready to do some serious horse-trading, but the US balked. Kim probably heard what a wheeler dealer Trump was and figured they could work something out. But it hasn’t happened. Trump has turned out to be a bigger bust than Obama, which is pretty bad. He not only refuses to negotiate but he also delivers bellicose threats almost every day. This isn’t what the North was expecting. They were expecting a “non-interventionist” leader who might be receptive to a trade-off.

The current situation has left Kim with no good options. He can either cave in and terminate his missile program altogether or increase the frequency of the tests and hope that they pave the way for negotiations. Kim chose the latter.

Did he make a bad choice?

Maybe.

Is it a rational choice?

Yes.

The North is betting that its nuclear weapons programs will be valuable bargaining chits in future negotiations with the United States. The North has no plan to nuke the west coast of the United States. That’s ridiculous! That doesn’t accomplish anything. What they want is to procure security guarantees from Washington, lift the embargo, normalise relations with the South, extricate the US from the political affairs of the peninsula, and (hopefully) end the irritating and endlessly provocative 64-year US occupation.

Yankee go home.

Bottom line: The North is ready to deal. They want negotiations. They want to end the war. They want to put this whole nightmare behind them and get on with their lives. But Washington won’t let them because Washington likes the status quo. Washington wants to be a permanent feature in South Korea so it can encircle Russia and China with lethal missile systems and expand its geopolitical grip bringing the world closer to nuclear Armageddon.

That’s what Washington wants, and that’s why the crisis on the peninsula will continue to boil.

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) CPI-M:

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

On Threat to North Korea

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the US threat to exterminate Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). President Donald Trump thundered, in his address to the UN General Assembly, that he would “totally destroy” North Korea. USA is the only country in the world that had used atomic weapons to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This designed destruction by the USA, killing and agonizing hundreds of thousands of people, was executed after Hitler’s fascist army surrendered ending World War II.  USA embarked on this destruction not to end World Ward-II but to start the ‘Cold War’ to establish its global hegemony. Post World War–II the USA, militarily intervened in Korea under its Slogan of “global war against Communism”. During the Korean War, the USA bombed various North Korean cities causing deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. USA ensured the division of the Korean Peninsula.

Donald Trump heaped invectives against Iran and Venezuela using phrases like “loser terrorist” and “murderous regime” etc.  He is, thus, defining USA’s new “axis of evil”

The USA, given its track record, has no right to issue such threats. This is an open threat to the sovereignty of independent countries. This cannot be accepted and must be rejected.

The solution to the issues posed by North Korea should be resolved by the group of six comprising – USA, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea by holding talks.

(Hari Singh Kang)

For Central Committee Office

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF TURKEY (TKP):

Commentary by Kemal Okuyan, GS of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on the statement of AKP government of Turkey regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea:

 I denounce the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the strongest manner...

Previously, they loved to call the German Democratic Republic as “East Germany”, now they like to call the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as “North Korea”. It may be long and complex but still let us not use cold war terminology.

It is the Republic of Korea on the South, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the North...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ours has recently protested against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In their own words, they “denounced in the strongest manner”:

“We consider the hydrogen bomb test of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 3 September 2017, as an irresponsible and provocative action, we denounce it in the strongest manner”.

I assume this is how claiming to be a “great power” works, you stick your nose into everything.

Anyway, this is not the first time Turkey sticks its nose into the Korean issue.

The Democratic Party (DP) government of 1950 had deployed our sons in the Korean war and sacrificed them for the imperialist aggressiveness in the tail of the USA.

Korean War lasted three years. It started with a lie. Just like the allegation of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, just like the allegation of Assad government using chemical weapons...

USA occupied Korea which had gained independence after the II WW and tried to get Korea as a whole by bringing alone the allies with itself with the lie telling North attacking South. It did not work, Korean patriots, backed by the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, challenged USA in military terms. As for the Turkish troops, they were sacrificed for the safe withdrawal of the US army.

Millions of people died in three years, and Korea split into two states. Turkey was recruited as a member of the NATO after the disgraceful deployment of the soldiers, and had been rewarded by another disaster.

Today, one of those two states, the one who has been suffering from the USA aggression for years, has been developing nuclear weapons.

Turkey had enrolled NATO, the biggest criminal enterprise, with the excuse of securing itself; this was its defence perspective. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea does not have any international safe body to take refuge in.

It is apparent how USA attacks and occupies the countries it “curses”. This means, when DPRK states that they are being threatened, they talk on facts. There it is Iraq, there it is Afghanistan, there it is Granada, there it is Panama...

The nuclear weapon is villainous. But it is villainous for everyone. It should be dispelled, without exception.

AKP government denounces DPRK. Well, why they do not “denounce in the strongest manner” the countries which posses weapons of mass destruction that have the power to destroy the world tens of times?

Those misters did not have any strong manners when they let German and Dutch missiles in our country, crying for help from NATO to defend them right after the gangs they sponsored by cash and arms failed in Syria.

They enjoy glowering by saying “Hey America!”, they even made habit of it. But there should be a bit of embarrassment, one should say “ We have our share in the split of Korea, let's say nothing.”  

Embarrassment is the last thing we expect from those people.

Hey, Ministry of Foreign Affairs! You, in strongest manners, denounce a small country thousands of kilometers far away, which is occupied and cursed by fierce imperialist powers, however, we denounce you and ask: Isn't it provocative and irresponsible to keep 50 nuclear weapons which would do serious harm to US and the people of the region?

Let us remind you, each one of those B-61 tactical nuclear weapons has explosive powers tenfold of the atomic bomb of Hiroshima.

Nowadays there is tension between Turkey and the USA, half factual, half fictitious. Well, why aren't the nuclear weapons an issue of concern? What will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say when tomorrow the USA prefers to transfer the nuclear weapons declaring Turkey “not being safe anymore”? Will they ask them not to go, or tell them to leave the nuclear weapons and go, will they brush over in silence? Or will there be a denouncement in the strongest manner?

Keeping nuclear weapons on its land by not possessing any control over them is one of the worst tribulations any country could have. There are only five countries in the world with that specific idiocy, the other four have been forced to, we had volunteered by heart.

At least the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has the control of the weapons itself. Well we, we sit on the will-content of the transatlantic. To die in millions!

What is it?: They are "denouncing in the strongest manner.”

Bravo!

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (KPRF):

Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, assessed US President Donald Trump’s statement at the UN General Assembly on totally destroying North Korea.

"First, this (statement) is unacceptable for a leader of such a country as the United States; second, this is a challenge to the whole world as any conflict on the Korean Peninsula will inevitably draw in all neighbors - Russia, China, Japan and America.... And when he (Trump) says that he will level (North Korea) to the ground and solve everything at one blow, I’m sure no one will solve anything there. This is total nonsense. In military terms, the Americans’ statements are a clear provocation.

At the meeting with China's delegation, Zyuganov called to make every effort to pursue diplomatic policy to solve the North Korean crisis, stressing that there is no military solution here. He underlined his belief that Russia and China may become mediators in settling the North Korea crisis. 

"I fully support the efforts on searching for a peaceful solution taken by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping and many responsible politicians... They trust us in China and Korea. It is important for us to unite with China, sit down at the negotiating table, and become mediators in solving this very challenging and responsible issue. We need to do everything so that this fire does not heat up and our goal is to protect this huge Asia-Pacific Region as a whole." 
 
The leader of the KPRF also added that he would vote against sanctions on Pyongyang at the UN Security Council as "sanctions don’t solve anything."
 
 

JAPANESE COMMUNIST PARTY (JCP):

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on September 9 on an Internet news program pointed out that the imposition of nonconsensual inspections of North Korean ships, which the U.S. proposes as part of the new sanctions against North Korea, is tantamount to the use of force.
 
Koike stressed that in order to deal with the North Korea issue, the JCP proposes strictly implementing economic sanctions in place and seeking a solution through dialogue. He stated, “A tighter sanction is necessary, but it should be aimed at promoting dialogue not at punishing and threatening the country. The U.S.-proposed ship inspection program appears to go beyond the bounds of acceptable sanctions.
 
The JCP secretariat head said, “Even if the boarding inspection provision is excluded from the sanction package at UNSC meetings, the U.S. might carry out forcible inspections without help or consent from other countries. This would create a hair-trigger confrontational situation. In this context, the international community is now at an important junction in regard in deciding what course of action to take.
 
Koike criticized the Japanese government for being reluctant to promote talks although Japan has Article 9 and is the only A-bombed country in the world. He stressed that the Japanese government should call on the U.S. government to hold direct talks with North Korea.
 
 
TUDEH PARTY OF IRAN (TPI):

Statement of the Central Committee of the Tudeh Party of Iran on 19 September 2017:

Donald Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly poses a serious threat to global peace

The Tudeh Party of Iran believes that global peace hinges on the efforts of all peace-loving and progressive forces across the world to work for the resolution of all conflicts and disputes through negotiation and within the framework of the UN Charter.

The first speech of US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday September 19, 2017, exhibited to the world’s public the deeply reactionary, interventionist, and warmongering nature of the US administration, and the grave risks that thus threaten world peace.

Donald Trump’s speech on the first day of the UN General Assembly - after the opening address of António Guterres, the UN Secretary General - unprecedentedly consisted not only of a threat to “totally destroy” another member state, but also threats and hostile positions towards countries that support other ideological systems and, as such, exposed the inherent disbelief of Trump and his administration in the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, representing a clear threat against the sovereignty of countries across the globe. In his speech, Trump directly and bleakly attacked the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and threatened to “totally destroy” that nation and in fact targeted and threatened all countries in the world that do not accept the political, military, and economic dominance of the US. The threatening words of Trump against Cuba and Venezuela reflect the reactionary position and ideological aggression of the leaders of US Imperialism on the rights of nations, as well as the serious threat they pose to humanity.

Using unconventional, abusive and threatening language in his speech at the UN GA, the US President referred to Iran as a “rogue” state and called on the international community to confront the “destabilizing activities of the murderous regime” of Iran. Of course, Trump tried to portray himself as a friend and well-wisher of the Iranian people and stated that the “Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy.” He practically called upon other countries to join the crusade of regime change in Iran. What revealed the true nature of Trump’s remarks and the reality of his commitment to peace and fight against terrorism, was his support for the warmongering and oppressive regimes of Israel and Saudi Arabia and other reactionary Arab states that are among the main supporters of Daesh and terrorism in the region and who have been condemned several times by the UN for committing war crimes - these are the countries that are friends of the US. Trump’s remarks about the dangerous situation in the Middle East was a repeat of the same accusations that he had made during his visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting and talks with the reactionary leaders of the Arab nations gathered for a summit in Riyadh. It is important to note that the core people in the Trump administration, and his backers in the Republican Party of the United States, have been negotiating and exchanging ideas in recent months with Iranian pro-monarchist groups and other reactionary forces that support and call for a US military attack on Iran under the pretext of “regime change” there.

In his speech, Donald Trump also clearly voiced the opposition of his administration with the JCPOA, stating : “Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States”, and elsewhere in talking about the nuclear deal between Iran and 5+1 world powers - which he called a “bad deal” - he stressed that “We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return […] We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.”

In fact, the US administration knows well that withdrawing from the JCPOA when the EU, China, Russia, and the UN have also co-signed it, will not be simple for the Trump government. Therefore, the diplomatic efforts of the US administration and the trips of Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, to the European capitals in recent weeks for consultations and canvassing support for the US position, have been noteworthy. Considering the various remarks and comments in recent weeks about the possible approaches of the US towards Iran, and the US options in dealing with the ruling regime of Iran, it is not surprising to see a commotion among the adventurist and irresponsible circles in Iran. Remarks like “Any military attack on Iran by Israel would result in the main Israeli cities being razed to the ground” or suggestions that if the JCPOA is negated Iran could return to the pre-agreement enrichment levels within a few days, should be deemed as deeply irresponsible and adventurist views and positions.

Once again, the Tudeh Party of Iran stresses that it is strongly opposed to any foreign intervention in Iran’s domestic matters. Rejecting the anti-people theocratic regime of Iran and establishing the rule of the people and democracy, and realizing democratic rights and freedoms and social justice in Iran, is possible solely through the struggle of the Iranian people and the progressive and freedom-loving forces of the nation. The interventionist remarks of Donald Trump not only fail to help the struggle of the Iranian people for a popular regime, but also serve as a weapon in the hands of the ruling reaction and the dictatorial regime in Iran to suppress the struggle of the people and the progressive, freedom-loving, and reformist forces in Iran.

The Tudeh Party of Iran expresses its deepest concerns about the current political developments that could put our country in a threatened situation, endanger its stability and national sovereignty, and exacerbate the woeful economic situation and livelihood of the nation and the working people. We call upon all peace-loving forces of the world, the World Peace Council, and all sovereign states to clearly express their opposition to the disastrous approach of the US administration headed by Donald Trump with regards to Iran and other countries of the world. We believe that all disagreements and disputes between the countries and states around the world can be resolved peacefully and through mutual respect for national sovereignty and independence. We call upon all the patriotic and peace-loving forces in Iran to fight united, hand-in-hand against war and foreign intervention, and steadfastly oppose the plots of the adventurist and warmongering circles within the theocratic regime in Iran.