Statement of the regional meeting of the Middle East of WPC
Istanbul - October 14-15, 2014

The peace organizations of the World Peace Council from the Middle East held successfully their regional meeting on October 14-15, 2014 in Istanbul. The meeting was hosted by the Peace Association of Turkey, member of the WPC

The meeting expressed the warmest thanks and gratitude to our Turkish comrades for hosting, facilitating as well as for the help in the success of the meeting. The meeting welcomed also the Cyprus Peace Council and Greek Peace Committee for their participation in the meeting.

The member organizations of the ME of the WPC salute the peace loving people of Turkey led by the Peace Association of Turkey in their struggle for peace, against the imperialist forces, especially this period, for a future of peace in the region and world peace in general .

The meeting was held in a period of increasing aggressiveness of imperialism in all corners of the world, all fields and aspects of human life, especially in our region.

The organizations discussed the ongoing developments in the countries of the region after the so-called Arab spring , in Libya , Tunis , Egypt , Yemen , Bahrain , Sudan, Jordan and other countries, focusing on the role of fanatic religious terrorist groups and the imperialist intervention , expressing solidarity with the peoples of these countries and their right to decide freely and alone their fortunes.

The various imperialist forces and centres are competing fiercely for their shares in markets and control of energy and natural resources while they act together against peoples and nations who do not submit to their plans. Whether it is the USA, or NATO, or the European Union with various alliances, the attacks on peoples’ rights, on their sovereignty and independence, on the right to decide upon their future is present world wide.

The meeting expresses its serious concerns about the situation in the Middle East which constitutes a focus point for the imperialist forces, while today the main target is Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya and other countries of the region in the bloody plans to control the area.

The regional meeting discussed the ongoing reconfiguration of US policies in the region in the context of the “New Middle East Plan”, from Iraq to Afghanistan, from Egypt to Lebanon and Iran. In this context the role that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been playing in recent years to ensure and promote its regional position, was noted. We express our concern about the call of the US on the regime in Iran to play a “constructive” role in the success of the US planned “New Middle East”, in particular in relation to the future of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, to ensure US vital interests in return for safeguarding the survival of the regime.
We denounce the military operations by the so-called alliance against terror led by USA, and participated by NATO, the EU, and other countries of the region and abroad. The interference in the domestic affairs of our countries has reached new dangerous levels

The peace organizations of the region are aware of the imperialist plans in the Middle East, in particular of the US Plan for a “New Middle East”. What is happening now in Syria and Iraq is part of this plan where the real motivation is the geo-strategical control and the rich energy resources of this region.

The meeting condemns the continuous Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, especially the latest bloody war on Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestine, the open support of the USA and the EU to the Israeli policies and aggressions. The meeting reaffirmed the full support and solidarity with the Palestinian people for ending the occupation and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the borders of 1967 and with East Jerusalem as its Capital. Furthermore the meeting demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Syrian Golan heights and the Lebanese Sheba farms and the solution of Palestinian Refugees’ issue on the basis of UN Resolutions 194 and the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

We strongly condemn the ongoing intervention and aggression on Syria with the pretext of the war against ISIS which is like all other religious extremist organizations in the region an instrument in the hands of the imperialists. We condemn also the atrocities of these organisations against the peoples of the region and demand the immediate end of the intervention in Syria and Iraq , to stop the use of armed fundamentalist groups for the implementation of the imperialist plans. We support the peaceful and democratic solution of the problems of these countries without foreign interference in the internal affairs. We express our support and solidarity with the Kurdish people especially in the Syrian city of Kobane, against the barbaric attacks of ISIS and other armed groups, demanding from the international community and the General Secretary of the UN to intervene in order to stop the massacre and the foreign intervention.

The peace organizations denounce also the role of the countries of the region who facilitate and support the imperialist intervention on the one hand and the terrorist actions on the other hand, like it is the cases especially with Turkey and the Gulf Monarchies, along with other countries of the region.

The meeting reaffirms its full solidarity with the progressive and democratic forces in Iran in their struggle for democracy, social justice and development without foreign intervention. The ongoing negotiations between Iran and the west for the nuclear program and a possible agreement have to reflect the interests and rights of the Iranian people and of the peace in the region.

The meeting also expressed the solidarity with the Cyprus people in the struggle for the ending of the occupation and for the reunification of the Island as a common homeland for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal Federation with one single sovereignty and citizenship and one international entity, free from foreign armies and Military Bases.