Balkan Communist & Workers' Parties meet

The Third Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties of the Balkans took 
place in Belgrade on 20 November 1999.

Participating in this meeting were: The CP of Bulgaria, the CP of Bulgaria 
"Georgi Dimitrov", the Marxist Platform of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, 
the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia, the New Communist Party of 
Yugoslavia in Bosnia-Hercegovina, the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 
Montenegro, the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia in Macedonia, the New 
Communist Party of Yugoslavia in Slovenia, the New Communist Party of 
Yugoslavia in Croatia, the CP of Greece, the Union of Communists of 
Macedonia and the CP of Romania.

The Parties decided to take common action to thwart the imperialists' plans 
in the Balkans and in the broader region. The joint communique issued after 
the meeting condemned, once again, the imperialist intervention in 
Yugoslavia, and denounced the dirty imperialist war which is continuing by 
other means.

They also condemned actions by NATO and the EU for the further 
dismemberment of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, NATO occupation in the 
Balkans and terrorism in Kosovo.

They requested the lifting of sanctions against the FR of Yugoslavia and 
cessation of all efforts to interfere in its internal affairs.

The participants denounced the new NATO doctrine, and the signing of the 
Stability Agreement in south-eastern Europe, saying that these measures 
promote the formation of a regional imperialist machinery through which the 
EU, the US and NATO can intervene directly in all sectors of life in the 
Balkan countries, from the way in which they are governed and their 
economic policy to issues of national defence and security.

Adoption by the governments of states in the region of the concept that 
protecting so-called human rights does not belong "exclusively to the 
internal affairs of the interested states" legalises and institutionalises 
foreign intervention against every state, every people, and every 
government that tries to resist imperialist plans.

These schemes, the aggravation of the problems of the working people and 
the other popular strata, and the intensification of the class struggle 
which they will bring have made the struggle for socialism and common 
action by communists and other anti-imperialist forces even more necessary 
and timely.

The participants decided to step up their efforts:

* to get NATO out of the Balkans and to stop the imperialist interventions;

* to stop the continuing persecutions and discrimination against communists 
and the workers' movement in the region;

* to contribute to organising the people's struggle against the Stability 
Agreement, to establish equal relations of friendship and co-operation in 
all sectors between the countries of the Balkans, without foreign 
protectors and arbitrators;

* to reinforce common initiatives for the more rapid growth of the 
communist and workers' movement in the region.

And finally the participants called upon the peace, labour, youth and all 
the other mass movements of the region to step up their action against the 
imperialists' plans.