1.The aggression against Libya launched by the USA, France, Great Britain and NATO is not any “humanitarian” action, it is a war of aggression against a sovereign country that the PCP condemns firmly.
Taking advantage of an internal situation of conflict, the aggression against the Libyan people will only worsen this conflict and create even greater instability in the whole Maghrebi and Middle Eastern region. It is the huge natural resources of Libya - namely oil and natural gas – and the geostrategic importance of the country that drives those who launch and support yet another imperialist aggression, and not any principles of defence of democracy, freedom and self-determination of the Libyan people.
2.The passing of Resolution 1973 by the UN Security Council is yet another proof of the instrumentalization of this body by the big imperialist powers, wholly contrary to peace and the interests of the peoples, including the Libyan people, and contrary to what should be UN’s action: to promote and support diplomatic initiatives aiming at a peaceful resolution of the internal conflict in Libya.
3.The imperialist aggression against Libya was prepared and supported by a hypocritical media campaign of misinformation about “freedom”, about “human rights” and “defence of civilian population”, very similar to the aggressions against Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This represents a great hypocrisy. The indiscriminate bombing of Libyan territory and the great number of civilian dead in just two days of war prove the falsehood of the aggressor powers’ words, namely the mystifying concept of a “zone of aerial exclusion”. A hypocrisy also clear in the leaden silence on the recent and very serious events of unequivocal violation of international law and the rights of the people as is the case of the continuing crimes, provocations and illegalities by Israel against the Palestinian and Lebanese people; the entry into Bahrain of Saudi and United Arab Emirates’ military forces to violently repress the popular and peaceful demonstrations in that country; the recent massacre of demonstrators in Yemen or even the continuous bombings of civilians by NATO forces in Afghanistan.
4.The support given by the Portuguese government to this war violates the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and is a further example of meekly following the USA and European Union’s position expressed by its bodies, namely the European Parliament, where PCP´s MPs were the only Portuguese MPs voting against Libya’s aggression.
5.Only a cease fire, the end of the bombings and the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces and military means from Libya’s territory, air space and territorial waters can open the way to the necessary national dialogue, respecting the lawful rights of the Libyan people, including their rights to self-determination, peace, independence and the territorial integrity of their country.
6.The PCP appeals to a unity of the democratic and progressive forces of peace, to rally together in rejecting the military intervention in Libya and in solidarity with the peoples who in the Middle East carry on the struggle for their social and labour rights, for democracy, for freedom, peace and sovereignty.
7.In answer to the call made by the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) to gather against the aggression of Libya, in front of the USA embassy, on Wednesday 23rd. March, the PCP calls for the participation of the workers and of the Portuguese people in this action by the peace movement against yet another imperialism’s and NATO its military arm’s, crime.
