"Former Military Officers Speak"

On May 9, the anniversary of the anti-fascist victory of the 
people in Europe 59 years ago, the "Former Military Officers 
Speak" initiative was launched with the publication of an appeal 
against NATO and in defence of peace. This initiative took place 
in the framework of the "Peace Olympics" campaign launched by the 
Greek peace movement (EEDYE) and supported by the World Peace 
Council. The appeal (see below) has already been endorsed by more 
than 320 retired officers, many of them high ranking, from 
different countries including Greece, the Russian Federation, 
Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal, Turkey 
and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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APPEAL: "FORMER MILITARY OFFICERS SPEAK"

We have served in our countries' armed forces, in which we 
underwent training and prepared for warfare for decades. We 
therefore know well what force can be — and is — used to impose 
the will of the stronger over others. Many of us have seen from 
within the role played by offensive coalitions such as NATO. We 
clearly see the distortions caused in the armed forces by the new 
doctrines and by the deployment of troops outside of their own 
countries into war zones as imposed by the regulators of the new 
world order. After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact we had 
hoped that NATO would also dissolve and that the huge allocations 
for armaments would be channelled into healthcare, welfare, 
education and to meet other needs of our peoples.

Out of love for our homelands, for civilisation and the history 
of countries, and out of deep belief in the ideals of freedom and 
justice, aware that without independence and peace the peoples 
cannot make progress,

We Profess Our Concern And Disagreement

* With the wars being unleashed by the leaderships of the USA and 
its allies on peoples and states that refuse subservience and the 
exploitation of their countries' wealth and their own labour by 
foreigners.

* With our governments' support for the aggressors, the provision 
of facilities, the participation in operations against third 
parties to confront supposed threats that exist, are invented or 
are provoked by the attackers.

* With the successive arms build-ups which are supposedly 
necessary in order to keep stocks up to date, whereas they 
actually serve the needs of the arms manufacturers, traders and 
middlemen and are for the implementation of the new doctrines and 
missions of the USA and NATO within the framework of their plans 
for global domination.

* With the way our peoples' human rights and liberties being 
violated and crushed through legislation and action imposed on 
them. We note that the human rights of peoples are being crushed 
in those countries where their leaders are terrorising the entire 
world by means of the operations and wars they unleash.

* With the centrally controlled reorganising of the armed forces 
of NATO member-countries, which is not being undertaken in order 
to improve their own defence but rather so that the NATO 
administration, that is the US power team, can manage and exploit 
these forces. It is not accidental that the same thing is 
gradually happening with the armed forces of the countries in the 
so-called "partnership for peace" (PFP), which are being brought 
into NATO in stages.

* With the way the new NATO doctrine is being identified with 
that of the European Union and those organisations' member 
states. It is this doctrine, which aims for and implements the 
objectives of the new world order through the use of our 
countries' armed forces.

* With the way the nightmare of nuclear weaponry is being brought 
back, with the militarisation of space and with the 
monopolisation of terror by the superpower with its imperialist 
world ruling practices.

* With the hypocritical "Olympic truce" with its limited 
duration, the goal of which is not a LASTING PEACE, which every 
simple person desires, and struggles for, but rather for the 
trade fair called the Olympic Games to be carried out in Greece.

To Confront All The Aforesaid We Appeal

* To the United Nations
* The peace-loving people
* To our colleagues now serving and to former military personnel 
in all countries and mainly
* To those being used by the new world order to impose its will 
through use of force.

Athens, May 9, 2004 For further information, new endorsements,
signatures etc you may contact EEDYE (eedye@otenet.gr)
and the "Movement for the National Defense" (a.kakkaras@stt.aegean.gr).

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Information from International Section of Communist Party of Greece