CYPRUS: A Crucial Stage for Cypriot Workers

[p064] CYPRUS GRUGIAL STAGE FOR CYPRIOT WORKERS Statement of the Inter- national Committee of the Fourth International. Hands off the democratic rights and the right for self determination of the Cypriot people! World imperialism, and_par- ticularly American imperialism, with the Greek dictatorship as its executive instrument, is stamping on the right of the Cypriot people to self determi- nation and is turning Cyprus into a NATO base policed by Greek and Turkish troops. The imperialists intend to transform this Mediterranean island into a military base against the USSR, the Balkan countries and the Arab peoples. This is why the colonels’ junta in Athens has sent to Cyprus General Grivas, an old Nazi collaborator and hangman of the Greek working people. He is gathering all the island’s reactionary forces for the mili- tary overthrow of President Makarios’ government. By abolishing the working masses’ democratic rights and by extending the Papadopoulos dictatorship into Cyprus, the im- perialists intend to impose appli- cation of the old ‘Acheson plan’ whose aim is the dismemberment of the island between the Greek and Turkish bourgeoisie, and the transformation of the island into a logistic base for US Sixth Fleet. The International Committee is the only organization that has, from the beginning, revealed the plans for a coup d'etat by the Athens dictators: the only or- ganization. that had denounced —contrary to the Stalinists— Makarios’ long and_ disastrous collaboration with the Greek junta, which resulted in control of the Cypriot National Guard by Greek officers. The International Committee is the only organization that has fought and is fighting for a socialist solution to the Cypriot 208 problem, i.e. for a workers’ and peasants’ government in Cyprus. This is the only government capable of solving the problem of national minorities and of uniting Greek and Turkish working people against the Cypriot bourgeoisie and im- perialism, and for the defence of democratic rights and for self determination. The Cypriot people’s struggle has now’ reached the most crucial turning point in its his- tory as the attack of the Athens military junta reaches its climax. Archbishop Makarios, defend- ing the interests of the Cypriot clergy and the Cypriot bour- geoisie, opposes the junta and defends in his own way the in- dependence of the island. But the only force that can prevent the prevalance of the military junta is the workers and peasants. Makarios, however, cannot summon the masses to a struggle. He fears the masses more than the junta. The IC warns the Cypriot working people to place no con- fidence whatsoever in Makarios. He is ready to become the Papandreou of Cyprus and to compromise with the junta. Makarios has imported arms from Czechoslovakia in order to defend himself. But because he gave in to the ultimatum from Athens, he did not give arms to the people, but to the UN forces, imperialism's Trojan horse. He has taken no measures’. what- soever for disbanding Grivas’s armed gangs. Now Makarios is ready to re- sign, giving in to the junta’s demand stated only through the three Cypriot bishops. Leading the struggle of the working masses in defence of their rights is the obligation of the Cypriot Communist Party (AKEL). But its Stalinist leaders stand behind Makarios and tfe- fuse to take the initiative and organize independently cf tne bourgeoisie. The AKEL falsely reassures the people till the last moment that Makarios will fight on the ramparts and that he is going to defeat the imperialist conspiracy. This Stalinist policy, which does not take into account either the bourgeois nature of the Makarios government or the recent Greek experience, bears the most deadly threat for the Cypriot working masses. It is disarming them politically be- fore the enemy. It is paving the way for dictatorship and dis- memberment. Under these conditions, the perspective of a _ victorious defence against the Athens junta and its imperialist patrons, can only be realized in the struggle for the building of an_alter- native revolutionary leadership in the working class — in the struggle for the building of the Cypriot section of the IC of the Fourth International. This can be done only through a struggle against the rotten AKEL leadership, whose central slogan must be a call to its mem- bers to demand that their leader- ship break from Makarios and that they defend the democratic rights of the masses. Hands off the democratic rights of the Cypriot people and their right for self determination! Down with the Athens mili- tary junta. Disband the armed gangs in Cyprus. No. confiderice whatsoever in Makarios and the other leaders of the bourgeoisie. Arms to the people not te the United Nations! Forward to a socialist govern- ment in Cyprus! Unity of Greek and Turkish workers against imperialism and the Athens-Ankara conspiracy! Clear out the British bases! Revoke the 1960 Geneva Agree- ment! Fourth International Summer 1972