Ten years since Israel's criminal aggression on the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, designated by the aggressor as 'Operation Cast Lead', the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) reiterates is solidarity with the Palestinian people and their courageous struggle for a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, along the pre-1967 borders, with capital in West Jerusalem, and for respect of the right of return of Palestinian refugees, as inscribed in numerous United Nations resolutions.

The Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation commemorated September 21 the International Day of Peace, promoting several initiatives in several cities throughout the country, and by making public the text below.

September 21 – International Day of Peace
Let us broaden our action for peace, for disarmament, for solidarity

August 1948: cornerstone of the world Peace movement

Exactly 70 years ago, between August 25 and 28 1948, the Polish city of Wroclaw hosted the World Congress of Intellectuals in Defence of Peace, an important expression of the world movement that, two years later, would join around the World Peace Council.

Regardless of a later assessment, the conclusions of the NATO summit held in Brussels on July 11 and 12 confirm what the CPPC and the more than 40 organisations that joined the campaign “Yes to Peace! No to NATO! “said soon after its objectives were known, namely that this summit was aimed at “strengthening the warmongering intervention capacity” of this aggressive political-military bloc. This is, in fact, the serious and dangerous path to which the Portuguese Government has unacceptably associated Portugal.

July 5, in a meeting with Mr. José Matos Correia, Vice-President of the Portuguese Parliament, the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) handed more than 13,000 signatures collected for a petition demanding that the Portuguese authorities sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Considering the number of signatures, the petition will be debated in a plenary session of the Assembly of the Republic.

The Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) condemns the inhumane measures of complete insensitivity and flagrant disregard for the most basic human rights by the United States and by the European Union and some of its countries.

The Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation condemns the terrorist attack against the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and against other Venezuelan leaders, that took place last Saturday, August 4, in Caracas.

This attack rises to a new and dangerous level the manoeuvres and campaigns by the reactionary right wing and by imperialism, that aim at destabilizing Venezuela and at overthrowing its legitimate government, lead by Nicolás Maduro.

On the 73rd. anniversary of the US nuclear bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) reaffirms the need and urgency to put an end to this type of weapons of widespread destruction. General, simultaneous and controlled disarmament has for more than seven decades been the central aim of action of all those who, in Portugal and around the world, defend international peace and security.

Following the actions decided in the meeting of WPC European member organizations, held in London on 26 May, and the consultation to WPC European member organizations we now divulge the text "ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS - HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI NEVER AGAIN", to mark the approaching 73rd anniversary of the US bombings against Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS
HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI NEVER AGAIN!

Once again this year, dozens of Portuguese organizations have gathered around CPPC’s call to keep alive and to renew the “Yes to Peace! No to NATO!” campaign – born at the time of the important mobilizations in Portugal against the NATO Summit in Lisbon, in 2010.

The campaign actions have involved a multitude of people that distributed thousands of leaflets and other documents all around the country, spreading among the people the need to struggle for peace and disarmament, against militarism and war, consequently the need to fight against NATO and for its dissolution.