Statements about events in Syria from Communist parties in Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Chile.
In light of the alarming events unfolding in Syria, Communist parties in Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Chile have released statements in solidarity with the Syrian people and denouncing imperialist intervention and escalations in the country and region.
In an event held on Sunday 8 December in the city of Larissa, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, made the following statement on the developments in Syria:
“It is no longer an exaggeration to say that we live in a world on fire. The great events that the KKE has been warning about and preparing the people for for years —when everyone else was reassuring them— are now upon us. Every day a new development from some corner of the world reminds us of the fact that the rivalries of the powerful, of the capitalists, of their imperialist alliances, have now reached such a point that they can no longer be resolved, nor can they be settled temporarily, in the way they have been done up to now.
The great impasses of the system are expressed internationally in all their splendour in the political, economic and military fields, with the victims always being the peoples. And the big bet is the attitude the peoples will take. Whether they will rush to the forefront and put their stamp on developments, pushing them in the direction of radical, revolutionary changes, or whether they will remain at the mercy of their exploiters’ aspirations, with disastrous consequences (...).
In Syria, another hotbed of war has been ignited on the global chessboard of imperialist competition. We are witnessing yet another intervention that heralds new suffering for the Syrian people and the peoples of the region, new waves of refugees and possibly new border changes. On the one hand, the well-known ‘jihadists’ who have occupied Damascus with the direct military support of the US–NATO and Turkey, which is already occupying Syrian territory, and who, in this particular case, are called ‘rebels’ and ‘liberators’ by the Euro-Atlantic propaganda, and on the other hand, Israel, which is also launching its own attack. The Greek government, which is claimed to be vehemently opposed to revisionism, is now at a loss for words because all this is being carried out by its allies. The KKE expresses its solidarity with the people and the communists of Syria.”
International Commission of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands
Developments in Syria have led to the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. Jihadist groups are taking the helm in Damascus, something that would not have succeeded without the help of the U.S., Turkey, Israel, and other imperialist powers. What is now being presented as a “liberation” is the beginning of a new chapter in the destabilization and looting of Syria and a further escalation of the contradictions in the Middle East.
The Syrian civil war, ongoing for more than 13 years, has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. US imperialism plays an important role in it. For years, the U.S. has been trying to get Assad out of the way in an effort to bring Syrian resources and market under the control of their own monopolies and away from the sphere of influence of Russia and Iran.
The same goes for the Turkish government, with its expansionist agenda and fight against Kurdish groups. Money, resources and weapons were not shunned to support jihadist “opposition,” such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Turkish AKP politicians can hardly hide their joy now that their investments have finally paid off. We recall that in 2018 the Netherlands gave financial aid to the terrorist movement Jabhat al-Shamiya. They used that money to buy, among other things, pickups like the vehicles we saw the jihadists drive into Damascus today.
Israel, which has occupied Syrian territory in the Golan Heights for decades, is also the cynical winner of this outcome. While massacring the Palestinian people in the name of fighting “terrorism” and “jihadism,” the murderous Israeli regime is not averse to harmonious cooperation with jihadists in Syria to achieve its goals. Right now, the Israeli army is already carrying out attacks and is in the process of occupying more Syrian territory.
Dutch bourgeois politicians are also cheering the “liberation” of Syria by the “rebels,” as the jihadists are now called. In reality, this imperialist intervention results in the further destabilization and looting of Syria, and is far from a “liberation” of the Syrian people.
The NCPN expresses its solidarity with the people of Syria, who for more than a decade have been suffering from a terrible civil war resulting in many deaths, wounded and millions of refugees. In particular, we express our solidarity with the communists of Syria. The Syrian working class and other oppressed sections of the population are facing a difficult period, but only they can eventually free their country from imperialism and jihadism.
Solidarity with the people of Syria!
In light of the tragic events unfolding in Syria, a country that, for more than a decade, has been the scene of one of the most intense and heroic struggles against imperialism and the reactionary forces destabilizing the region, the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) publishes the following statement:
The seizure of Damascus by an Islamist terrorist group means the fall of Syria's government and the demise of a multiconfessional state with a secular government, a key ally in the anti-imperialist resistance in the Middle East. It represents a devastating blow to progressive and left-wing forces around the world.
This situation may not only imply the disappearance of a sovereign state, but also the collapse of a bulwark of resistance against the powers that seek to impose their domination over the region.
The new scenario that is taking shape in Syria is that of a failed state, a power vacuum that can be transformed into another laboratory of chaos, as happened in Libya.
The interference of powers such as Israel, the United States and Turkey in the conflict has been decisive, further destabilizing a region that was already suffering the consequences of decades of imperialist interventions.
The resistance of the Syrian people, who for more than 13 years fought against a coalition of external forces and internal groups aligned with interests alien to national sovereignty, has been heroic.
However, in recent weeks, this resistance has been hit hard, and the struggle for Syria's survival enters a new stage, where hopes for recovery seem more distant.
The cruel economic blockade imposed by the United States and the European Union has had devastating consequences for the economy and daily lives of Syrians. Added to this is the wear and tear caused by Israel's continuous bombardment and Turkey's permanent support for Salafist groups operating inside the country, exacerbating the suffering of the population and leading the country to a situation of extreme vulnerability.
It is essential that the territorial unity of Syria be preserved and that a de facto division of territories between Turkey, Israel, Kurdish communities and Sunni fundamentalism protected by the Gulf countries is avoided. If it is not maintained, we will be facing a new failed state that will increase the destabilization of an area with a high risk of causing a global military conflict.
The US authorisation of Ukraine to use US long-range missiles against Russia, the offensive against Syria by Islamist groups, allowed and sponsored by the United States, is a part of the warmongering escalation of the US Democratic Party seeking to raise the threat of global war in the last month of Biden's presidential term making a period of US military détente with Russia and China as difficult as possible.
Throughout history, the Syrian people have shown their strength and resilience, and we are sure that sooner rather than later this situation will be reversed. As has happened on other occasions, the struggles of the Syrian people are not only Syria's, but that of all the peoples of the world who struggle for justice, sovereignty and peace.
WE CONDEMN THE TERRORIST COUP AND STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA: Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile stands in solidarity with the sovereignty of the Syrian people and condemns the military eruption of the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which overthrew the government of President Bashar al-Assad in a coup d'état after occupying the capital Damascus.
We categorically condemn, denounce and warn against this dirty and reckless war led by the government of Israel, with the support of the United States and its NATO allies, to crush the 76 years of resistance against colonialism of the peoples of Palestine and the Middle East and to restore the weakened hegemony of US imperialism in the region and the world.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that this criminal action, which is in addition to the massacre perpetrated by his country in Gaza that has caused more than 50 thousand deaths, provided special opportunities for his country.
The Zionist regime of Israel, presented by the White House as a model of democracy for the countries of the region, through terrorist organizations trained by the CIA and the bombing and military occupation of various cities in Syria, is aiming for the fragmentation of this country, as it violates its sovereignty and right to self-determination and seeks to isolate Palestine and impose its domination over the Middle East.
We reassert our condemnation of this new massive crime, which is an escalation that endangers peace throughout the region and the world. Anyone who defends life and human dignity must condemn this.
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHILE
Santiago, December 8, 2024
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