We seek a Europe of peace and not of military interventions
Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson, Georgos Loucaides
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 22nd May 2014, Nicosia
The Foreign Minister is annoyed because AKEL is calling the deployment of a big European Union military force to the Central African Republic a “military intervention” and not a “military operation”.
Regardless of what it is called, neither the Foreign Minister, nor the EU can convince that it is not because of geopolitical and economic interests that this intervention/operation is underway. Their arguments about supposedly “restoring international peace” and “preventing genocide”, as in other previous cases as well about “restoring democracy” and tracking “weapons of mass destruction”, are not convincing. As AKEL, while we recognize the existence of a serious humanitarian problem in the Central African Republic, at the same time we disagree with the “therapy” that is being imposed, given that experience has shown that this brings the opposite of the envisioned results. Unfortunately, this form of “therapy” was used repeatedly to provide cover for the participation of the EU and of powerful states in war aggressive attacks and operations to destabilize states and elected governments. We here in Cyprus in particular must be even more careful regarding the extremely dubious in terms of legality doctrine of “humanitarian intervention”, which Turkey also invoked to invade our island.
If the EU and its leading states sincerely had such sensitivities about International Law and peace, we would have witnessed a corresponding determination in other cases as well, also with regards the Turkish occupation in Cyprus. The truth however is completely different and inescapable. It is the mineral wealth of long-suffering Africa that is causing the conflicts and bloodshed and it is this wealth that is attracting the interest of the European economic and political ruling elite.
Perhaps the EU, before sending troops hundreds of kilometres outside its borders, should think about working towards preventing the suffering of the people of Europe itself from poverty, unemployment and misery. What specific benefits did the peoples of Europe gain from the five military interventions carried out by the EU and the other five which are still being waged today, in the Balkans and in Africa? What interest has Cyprus and its people by posting an officer of the National Guard to Larissa Greece where the headquarters of this EU military intervention is situated?
AKEL and the Group of the Left in the European Parliament are struggling for the demilitarization of the EU’s foreign policy, the disconnection of the EU from NATO and the revision the EU-US relationship. We demand the reduction of military expenditure and spending, the termination of the EU’s military operations, the withdrawal of all the foreign military bases and nuclear weapons from European soil.
When Cypriots will vote this coming Sunday, they will also be voting on the following dilemma concerning the EU’s foreign policy: Do we want “more Europe” of wars, interventions, NATO, war industry and the arms race? Or do we assert another Europe, a Europe of the Peoples and of Peace, with a foreign policy based on solidarity, International Law and the friendship of the peoples?
