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INSIDE THE COMMUNIST AND WORKERS’ MOVEMENT
ALL-UNION COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOLSHEVIKS - AUCPB - ВКПБ
OCTOBER 2008 No 10 (67)
Special publication, by the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (AUCPB), September 2008 dedicated to
The 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - DPRK
“The socialist system of our country is a truly democratic system, truly providing the workers, peasants and all working people with political freedoms and rights”. KIM IL SUNG
On 9th September 1948, at the 1st Session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the formation of the DPRK was proclaimed by Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung – hero of the anti-Japanese struggle, the founder of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), its Great commander in chief, who led the Korean people towards the liberation of their Fatherland from the Japanese enslavement, was elected Premier of the DPRK, then Head of State (its president).
According to the constitution, the Supreme People’s Assembly is the highest organ of power in the DPRK. Between the sessions of the SPA, Central Standing Committee of the SPA continues work uninterruptedly. The present constitution of the DPRK was adopted at the I Session of the SPA of the DPRK of the fifth meeting on 27 December 1972. Afterwards, (at sessions of the SPA DPRK – 9th April 1992 and 5th September 1998), several changes and additions were introduced into it, in connection with the development of statehood and a slight change in the state structure of power, that is completely natural for a developing socialist state. The Socialist Constitution of the DPRK is called the Kim IL Sung Constitution, having judicially documenting the idea of the Great Leader about state structure and the achievements in the construction of socialism.
Chairman of the country’s National Defence Commission – Comrade Kim Jong Il is at present, the Head of State. The status of President of the country after the demise of the Great Leader, remains with Kim IL Sung and noone else has been elected to this post since. Comrade Kim Jong Il was first elected to the post of Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK on 9th April 1993, re-elected to this high and responsible post on 3rd September 2003.
Local organs of power make up the People’s Assemblies - provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local district (county). In the period between sessions, the local organs of power consist of People’s Committees (provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local county district ones.
The system of state organs of the DPRK allows the workers, peasants, soldiers and working intelligentsia to actively participate in state affairs and in the running of the state, and the state organs of power best implement the interests of the people, ever more energetically advancing the revolution and socialist construction, strengthening the country’s defence capability.
In North Korea after the liberation of the Fatherland (15th August 1945) and the successful solution to the tasks of the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, in an extremely short period of time (1945 -1948) the social-economic basis of exploitation was liquidated, and the start of the transition over to socialism was laid down. New, socialist production relations were established in the DPRK, directed at the raising the prosperity of the working people – the entire people. Continual improvement in the material and cultural life of the people is the highest principle of the state and party activity in the DPRK.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a sovereign socialist state, where state (common people’s) and cooperative ownership makes up its economic base, where all members of society work, forming a united collective, in which every person helps each other and with this, high results are achieved in work.
State (common people’s) ownership prevails in industry and cooperative ownership prevails in agriculture. Cooperative ownership is one of the forms of socialist property developing in close connection with common people’s property.
Cooperative property, as a form, carrying a transitional character, according to level of further strengthening of the socialist material-technical basis of agriculture (thanks to investment of state funding) and raising the ideological level of the peasants, gradually transfers over in common people’s property.
In the DPRK, personal property also exists, which makes up a share of socialist distribution thanks to the state and society, and also products from a very small personal subsidiary economy. In the DPRK, personal property is protected by law and provides the right for it to be inherited.
In the DPRK, according to the Constitution, an 8 hour work day has been established. In separate spheres of production, 7 hour and 6 hour work days have been established. Mothers who have 3 children, work 6 hours but get paid for 8 hour work day. Citizens can start work from the age of 16. The work carried out by persons under 16, is banned. The citizens of the DPRK do not pay income tax on their wages (everyone receives so-called “pure” wages”).
The DPRK is a Socialist democratic state and provides its citizens, by the Constitution, guaranteed true rights and political freedoms. Every citizen of the DPRK who has reached 17 years old, has the right to vote and also be elected to all organs of people’s power. Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech, print, assembly, association and demonstrations, freedom of belief and of atheism.
Every citizen of the DPRK has the guaranteed right to work according to their interests and abilities, the right to housing and paid holidays, the right to free school (11 year) and higher education, the right to free health care, freedom of scientific and literary-creative activity. Veterans of the revolution, members of families of revolutionaries and patriots who have passed away, members of families of military service personnel of the Korean People’s Army, war invalids are taken special care of by the state and society.
Women have equal social standing and rights as men, and women and children are provided with special benefits by the state.
The rights and freedoms of the citizens are continuously expanding according to the level of development of socialist society.
One needs to especially take note of the attention and care taken by the state and the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) towards the up and coming generation. Children are surrounded by an all-common love. For them, all conditions have been created for the creative development of the individual and his or her gifts, for the preservation of their health, for the chance to participate on any sport of their desire regardless of whether or not they live in a large city or in a small village. Daycare and kindergartens are completely free for the parents. Educators with special education take care of the children. Constant control over the health of the children is carried out. Palaces and houses for children are found in every populated area. In the summertime, children spend time at pioneer camps, where they often rest together with children from other states that are friendly with the DPRK, and with this, good friendly relations between children are established – the basis of normal respectful relations of the future generation in the future world. The young generation is being educated in the DPRK in the spirit of the highest of patriotism and high morals, is growing up highly cultured and highly educated.
Despite the most brutal economic embargo imposed by the USA, practically from the moment of the formation of the DPRK, the constant ideological acts of diversion and the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on part of frenzied American imperialism, the DPRK is successfully building its own socialist state, developing its own economy and strengthening its defence capability. The victory over the USA by the tiny, only just “born” DPRK in the Fatherland Liberation War bears witness to the strength of spirit of the citizens of new Korea, of their unity around their Leader with high patriotism that is stronger than the any of the latest weapons.
The state leads and runs the economy of the country which is developing in a planned way (5 year plans are being adopted which take into account all spheres of industrial and agricultural production, the development of science, technology, the people’s education, health, industrial and housing construction, etc.). The detailing of planning makes it possible to concretely take into account all the elements of production and provide for constant growth in the economy. A special role is allocated to scientific-production activity connected to the military-industrial complex that serves to strengthen the defence might of the country. This has the most important significance in the conditions of a 60-year old confrontation with the USA, constantly threatening the DPRK with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The scientific-research work being carried out by Korean scientists, the recent creating of medium range ballistic missiles capable of reaching the territory of the United States and equipped with warheads (also designed by Korean scientists), have significantly cooled the military-adventurous dust of America, which has made it possible for the people of the DPRK under present conditions, to live and work more peacefully, advancing forward the cause of the three Korean revolutions – the ideological, technological and cultural revolutions on the path towards complete victory of socialism in the DPRK.
In the DPRK, several political parties and social organizations function. The ruling party is the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) – the party of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung, the revolutionary party of the Juche type, founded by the Great Leader on 10th October 1945. The Great leader Comrade Kim Jong IL has been unanimously elected several times over as the party’s General Secretary.
The Workers’ Party of Korea is made up of workers, peasants and intelligentsia who work in the name of the triumph of the cause of socialism and communism. The WPK has inherited glorious revolutionary traditions that were laid down in the heroic anti-Japanese struggle. The main tasks of the WPK are the achievement of continuous growth in the prosperity of the people, the strengthening of the might of the Fatherland and unifying the Korean nation.
The WPK is the political headquarters which organizes and directs the revolutionary struggle and socialist construction in the DPRK and fully answers for the destiny of the entire Korean people. The WPK today unifies in its ranks more than 3 million people (in the DPRK live more than 30 million people).
The Korean Social-Democratic Party was formed on 3rd November 1945. From the moment of its formation, the KSDP had written into its program – to recognize the leading role of the WPK and in a coalition with it, fight against the forces of imperialism and feudalism for the building of a democratic, sovereign and independent state. In the program of the KSDP, written in as the main tasks are – independence of the country and nation, implementing democracy in political life, development of the socialist economic system, greater prosperity for the people, development of national education, culture and art, and the achievement of the independent and peaceful unification of the Fatherland.
The Chondoist Chongu Party (CCP) was formed on 8th February 1946. Its Program differed little from the Program of the KSDP and, at one time, a member of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, the CCP fights for the achievement of the independent peaceful unification of the Fatherland.
The Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (or Fatherland Front) was formed on 22 July 1946. Its main task for the members– independently of specialty, gender, religion and party membership, was to rally around the Leader (earlier, President Kim IL Sung, and nowadays – comrade Kim Jong IL) all patriotic, democratic forces in society on the basis of a worker-peasant alliance, and mobilize them into bringing to life the idea of reunification of the nation.
The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea has more than 1.6 million members and also includes all branch trade unions. Their main task lies in the active participation in socialist construction and running the socialist economy, health and safety, and ideological-educational work among their members.
The League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea (nowadays called – the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League) was founded on 17th January 1946 and is a mass political youth organisation. As a militant youth organisation called upon to adopt the relay race of the revolution, the KYL is the trusty reserve and supporter of the WPK, and has more than 3.8 million members.
In the DPRK, function the North Korean Federation of the Peasants’ Associations (1.3 million members), the Democratic Women’s Union of North Korea (more than 200 thousand members), and also several organisations that place emphasis on their activity on several questions such as – the peaceful unification of the Fatherland, cultivation ties abroad, the struggle in defence of peace, solidarity with the peoples of the world for independence, self-reliance and against imperialism. The Korea Christian Federation, the Korean Buddhist Federation and other social political organisations also function in Korea. All of them in their work are helping to solve questions on one thing or another in Korean society, unifying all the citizens around the policies of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Korean citizens abroad (those who in the period of colonial rule by Japanese imperialism were forcibly driven from their homes and into Japan under the pretext of work or military duty, or were compelled to travel abroad in search for a means of existence) according to the Law citizenship, have the status of citizen of the DPRK and at any time may be repatriated to the DPRK. Since the end of 1959, more than 150 thousand Koreans have been repatriated to the DPRK from Japan. President Kim Il Sung created an aid fund in Japan, to help with education and grants for Koreans living in this country. Presently, in Japan the Association for Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryong), which unifies more than 700 thousand members.
“Chongryong” has a good publishing base and supplies its own products in various languages to more than 150 countries of the world.
Socialist Korea has wide international political contacts and diplomatic representation in the vast majority of countries of the world. The international authority of the DPRK has especially grown in the last 15 years thanks to the irreconcilable firmness of the political line and self-reliance of the DPRK foreign policy. The DPRK is a member of many international and Worldwide organisations. The International Institute for the study of the Juche Idea (head-quarters in Tokyo) has Regional Institutes that are functioning in the countries of Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
The DPRK for the past 60 years has passed along a very difficult and glorious path of defending its independence and self-reliance despite the hostile policy of the USA and its satellites.
Today, the DPRK is a highly developed industrial power, in possession of a nuclear weapon as the only real present restraining factor in providing a reliable defence capability for the country, in conditions of a deepening system crisis of imperialism on the whole, and the recession in the USA.
The Songun (Army first) policy implemented by the WPK makes it possible to find solutions to the most complex of tasks, which others would think impossible. The Songun policy means unity of the Army and people and that the revolution will triumph only with the presence of weapons. Songun politics, the basis of which was worked out by the Great Leader in the period of the anti-Japanese struggle, officially become the country’s state policy in January 1997. This policy provided not only the indestructible unity of society, but also the triumphant construction of socialism in extremely difficult for the DPRK foreign policy conditions. The Army watchfully stands guard on its native borders, constantly updating and modernizing its professional skills and introducing and mastering new types of weapons, as a threatening warning to any possible aggressor. The Korean People’s Army also takes an active part in socialist construction in the towns as well as in the countryside.
In Socialist Korea, a very respectful and extremely careful attitude dominates in relation to their cultural and national treasure and their own history. There are many museums and exhibitions of various themes. In the DPRK many beautiful memorials to the present epoch have been built and continue to be built – memorials for the future generations about the arduous struggle for the liberation of the country and the establishment of a new social-political system – socialism.
Korea is a wonderful country of “morning calm”, rich with surprisingly rare species of animals and plants together with beautiful and charming landscapes, blindingly wonderful waterfalls and wonderful views around the mountain peaks. Koreans love their country and carefully look after its beauty and are preserving it for the future generations. The beauty of the nature of the DPRK, the grandiose successes in socialist construction, attract many tourists to the DPRK.
Koreans live friendly, not just work, but also know how to rest well, singing their song “We do not envy anyone”.
Congratulating the heroic Korean people on the 60th Anniversary since the founding of the DPRK, we sincerely wish them further new successes in all spheres of various activity on the path towards a prosperous and powerful socialist power of a united Korean nation.
We congratulate on this famous date, the outstanding state and political activist of the modern epoch, the banner carrier of the struggle against imperialism in North East Asia, the worthy continuer of the cause of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung – the Great Kim Jong IL, and wish him new victories over American imperialism in the struggle for the cause of Socialism, for PEACE across the whole world, for INDEPENDENCE and SELF-RELIANCE of all peoples, who have chosen their own historical path of development.
Further information on the DPRK, its Constitution and the daily struggle against American imperialism, about the successes in socialist construction and our support of the policies in the DPRK, can be read on the website of the AUCPB http://www.vkpb.ru/ in the section- “Inside the countries of socialism” DPRK http://www.vkpb.ru/ (В странах социализма», КНДР.)
CHRONICAL OF THE CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA
10th November 1989, Soviet of People’s Deputies of South Ossetian Autonomous Region proclaims its autonomy within the makeup of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Georgia’s Supreme Soviet declared the demands of South Ossetia to be illegal. The first Georgia-Ossetian conflict begins and continues until January 1990.
20th September 1990, Supreme Soviet of South Ossetian Autonomous Region adopts Declaration on sovereignty, having proclaimed the South Ossetian Democratic Soviet Republic. Deputies turn to Moscow with a request for recognition of South Ossetia as a sovereign republic, entering the structure of the USSR.
10th December 1990, Georgia’s Supreme Soviet removes South Ossetian autonomy and declares the territory of South Ossetia as an administrative part of Georgia – the “Tkhinvali district”.
December 1990, start of the second Georgia-South Ossetia conflict, ending in July 1992.
19th January 1992, a referendum is held in South Ossetia over the unification of South and North Ossetia, and joining Russia (99% voted in favour of this). The referendum was not legally recognized by Georgia or Russia.
29th May 1992, South Ossetia’s Supreme Soviet adopts an Act on state independence.
24th June 1992, in Sochi (Dagomis) Russia’s president Boris Yeltsin, Chairman of the State Soviet of the Republic of Georgia, Edward Shevardnadze and representatives of South Ossetia sign an agreement on the principles of controlling the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. In accordance with this document, a mixture of Russian-Georgian-Ossetian peace-keeping forces entered the zone of conflict in July 1992. The number of Russian, Ossetian and Georgian peacekeepers per contingent was approximately 500 persons each.
In South Ossetia, the “purple helmets” are controlled by the Joint Control Commission (JCC), unifying Tbilisi, Tskhinvali, Vladikavkas and Moscow. For ending the mandate of the peacekeepers, agreement on this has to be reached by all four sides.
2nd November 1993, the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia (RSO) is adopted. The constitution of Georgia, adopted in 1995, left the question on the status of South Ossetia open.
30th November 1996, in the RSO, the first presidential elections were held. Lyudvig Chibirov became president. In December 2000, Russian-Georgian an inter-governmental agreement was signed on mutual aid in the restoration of the economy in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict and the return of refugees.
6th December 2001, Edward Kokoyty wins presidential elections in South Ossetia. In March 2002, Kokoyty sends an appeal to Moscow requesting recognition of the independence of South Ossetia, and take it into the makeup of Russia.
3rd December 2004, Presidential candidate for Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili declared that the year 2004, will be the final year that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not be taking part in Georgian elections.
The territory of South Ossetia until 1989 was 3900 sq. km. In 1990-1991, Georgian troops occupied and separated the Znaursky district and part of Leningorsky and Dzhavsky districts from South Ossetia.
The capital city is Tskhinvali.
The population stands at approximately 85 thousand, out of which, about 67% are Ossetians, 25% are Georgians and 7% are of other nationalities (2003). About 40 thousand refugees from South Ossetia are in North Ossetia. 95% of the population has Russian citizenship. A large part of the Georgian population has Georgian as well as Russian citizenship.
The political status of South Ossetia remains uncertain. The self-proclaimed republic has not been recognized by the world community, but officially Tbilisi believes South Ossetia to be the Tkhinvalsky district of Georgia, but in actual fact does not control it.
The majority of enterprises of South Ossetia are practically not working. Most money entering the budget comes from income from the Tran Caucasian highway, customs duties and migration fees. The absence of jobs fuels the low living standard of the population.
NEWSru.com
History of the question//Caucasus and Trans Caucasus//Georgia
Information gathered from sources of “Intergroom”, Russia’s largest information service.
THE WAR IN SOUTH OSSETIA:
THE ARMED FORCES OF THE CONFLICTING SIDES
Russia’s Armed Forces operating in the zone of conflict
Into the zone of conflict were brought in units of the 58th army of the North-Caucasian military district, a subdivision of the Pskovsky 76th Division of the VDV, and also Russian Spetznas (Special Forces).
The 58th army was formed in 1995 for defending Russia’s southern borders. The 70- thousand-strong army more than doubles the size of the Georgian armed forces. The army is made up of 609 tanks, nearly 2 thousand armored vehicles BMP and BTR, 125 mortars and weapons, 190 “Grad” units and 450 Zenith systems, 120 planes and 70 helicopters
The 76th Airborne-Parachute Chernigovsky Krasnoznamensky Division – is the oldest formation in the VDV. It was formed in 1939. It went through battles from the first to the last day of the Great Patriotic War (1941 -1944). In 1946, it was transformed from a motor-rifle to an airborne-parachute division. It is always on military alert. The coat of arms of Pskov lies on the emblem of the division where the units and headquarters of the 76 APD is stationed. The symbol of the division - is the northern panther, embodying strength, solidity and endurance.
The Armed Forces of South Ossetia
It is known that in the armed forces of the republic there are more than 20 T-55 tanks, approximately 100 BTR and BRDM armoured vehicles up to 20 artillery weapons, 6 “Grad” missiles and a number of mobile ZRK “Igla” and “Strela”.
Georgia’s armed forces
Georgia has been steadily increasing its military might over the past few years. Over the past 4 years, Georgia has increased its military spending by 30 times, spending up to 1 billion dollars a year, which explains Georgia’s striving to join NATO. According to official data by Russia’s Defence Ministry, over the past few years, Georgia had purchased 206 tanks, 186 armoured vehicles, 79 artillery weapons 25 helicopters, 70 mortars, 10 ZRK-s, 8 drones (UAV-a) for unmanned aerial reconnaissance. Georgia obtained a large number of weapons from the USA and NATO countries as well as Ukraine and Israel. At the beginning of this year, Georgia refused to buy Kalashnikov automatic rifle, preferring to buy US made M4 –s.
Georgia has equipped its airforce with Mi-24 helicopters, “Irokez”, ground attack planes Su-25T, Su-25 Scorpian, MiG-21, L-159 ALCA, An-2 and others.
Anti-aircraft troops have been equipped with ZRK “Strela-10” and S-125 (“Neva”), ZSU-23-4 “Shilka”.
The naval forces comprise of “Grif” torpedo and gun boats, patrol boats.
In the land troops, there are T55, T54 and T72 tanks and also various armoured vehicles – BMP, BRDM, BTP-70 and -80. There are various howitzers and mortars mainly produced in Czech Republic and more than 40 “Grad” missile systems.
There are more than 29 thousand service personnel in Georgia and more than 100 thousand reserves.
RIA “Rosbusiness consulting”
RESOLUTION BY THE AUCPB
Buro of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of Ukraine, Moldavia, Pridnestrovia
Having heard and debated the report by Secretary of the CC AUCPB Comrade A.A. Maevsky “Linking up Bolshevism with the workers’ movement”, the Buro of the CC AUCPB INSTRUCTS:
1. Local party organisations to carry the centre of gravity of Bolshevik work to labour and workers collectives, youth collectives, learning institutions, and where possible, to the military and other power structures.
With this aim in mind, they need to take the most active participation in the daily struggle of the working people for their rights. Leaflets have to be printed, expressing the demands and core interests of the working people: against the rise in food prices and payments, for an increase and timely payment of wages, grants, pensions, against the closure or privatization of enterprises etc, etc.
2. Organisations, working in the district centres, villages and hamlets directly connected with the life of agriculture workers, are to take an active part in their activity and struggle for their rights and daily needs. Leaflets with corresponding issues should be printed.
3. In the flow of this work, class consciousness needs to be instilled into the ranks of the fighting working class and other detachments of the working people, propaganda needs to be spread about our Bolshevik ideas and views, and explain the Program of the AUCPB and our party documents. With this aim, our Bolshevik press should be actively distributed along with leaflets, and the carrying out of verbal agitation-propaganda work. The work of the Buro of the CC AUCPB being carried out has to systematically reported to the editorial board of the newspaper “Raboche-Krestyanskaya Pravda” and material and photos from the localities, sent to the newspaper for publishing.
4. Every party organisation must create a library of Marxist-Leninist literature for the organizing of political study for members of the party and sympathizers.
12 July 2008,
City of Uman
Manik Mukherje speaks at an International Conference of workers at Friendship Hall, Khartoum, Sudan on August 3, 2008
Manik Mukherjee, General Secretary of International Anti-imperialist and People's Solidarity Coordinating Committee (IAPSCC) attended the programme on National Workers Day Celebration on invitation from the Sudan Workers Trade Union Front (SWTUF). The Conference started on August 3, 2008 with nearly 2000 delegates from 20 countries at the Friendship Hall, Khartoum.
The Text of Manik Mukherjee's Speech at the Conference is given below.
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Imperialists, Hands Off Sudan
Manik Mukherjee
General Secretary
International Anti-imperialist and
People’s Solidarity Coordinating Committee
(IAPSCC)
Brothers, Sisters, Friends,
I have come here to express the solidarity of the Indian people with the people of Sudan in their struggle against imperialist domination. India and Sudan suffered long under the yoke of the British rule, and both had to bear the agony of fratricidal bloodshed instigated by the imperialist rulers. We share your pain and are partners in your anti-imperialist struggle. Today the imperialist powers headed by USA are waging murderous wars against the people of the world. After bringing devastation to Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, they are now turning their attention to other countries like Sudan, Iran, Palestine, Lebanon etc.. Sudan is a country rich in natural resources, like oil, natural gas, uranium, copper etc., which are coveted by the imperialist powers. Sudan has therefore become a victim of the age-old intrigues and conspiracies of imperialists. It is a country with great ethnic diversity, but for centuries the various ethnic groups had intermarried and shared common cultural and religious traits. The British rulers followed their customary divide-and-rule policy to perpetuate their colonial rule and to keep the country poor, underdeveloped and weak. They fomented mistrust and division among the different ethnic groups. Because of their conspiracy and instigation, when they were finally forced to leave in 1956, the country plunged into a protracted civil war. The imperialist powers, principally Britain, France and USA, kept alive this internal conflict by playing off one group against the other.
The surge of anti-colonial movements in the post-Second-World-War period freed from foreign rule one country after another throughout the world, and in Africa too national governments were established in these countries. But the imperialist powers loathed to let the huge natural resources of the African countries go out of their control. So whenever the governmental policies showed any proclivity towards an independent course of development, or if the people’s movements took the slightest anti-capitalist stance, the imperialists pounced on them. They launched destabilization campaigns, counter-insurgency operations, outright military interventions, even military occupations, and mounted operations to bring about regime changes. We witnessed this in Congo, in Ghana, in Guinea-Bissau, in Angola, in Somalia and in a host of other countries. USA is in the forefront of these imperialist attacks. US-controlled financial institutions like IMF, World Bank, USAID try to strangle the economic development of the African countries and to keep them forever under imperialist domination. The rivalry between the imperialist powers has added to the tensions and conflicts in Africa.
Independent Sudan tried to follow a policy of development of its economic resources not guided by the imperialist dictates. It has not granted USA access to its oil resources, nor did it support the US-led war against Iraq and its subsequent occupation. This has infuriated USA and consequently it has long been trying to destabilize the country. In 1998 it even launched a missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant within Sudan on the plea that it was manufacturing chemical weapons. This allegation was proved to be false by an investigating team led by the former US Attorney General Mr. Ramsey Clark, who is now the President of our organization International Anti-imperialist and People’s Solidarity Coordinating Committee (IAPSCC). No reparations were given for this destruction which annihilated the facility that used to produce 60% of the available medicines in Sudan (Workers World Magazine, USA). The cornerstone of imperialist policy is to foment national and regional antagonisms, to instigate one group against the other and prop up one group in the conflict through financial and military aid. In Sudan this policy is very effectively implemented to create the civil war situation extending for nearly half a century. Sudan was devastated by the north versus south warfare; two million people are estimated to have been killed, many more millions were displaced; it shattered Sudan’s economy and led to food shortages resulting in starvation and malnutrition; health care and basic education became unavailable to vast sections of people. At last after protracted negotiations a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed at Nairobi in 2005, and the beleaguered Sudanese people started to look forward to a period of peace and reconciliation... But just when the first tentative steps for a peaceful solution to the problems were being taken, USA and its allies stoked the fire in Darfur.
The imperialists wrongly portray the civil conflict in Darfur as a racial one between the Arabs and the African Blacks. But as one commentator pointed out, “All parties involved in the Darfur conflict – whether they are referred to as ‘Arab’ or as ‘African’ -- are equally indigenous and equally Black. All are Muslim and all are local.” Prolonged drought, famine and poverty plunged the people in Darfur in dire straits, and there was a simmering discontent among the different groups on the sharing of the scanty resources. The imperialists fanned this up so that the resulting unrest and fighting would destabilize the Sudanese Government ‘unfriendly’ to them, and thereby facilitate their entry into Sudan. The sympathy and support of the capitalists in USA and Europe went to the rebel groups fighting the Sudan Government. They are militarily trained and aided and incited by the imperialist powers either directly or through regimes subservient to them. After instigating the internal conflict they are now crying hoarse about genocide in Darfur. The Western right wing organizations, the spokespersons of the capitalists, and even some confused liberal groups are raising the demands for external intervention to ‘save’ Darfur. U.S. and U.K. leaders like George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, John Bolton General Colin Powell, General Wesley Clark, Tony Blair, etc. have advocated intervention in Sudan to stop the ‘genocide’. We are seeing a pattern in the modus operandi of the imperialists. After instigating the civil wars and allowing them to continue through direct intervention and supporting one group against the other, they start talking about ‘war crimes’ and ‘crimes against humanity’, and demand that the perpetrators must be tried and punished. We witnessed it in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia. And everywhere such charges were leveled against that side which was most opposed to the imperialists. We see the same pattern in Sudan. The right wing groups in USA and Europe have launched a propaganda blitz to highlight the sufferings of the people in Darfur and are calling for direct military intervention and a permanent presence of Western powers in Sudan to monitor the situation. History has amply demonstrated that the so-called ‘peace-keeping’ forces sent for ‘humanitarian’ reasons are in reality deployed to further the imperialist interests, and not for peace and reconciliation. We should take lesson from what happened in Korea, in Congo, in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia.
In 2006 at the initiative of the African Union the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed by the Sudanese Government and the largest group of Darfur militants as a step to promote the process of healing and reconciliation. But imperialist interference is blocking the resolution of the conflict, and other groups enjoying the support of imperialist powers are keeping the conflict alive. At such a juncture the International Criminal Court (ICC), at the behest of the imperialist powers, started criminal proceedings against Sudanese leaders. In 2007 the ICC judges issued warrants against two high level Sudanese officials for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Recently on July 14 of this year ICC indicted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. We voice our strongest protest against this heinous move. We are happy that the African Union and the Arab League have opposed this ICC maneuver and we endorse the statement of the African Union that this prosecution threat would jeopardize the peace efforts in the Darfur region. All right thinking people view this action as an assault on the sovereignty of Sudan, and the Sudanese Government and the Sudanese people are justifiably firm in their resolve not to succumb to any political blackmail. The IAPSCC calls upon all the anti-imperialist people of the world to come out in solidarity with the Sudanese people in their fight against imperialism and help them to protect their sovereignty. We emphasize that the Sudanese people are the sole custodians of their country. It is they alone who chart out a course for tackling all their internal problems without any foreign interference or any external pressure. They have the sole right to investigate whether any violations of human rights have taken place and to judge and punish the perpetrators. Sudanese people do not need to be taught by the imperialists how to protect human rights. Let a call go from this platform to scrap the ICC indictment against President al-Bashir and demand instead that President George Bush and his cohorts be indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity for waging war against Iraq and Afghanistan and for the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Long live anti-imperialist struggle, long live solidarity of the people, imperialists, hands off Sudan.
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FOR BOLSHEVISM
INSIDE THE COMMUNIST AND WORKERS’ MOVEMENT
ALL-UNION COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOLSHEVIKS - AUCPB - ВКПБ
OCTOBER 2008 No 10 (67)
Special publication, by the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (AUCPB), September 2008 dedicated to
The 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - DPRK
“The socialist system of our country is a truly democratic system, truly providing the workers, peasants and all working people with political freedoms and rights”. KIM IL SUNG
On 9th September 1948, at the 1st Session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the formation of the DPRK was proclaimed by Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung – hero of the anti-Japanese struggle, the founder of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), its Great commander in chief, who led the Korean people towards the liberation of their Fatherland from the Japanese enslavement, was elected Premier of the DPRK, then Head of State (its president).
According to the constitution, the Supreme People’s Assembly is the highest organ of power in the DPRK. Between the sessions of the SPA, Central Standing Committee of the SPA continues work uninterruptedly. The present constitution of the DPRK was adopted at the I Session of the SPA of the DPRK of the fifth meeting on 27 December 1972. Afterwards, (at sessions of the SPA DPRK – 9th April 1992 and 5th September 1998), several changes and additions were introduced into it, in connection with the development of statehood and a slight change in the state structure of power, that is completely natural for a developing socialist state. The Socialist Constitution of the DPRK is called the Kim IL Sung Constitution, having judicially documenting the idea of the Great Leader about state structure and the achievements in the construction of socialism.
Chairman of the country’s National Defence Commission – Comrade Kim Jong Il is at present, the Head of State. The status of President of the country after the demise of the Great Leader, remains with Kim IL Sung and noone else has been elected to this post since. Comrade Kim Jong Il was first elected to the post of Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK on 9th April 1993, re-elected to this high and responsible post on 3rd September 2003.
Local organs of power make up the People’s Assemblies - provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local district (county). In the period between sessions, the local organs of power consist of People’s Committees (provincial ones (for towns and central subordination), town ones (district) and local county district ones.
The system of state organs of the DPRK allows the workers, peasants, soldiers and working intelligentsia to actively participate in state affairs and in the running of the state, and the state organs of power best implement the interests of the people, ever more energetically advancing the revolution and socialist construction, strengthening the country’s defence capability.
In North Korea after the liberation of the Fatherland (15th August 1945) and the successful solution to the tasks of the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, in an extremely short period of time (1945 -1948) the social-economic basis of exploitation was liquidated, and the start of the transition over to socialism was laid down. New, socialist production relations were established in the DPRK, directed at the raising the prosperity of the working people – the entire people. Continual improvement in the material and cultural life of the people is the highest principle of the state and party activity in the DPRK.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a sovereign socialist state, where state (common people’s) and cooperative ownership makes up its economic base, where all members of society work, forming a united collective, in which every person helps each other and with this, high results are achieved in work.
State (common people’s) ownership prevails in industry and cooperative ownership prevails in agriculture. Cooperative ownership is one of the forms of socialist property developing in close connection with common people’s property.
Cooperative property, as a form, carrying a transitional character, according to level of further strengthening of the socialist material-technical basis of agriculture (thanks to investment of state funding) and raising the ideological level of the peasants, gradually transfers over in common people’s property.
In the DPRK, personal property also exists, which makes up a share of socialist distribution thanks to the state and society, and also products from a very small personal subsidiary economy. In the DPRK, personal property is protected by law and provides the right for it to be inherited.
In the DPRK, according to the Constitution, an 8 hour work day has been established. In separate spheres of production, 7 hour and 6 hour work days have been established. Mothers who have 3 children, work 6 hours but get paid for 8 hour work day. Citizens can start work from the age of 16. The work carried out by persons under 16, is banned. The citizens of the DPRK do not pay income tax on their wages (everyone receives so-called “pure” wages”).
The DPRK is a Socialist democratic state and provides its citizens, by the Constitution, guaranteed true rights and political freedoms. Every citizen of the DPRK who has reached 17 years old, has the right to vote and also be elected to all organs of people’s power. Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech, print, assembly, association and demonstrations, freedom of belief and of atheism.
Every citizen of the DPRK has the guaranteed right to work according to their interests and abilities, the right to housing and paid holidays, the right to free school (11 year) and higher education, the right to free health care, freedom of scientific and literary-creative activity. Veterans of the revolution, members of families of revolutionaries and patriots who have passed away, members of families of military service personnel of the Korean People’s Army, war invalids are taken special care of by the state and society.
Women have equal social standing and rights as men, and women and children are provided with special benefits by the state.
The rights and freedoms of the citizens are continuously expanding according to the level of development of socialist society.
One needs to especially take note of the attention and care taken by the state and the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) towards the up and coming generation. Children are surrounded by an all-common love. For them, all conditions have been created for the creative development of the individual and his or her gifts, for the preservation of their health, for the chance to participate on any sport of their desire regardless of whether or not they live in a large city or in a small village. Daycare and kindergartens are completely free for the parents. Educators with special education take care of the children. Constant control over the health of the children is carried out. Palaces and houses for children are found in every populated area. In the summertime, children spend time at pioneer camps, where they often rest together with children from other states that are friendly with the DPRK, and with this, good friendly relations between children are established – the basis of normal respectful relations of the future generation in the future world. The young generation is being educated in the DPRK in the spirit of the highest of patriotism and high morals, is growing up highly cultured and highly educated.
Despite the most brutal economic embargo imposed by the USA, practically from the moment of the formation of the DPRK, the constant ideological acts of diversion and the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on part of frenzied American imperialism, the DPRK is successfully building its own socialist state, developing its own economy and strengthening its defence capability. The victory over the USA by the tiny, only just “born” DPRK in the Fatherland Liberation War bears witness to the strength of spirit of the citizens of new Korea, of their unity around their Leader with high patriotism that is stronger than the any of the latest weapons.
The state leads and runs the economy of the country which is developing in a planned way (5 year plans are being adopted which take into account all spheres of industrial and agricultural production, the development of science, technology, the people’s education, health, industrial and housing construction, etc.). The detailing of planning makes it possible to concretely take into account all the elements of production and provide for constant growth in the economy. A special role is allocated to scientific-production activity connected to the military-industrial complex that serves to strengthen the defence might of the country. This has the most important significance in the conditions of a 60-year old confrontation with the USA, constantly threatening the DPRK with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The scientific-research work being carried out by Korean scientists, the recent creating of medium range ballistic missiles capable of reaching the territory of the United States and equipped with warheads (also designed by Korean scientists), have significantly cooled the military-adventurous dust of America, which has made it possible for the people of the DPRK under present conditions, to live and work more peacefully, advancing forward the cause of the three Korean revolutions – the ideological, technological and cultural revolutions on the path towards complete victory of socialism in the DPRK.
In the DPRK, several political parties and social organizations function. The ruling party is the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) – the party of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung, the revolutionary party of the Juche type, founded by the Great Leader on 10th October 1945. The Great leader Comrade Kim Jong IL has been unanimously elected several times over as the party’s General Secretary.
The Workers’ Party of Korea is made up of workers, peasants and intelligentsia who work in the name of the triumph of the cause of socialism and communism. The WPK has inherited glorious revolutionary traditions that were laid down in the heroic anti-Japanese struggle. The main tasks of the WPK are the achievement of continuous growth in the prosperity of the people, the strengthening of the might of the Fatherland and unifying the Korean nation.
The WPK is the political headquarters which organizes and directs the revolutionary struggle and socialist construction in the DPRK and fully answers for the destiny of the entire Korean people. The WPK today unifies in its ranks more than 3 million people (in the DPRK live more than 30 million people).
The Korean Social-Democratic Party was formed on 3rd November 1945. From the moment of its formation, the KSDP had written into its program – to recognize the leading role of the WPK and in a coalition with it, fight against the forces of imperialism and feudalism for the building of a democratic, sovereign and independent state. In the program of the KSDP, written in as the main tasks are – independence of the country and nation, implementing democracy in political life, development of the socialist economic system, greater prosperity for the people, development of national education, culture and art, and the achievement of the independent and peaceful unification of the Fatherland.
The Chondoist Chongu Party (CCP) was formed on 8th February 1946. Its Program differed little from the Program of the KSDP and, at one time, a member of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, the CCP fights for the achievement of the independent peaceful unification of the Fatherland.
The Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (or Fatherland Front) was formed on 22 July 1946. Its main task for the members– independently of specialty, gender, religion and party membership, was to rally around the Leader (earlier, President Kim IL Sung, and nowadays – comrade Kim Jong IL) all patriotic, democratic forces in society on the basis of a worker-peasant alliance, and mobilize them into bringing to life the idea of reunification of the nation.
The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea has more than 1.6 million members and also includes all branch trade unions. Their main task lies in the active participation in socialist construction and running the socialist economy, health and safety, and ideological-educational work among their members.
The League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea (nowadays called – the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League) was founded on 17th January 1946 and is a mass political youth organisation. As a militant youth organisation called upon to adopt the relay race of the revolution, the KYL is the trusty reserve and supporter of the WPK, and has more than 3.8 million members.
In the DPRK, function the North Korean Federation of the Peasants’ Associations (1.3 million members), the Democratic Women’s Union of North Korea (more than 200 thousand members), and also several organisations that place emphasis on their activity on several questions such as – the peaceful unification of the Fatherland, cultivation ties abroad, the struggle in defence of peace, solidarity with the peoples of the world for independence, self-reliance and against imperialism. The Korea Christian Federation, the Korean Buddhist Federation and other social political organisations also function in Korea. All of them in their work are helping to solve questions on one thing or another in Korean society, unifying all the citizens around the policies of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Korean citizens abroad (those who in the period of colonial rule by Japanese imperialism were forcibly driven from their homes and into Japan under the pretext of work or military duty, or were compelled to travel abroad in search for a means of existence) according to the Law citizenship, have the status of citizen of the DPRK and at any time may be repatriated to the DPRK. Since the end of 1959, more than 150 thousand Koreans have been repatriated to the DPRK from Japan. President Kim Il Sung created an aid fund in Japan, to help with education and grants for Koreans living in this country. Presently, in Japan the Association for Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryong), which unifies more than 700 thousand members.
“Chongryong” has a good publishing base and supplies its own products in various languages to more than 150 countries of the world.
Socialist Korea has wide international political contacts and diplomatic representation in the vast majority of countries of the world. The international authority of the DPRK has especially grown in the last 15 years thanks to the irreconcilable firmness of the political line and self-reliance of the DPRK foreign policy. The DPRK is a member of many international and Worldwide organisations. The International Institute for the study of the Juche Idea (head-quarters in Tokyo) has Regional Institutes that are functioning in the countries of Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
The DPRK for the past 60 years has passed along a very difficult and glorious path of defending its independence and self-reliance despite the hostile policy of the USA and its satellites.
Today, the DPRK is a highly developed industrial power, in possession of a nuclear weapon as the only real present restraining factor in providing a reliable defence capability for the country, in conditions of a deepening system crisis of imperialism on the whole, and the recession in the USA.
The Songun (Army first) policy implemented by the WPK makes it possible to find solutions to the most complex of tasks, which others would think impossible. The Songun policy means unity of the Army and people and that the revolution will triumph only with the presence of weapons. Songun politics, the basis of which was worked out by the Great Leader in the period of the anti-Japanese struggle, officially become the country’s state policy in January 1997. This policy provided not only the indestructible unity of society, but also the triumphant construction of socialism in extremely difficult for the DPRK foreign policy conditions. The Army watchfully stands guard on its native borders, constantly updating and modernizing its professional skills and introducing and mastering new types of weapons, as a threatening warning to any possible aggressor. The Korean People’s Army also takes an active part in socialist construction in the towns as well as in the countryside.
In Socialist Korea, a very respectful and extremely careful attitude dominates in relation to their cultural and national treasure and their own history. There are many museums and exhibitions of various themes. In the DPRK many beautiful memorials to the present epoch have been built and continue to be built – memorials for the future generations about the arduous struggle for the liberation of the country and the establishment of a new social-political system – socialism.
Korea is a wonderful country of “morning calm”, rich with surprisingly rare species of animals and plants together with beautiful and charming landscapes, blindingly wonderful waterfalls and wonderful views around the mountain peaks. Koreans love their country and carefully look after its beauty and are preserving it for the future generations. The beauty of the nature of the DPRK, the grandiose successes in socialist construction, attract many tourists to the DPRK.
Koreans live friendly, not just work, but also know how to rest well, singing their song “We do not envy anyone”.
Congratulating the heroic Korean people on the 60th Anniversary since the founding of the DPRK, we sincerely wish them further new successes in all spheres of various activity on the path towards a prosperous and powerful socialist power of a united Korean nation.
We congratulate on this famous date, the outstanding state and political activist of the modern epoch, the banner carrier of the struggle against imperialism in North East Asia, the worthy continuer of the cause of the Great Leader Comrade Kim IL Sung – the Great Kim Jong IL, and wish him new victories over American imperialism in the struggle for the cause of Socialism, for PEACE across the whole world, for INDEPENDENCE and SELF-RELIANCE of all peoples, who have chosen their own historical path of development.
Further information on the DPRK, its Constitution and the daily struggle against American imperialism, about the successes in socialist construction and our support of the policies in the DPRK, can be read on the website of the AUCPB http://www.vkpb.ru/ in the section- “Inside the countries of socialism” DPRK http://www.vkpb.ru/ (В странах социализма», КНДР.)
CHRONICAL OF THE CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA
10th November 1989, Soviet of People’s Deputies of South Ossetian Autonomous Region proclaims its autonomy within the makeup of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Georgia’s Supreme Soviet declared the demands of South Ossetia to be illegal. The first Georgia-Ossetian conflict begins and continues until January 1990.
20th September 1990, Supreme Soviet of South Ossetian Autonomous Region adopts Declaration on sovereignty, having proclaimed the South Ossetian Democratic Soviet Republic. Deputies turn to Moscow with a request for recognition of South Ossetia as a sovereign republic, entering the structure of the USSR.
10th December 1990, Georgia’s Supreme Soviet removes South Ossetian autonomy and declares the territory of South Ossetia as an administrative part of Georgia – the “Tkhinvali district”.
December 1990, start of the second Georgia-South Ossetia conflict, ending in July 1992.
19th January 1992, a referendum is held in South Ossetia over the unification of South and North Ossetia, and joining Russia (99% voted in favour of this). The referendum was not legally recognized by Georgia or Russia.
29th May 1992, South Ossetia’s Supreme Soviet adopts an Act on state independence.
24th June 1992, in Sochi (Dagomis) Russia’s president Boris Yeltsin, Chairman of the State Soviet of the Republic of Georgia, Edward Shevardnadze and representatives of South Ossetia sign an agreement on the principles of controlling the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. In accordance with this document, a mixture of Russian-Georgian-Ossetian peace-keeping forces entered the zone of conflict in July 1992. The number of Russian, Ossetian and Georgian peacekeepers per contingent was approximately 500 persons each.
In South Ossetia, the “purple helmets” are controlled by the Joint Control Commission (JCC), unifying Tbilisi, Tskhinvali, Vladikavkas and Moscow. For ending the mandate of the peacekeepers, agreement on this has to be reached by all four sides.
2nd November 1993, the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia (RSO) is adopted. The constitution of Georgia, adopted in 1995, left the question on the status of South Ossetia open.
30th November 1996, in the RSO, the first presidential elections were held. Lyudvig Chibirov became president. In December 2000, Russian-Georgian an inter-governmental agreement was signed on mutual aid in the restoration of the economy in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict and the return of refugees.
6th December 2001, Edward Kokoyty wins presidential elections in South Ossetia. In March 2002, Kokoyty sends an appeal to Moscow requesting recognition of the independence of South Ossetia, and take it into the makeup of Russia.
3rd December 2004, Presidential candidate for Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili declared that the year 2004, will be the final year that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not be taking part in Georgian elections.
The territory of South Ossetia until 1989 was 3900 sq. km. In 1990-1991, Georgian troops occupied and separated the Znaursky district and part of Leningorsky and Dzhavsky districts from South Ossetia.
The capital city is Tskhinvali.
The population stands at approximately 85 thousand, out of which, about 67% are Ossetians, 25% are Georgians and 7% are of other nationalities (2003). About 40 thousand refugees from South Ossetia are in North Ossetia. 95% of the population has Russian citizenship. A large part of the Georgian population has Georgian as well as Russian citizenship.
The political status of South Ossetia remains uncertain. The self-proclaimed republic has not been recognized by the world community, but officially Tbilisi believes South Ossetia to be the Tkhinvalsky district of Georgia, but in actual fact does not control it.
The majority of enterprises of South Ossetia are practically not working. Most money entering the budget comes from income from the Tran Caucasian highway, customs duties and migration fees. The absence of jobs fuels the low living standard of the population.
NEWSru.com
History of the question//Caucasus and Trans Caucasus//Georgia
Information gathered from sources of “Intergroom”, Russia’s largest information service.
THE WAR IN SOUTH OSSETIA:
THE ARMED FORCES OF THE CONFLICTING SIDES
Russia’s Armed Forces operating in the zone of conflict
Into the zone of conflict were brought in units of the 58th army of the North-Caucasian military district, a subdivision of the Pskovsky 76th Division of the VDV, and also Russian Spetznas (Special Forces).
The 58th army was formed in 1995 for defending Russia’s southern borders. The 70- thousand-strong army more than doubles the size of the Georgian armed forces. The army is made up of 609 tanks, nearly 2 thousand armored vehicles BMP and BTR, 125 mortars and weapons, 190 “Grad” units and 450 Zenith systems, 120 planes and 70 helicopters
The 76th Airborne-Parachute Chernigovsky Krasnoznamensky Division – is the oldest formation in the VDV. It was formed in 1939. It went through battles from the first to the last day of the Great Patriotic War (1941 -1944). In 1946, it was transformed from a motor-rifle to an airborne-parachute division. It is always on military alert. The coat of arms of Pskov lies on the emblem of the division where the units and headquarters of the 76 APD is stationed. The symbol of the division - is the northern panther, embodying strength, solidity and endurance.
The Armed Forces of South Ossetia
It is known that in the armed forces of the republic there are more than 20 T-55 tanks, approximately 100 BTR and BRDM armoured vehicles up to 20 artillery weapons, 6 “Grad” missiles and a number of mobile ZRK “Igla” and “Strela”.
Georgia’s armed forces
Georgia has been steadily increasing its military might over the past few years. Over the past 4 years, Georgia has increased its military spending by 30 times, spending up to 1 billion dollars a year, which explains Georgia’s striving to join NATO. According to official data by Russia’s Defence Ministry, over the past few years, Georgia had purchased 206 tanks, 186 armoured vehicles, 79 artillery weapons 25 helicopters, 70 mortars, 10 ZRK-s, 8 drones (UAV-a) for unmanned aerial reconnaissance. Georgia obtained a large number of weapons from the USA and NATO countries as well as Ukraine and Israel. At the beginning of this year, Georgia refused to buy Kalashnikov automatic rifle, preferring to buy US made M4 –s.
Georgia has equipped its airforce with Mi-24 helicopters, “Irokez”, ground attack planes Su-25T, Su-25 Scorpian, MiG-21, L-159 ALCA, An-2 and others.
Anti-aircraft troops have been equipped with ZRK “Strela-10” and S-125 (“Neva”), ZSU-23-4 “Shilka”.
The naval forces comprise of “Grif” torpedo and gun boats, patrol boats.
In the land troops, there are T55, T54 and T72 tanks and also various armoured vehicles – BMP, BRDM, BTP-70 and -80. There are various howitzers and mortars mainly produced in Czech Republic and more than 40 “Grad” missile systems.
There are more than 29 thousand service personnel in Georgia and more than 100 thousand reserves.
RIA “Rosbusiness consulting”
RESOLUTION BY THE AUCPB
Buro of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of Ukraine, Moldavia, Pridnestrovia
Having heard and debated the report by Secretary of the CC AUCPB Comrade A.A. Maevsky “Linking up Bolshevism with the workers’ movement”, the Buro of the CC AUCPB INSTRUCTS:
1. Local party organisations to carry the centre of gravity of Bolshevik work to labour and workers collectives, youth collectives, learning institutions, and where possible, to the military and other power structures.
With this aim in mind, they need to take the most active participation in the daily struggle of the working people for their rights. Leaflets have to be printed, expressing the demands and core interests of the working people: against the rise in food prices and payments, for an increase and timely payment of wages, grants, pensions, against the closure or privatization of enterprises etc, etc.
2. Organisations, working in the district centres, villages and hamlets directly connected with the life of agriculture workers, are to take an active part in their activity and struggle for their rights and daily needs. Leaflets with corresponding issues should be printed.
3. In the flow of this work, class consciousness needs to be instilled into the ranks of the fighting working class and other detachments of the working people, propaganda needs to be spread about our Bolshevik ideas and views, and explain the Program of the AUCPB and our party documents. With this aim, our Bolshevik press should be actively distributed along with leaflets, and the carrying out of verbal agitation-propaganda work. The work of the Buro of the CC AUCPB being carried out has to systematically reported to the editorial board of the newspaper “Raboche-Krestyanskaya Pravda” and material and photos from the localities, sent to the newspaper for publishing.
4. Every party organisation must create a library of Marxist-Leninist literature for the organizing of political study for members of the party and sympathizers.
12 July 2008,
City of Uman
Manik Mukherje speaks at an International Conference of workers at Friendship Hall, Khartoum, Sudan on August 3, 2008
Manik Mukherjee, General Secretary of International Anti-imperialist and People's Solidarity Coordinating Committee (IAPSCC) attended the programme on National Workers Day Celebration on invitation from the Sudan Workers Trade Union Front (SWTUF). The Conference started on August 3, 2008 with nearly 2000 delegates from 20 countries at the Friendship Hall, Khartoum.
The Text of Manik Mukherjee's Speech at the Conference is given below.
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Imperialists, Hands Off Sudan
Manik Mukherjee
General Secretary
International Anti-imperialist and
People’s Solidarity Coordinating Committee
(IAPSCC)
Brothers, Sisters, Friends,
I have come here to express the solidarity of the Indian people with the people of Sudan in their struggle against imperialist domination. India and Sudan suffered long under the yoke of the British rule, and both had to bear the agony of fratricidal bloodshed instigated by the imperialist rulers. We share your pain and are partners in your anti-imperialist struggle. Today the imperialist powers headed by USA are waging murderous wars against the people of the world. After bringing devastation to Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, they are now turning their attention to other countries like Sudan, Iran, Palestine, Lebanon etc.. Sudan is a country rich in natural resources, like oil, natural gas, uranium, copper etc., which are coveted by the imperialist powers. Sudan has therefore become a victim of the age-old intrigues and conspiracies of imperialists. It is a country with great ethnic diversity, but for centuries the various ethnic groups had intermarried and shared common cultural and religious traits. The British rulers followed their customary divide-and-rule policy to perpetuate their colonial rule and to keep the country poor, underdeveloped and weak. They fomented mistrust and division among the different ethnic groups. Because of their conspiracy and instigation, when they were finally forced to leave in 1956, the country plunged into a protracted civil war. The imperialist powers, principally Britain, France and USA, kept alive this internal conflict by playing off one group against the other.
The surge of anti-colonial movements in the post-Second-World-War period freed from foreign rule one country after another throughout the world, and in Africa too national governments were established in these countries. But the imperialist powers loathed to let the huge natural resources of the African countries go out of their control. So whenever the governmental policies showed any proclivity towards an independent course of development, or if the people’s movements took the slightest anti-capitalist stance, the imperialists pounced on them. They launched destabilization campaigns, counter-insurgency operations, outright military interventions, even military occupations, and mounted operations to bring about regime changes. We witnessed this in Congo, in Ghana, in Guinea-Bissau, in Angola, in Somalia and in a host of other countries. USA is in the forefront of these imperialist attacks. US-controlled financial institutions like IMF, World Bank, USAID try to strangle the economic development of the African countries and to keep them forever under imperialist domination. The rivalry between the imperialist powers has added to the tensions and conflicts in Africa.
Independent Sudan tried to follow a policy of development of its economic resources not guided by the imperialist dictates. It has not granted USA access to its oil resources, nor did it support the US-led war against Iraq and its subsequent occupation. This has infuriated USA and consequently it has long been trying to destabilize the country. In 1998 it even launched a missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant within Sudan on the plea that it was manufacturing chemical weapons. This allegation was proved to be false by an investigating team led by the former US Attorney General Mr. Ramsey Clark, who is now the President of our organization International Anti-imperialist and People’s Solidarity Coordinating Committee (IAPSCC). No reparations were given for this destruction which annihilated the facility that used to produce 60% of the available medicines in Sudan (Workers World Magazine, USA). The cornerstone of imperialist policy is to foment national and regional antagonisms, to instigate one group against the other and prop up one group in the conflict through financial and military aid. In Sudan this policy is very effectively implemented to create the civil war situation extending for nearly half a century. Sudan was devastated by the north versus south warfare; two million people are estimated to have been killed, many more millions were displaced; it shattered Sudan’s economy and led to food shortages resulting in starvation and malnutrition; health care and basic education became unavailable to vast sections of people. At last after protracted negotiations a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed at Nairobi in 2005, and the beleaguered Sudanese people started to look forward to a period of peace and reconciliation... But just when the first tentative steps for a peaceful solution to the problems were being taken, USA and its allies stoked the fire in Darfur.
The imperialists wrongly portray the civil conflict in Darfur as a racial one between the Arabs and the African Blacks. But as one commentator pointed out, “All parties involved in the Darfur conflict – whether they are referred to as ‘Arab’ or as ‘African’ -- are equally indigenous and equally Black. All are Muslim and all are local.” Prolonged drought, famine and poverty plunged the people in Darfur in dire straits, and there was a simmering discontent among the different groups on the sharing of the scanty resources. The imperialists fanned this up so that the resulting unrest and fighting would destabilize the Sudanese Government ‘unfriendly’ to them, and thereby facilitate their entry into Sudan. The sympathy and support of the capitalists in USA and Europe went to the rebel groups fighting the Sudan Government. They are militarily trained and aided and incited by the imperialist powers either directly or through regimes subservient to them. After instigating the internal conflict they are now crying hoarse about genocide in Darfur. The Western right wing organizations, the spokespersons of the capitalists, and even some confused liberal groups are raising the demands for external intervention to ‘save’ Darfur. U.S. and U.K. leaders like George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, John Bolton General Colin Powell, General Wesley Clark, Tony Blair, etc. have advocated intervention in Sudan to stop the ‘genocide’. We are seeing a pattern in the modus operandi of the imperialists. After instigating the civil wars and allowing them to continue through direct intervention and supporting one group against the other, they start talking about ‘war crimes’ and ‘crimes against humanity’, and demand that the perpetrators must be tried and punished. We witnessed it in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia. And everywhere such charges were leveled against that side which was most opposed to the imperialists. We see the same pattern in Sudan. The right wing groups in USA and Europe have launched a propaganda blitz to highlight the sufferings of the people in Darfur and are calling for direct military intervention and a permanent presence of Western powers in Sudan to monitor the situation. History has amply demonstrated that the so-called ‘peace-keeping’ forces sent for ‘humanitarian’ reasons are in reality deployed to further the imperialist interests, and not for peace and reconciliation. We should take lesson from what happened in Korea, in Congo, in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia.
In 2006 at the initiative of the African Union the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed by the Sudanese Government and the largest group of Darfur militants as a step to promote the process of healing and reconciliation. But imperialist interference is blocking the resolution of the conflict, and other groups enjoying the support of imperialist powers are keeping the conflict alive. At such a juncture the International Criminal Court (ICC), at the behest of the imperialist powers, started criminal proceedings against Sudanese leaders. In 2007 the ICC judges issued warrants against two high level Sudanese officials for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Recently on July 14 of this year ICC indicted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. We voice our strongest protest against this heinous move. We are happy that the African Union and the Arab League have opposed this ICC maneuver and we endorse the statement of the African Union that this prosecution threat would jeopardize the peace efforts in the Darfur region. All right thinking people view this action as an assault on the sovereignty of Sudan, and the Sudanese Government and the Sudanese people are justifiably firm in their resolve not to succumb to any political blackmail. The IAPSCC calls upon all the anti-imperialist people of the world to come out in solidarity with the Sudanese people in their fight against imperialism and help them to protect their sovereignty. We emphasize that the Sudanese people are the sole custodians of their country. It is they alone who chart out a course for tackling all their internal problems without any foreign interference or any external pressure. They have the sole right to investigate whether any violations of human rights have taken place and to judge and punish the perpetrators. Sudanese people do not need to be taught by the imperialists how to protect human rights. Let a call go from this platform to scrap the ICC indictment against President al-Bashir and demand instead that President George Bush and his cohorts be indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity for waging war against Iraq and Afghanistan and for the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Long live anti-imperialist struggle, long live solidarity of the people, imperialists, hands off Sudan.
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