FINAL DECLARATION - Sixth International Seminar for Peace and for the abolition of foreign military bases

Thursday, May 16, 2019

“For a world of peace without bases, facilities and foreign military enclaves”
FINAL DECLARATION
Sixth International Seminar for Peace and for the abolition of foreign military bases "A world of peace is possible"
Guantanamo, May 4, 5 and 6, 2019

The Sixth International Seminar of Peace and for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases was held in Guantanamo, Cuba, on May 4 to 6, 2019 with the presence of 90 foreign participants from 35 countries, among whom were present leaders of the World Peace Council (WPC) and its member organizations, as well as personalities, fighters for peace, anti-war and solidarity friends of Cuba from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Dominica, Egypt, United States, Spain, Philippines, France, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Iran, Italy, England, Comores Islands, Jamaica, Japan, Nicaragua, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Dominican Republic, Russia, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela and Zambia.
The Seminar, which was organized by the Cuban Movement for Peace and the Sovereignty of Peoples (MOVPAZ) under the auspices of the World Peace Council (CMP), also had the decisive contribution of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and the Organization of Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America (OSPAAAL), the co-sponsorhip of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity of the Peoples.
The event took place in the context of a growing complex international situation characterized by the increase of all types of aggressiveness and interference of US imperialism, of the European Union and NATO in their efforts to impose their hegemonic dictates at the expense of freedom, independence and sovereignty of the peoples of the world.
In the execution of such disastrous objectives, the expansion, strengthening and modernization of foreign military bases and aggressive installations of a similar nature, constitute a fundamental component, as they are instruments of direct and indirect intervention in the internal affairs of the countries where they are located, as well as, of permanent threat against neighboring countries.
The United States continues being the country with the largest number of bases in the world and, together with its NATO allies, has the largest nuclear arsenal and the biggest contingent of military forces in the history of mankind.
Imperialism continues to unleash wars and warlike conflicts of different intensity in various parts of the world, while increasing contradictions, tensions, the genocidal blockade and "diplomacy of sanctions" against the nations that they consider adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and, in Latin America, against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.
It promotes scenarios of political and social destabilization in the Middle East with its unlimited support to Israel against the cause of the Palestinian people as well as in Africa, where they continue to generate waves of disproportionate and disorganized migration to European countries, with a large number of dead and missing persons.
The Administration of President Trump, in consonance with the previous US governments, worsen the more conservatives positions of confrontation in their foreign policy that characterizes his existing presidency, which increases the possibility of major new conflicts at a global scale.
The revitalization of the Monroe Doctrine as the essence of US policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean has as its main purpose the reformulation of its mechanism of domination focusing in the progressive, popular and democratic governments of Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua; and with it to strongly hit the solidarity and sovereignty integration processes that started 20 years ago and are being threated today.
In this regard, the US imperialism and its national oligarchic allies and traitors, develop a fourth generation war that roughly combines war and economic blackmail with strong media campaigns aiming at demoralizing the leaders and progressive political forces through the use of fake news.
This reality, which is emerging today in different countries of the region, represents a serious threat to peace and to political and social stability at a regional scale, which is why the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, approved by the II Summit of Latin American and the Caribbean Community of States, CELAC, held in Havana in January 2014, is now more valid in such circumstances.
Considering all of the above, this Sixth International Seminar calls on all peace loving and progressive forces to multiply actions and initiatives against imperialism, its wars and interventionist policies that continue putting in serious danger the future and destiny of all humanity.
From this perspective, and in consonance with the agreements of the Regional Meeting of the Americas and the Caribbean of the World Peace Council, the participants in the seminar reaffirmed their form resolute support for the Global Campaign against foreign military bases and pledged to multiply the actions in support to February 23, date in which United States imposed its first base on Cuba and declared as "Global Day of actions against foreign military bases"
Likewise, the peace fighters gathered in Guantanamo,
COMMIT THEMSELVES TO:
 Reinforce the denunciation against the aggression and economic, political and military interference of US imperialism, the European Union and NATO.
 Continue to alert the peoples of the world about the dangers of a global nuclear conflagration of incalculable consequences for humanity, calling on them to mobilize permanently.
 Strengthen the demand for the closure of bases, facilities and foreign military enclaves and the immediate withdrawal of foreign occupation troops from the countries where they are deployed.
 Continue to demand that the United States return to Cuba and its people the territory illegally occupied by the Guantánamo Naval Base and demand the lifting of the genocidal and criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade and categorically reject the application of Title III of the Helms Burton Act intended to suffocate the brave Cuban people.
 To demand the closure of US military bases in the free and independent Syrian territory.
 Extend even more, the spreading of the content of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, according to its existing regional political context.
 Strengthen the fight against terrorism in any of its forms and continue denouncing the link of that scourge with imperialism.
 Reinforce the denunciations of the actions against the environment and the health of the populations where the foreign military bases are located.
 Continue expressing the widest solidarity with the countries and peoples under occupation and colonial rule in the Caribbean and in South America, Africa and the Middle East, where there is a foreign military presence as in Puerto Rico, Malvinas Islands, Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and Palestine.
 Maintain and expand the denunciation of the interventionist actions of US and European Union imperialism and the counterrevolutionary oligarchy in Venezuela aimed at stopping and destroying the Bolivarian process. This represents a clear threat to peace in the region. To condemn any attempt of military aggression against Venezuela getting together in a campaign to denounce the criminal blockade.
 Also, denounce the imperial actions against Nicaragua and reinforce solidarity with its people and government.
 Support the Lula Free international campaign and develop national and international actions to denounce the great injustice committed with his imprisonment, and highlight the goals achieved of Brazil during Lula´s presidency.
The participants in the Sixth International Seminar of Peace and for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases, agreed to transmit their fraternal greeting and recognition to the people of Guantanamo and its authorities for the warm welcome and support provided for the successful completion of the event.
Likewise, they also extended their solidarity to all the Cuban people who continue their great effort to achieve a more just, prosperous, democratic and sustainable socialist society and paid homage to the memory of the undisputed leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
Guantánamo, Cuba, May 6, 2019.