Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Greek anti-imperialist movement calls for action against USA-Greece military agreement

In a statement issued this week the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) announces that it will undertake initiatives and organize mobilizations against the "Greece-USA Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement". 

Under the slogan "NO TO BASES, NO TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS", EEDYE calls the people's movement to stand against the dangerous imperialist plans in the region, focusing on the upcoming visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Athens in the beginning of October.

The statement writes:

"The dangers created by the "Greece-USA Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement" for our people and the involvement of our country in imperialist plans, wars and interventions are immense for our people. EEDYE says:

 No to the bases and nuclear weapons.
 Denounce the "Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement".
— Close down the Souda base and the other US-NATO bases.
— No participation of the Greek Armed Forces in imperialist missions abroad.
— Disengagement from NATO and the EU.

The government of New Democracy (ND) vigorously procceeds to the implementation of what has been agreed in the "Strategic Dialogue" between Greece and the U.S, which began by the SYRIZA government on December 2018, especially focusing on the broadening of the so-called "military cooperation". After the first round which took place in Washington,  they are now preparing the second one which will take place in Athens in the beginning of October, apparently with the participation of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."

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The statement of EEDYE points out that a significant part of the "Strategic Dialogue" is the radical review of the "Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement - MDCA" of 1990, also known as the "Agreement for the bases", which aims to be adjusted to today's increased needs of U.S-NATO and the escalation of their confrontation with other imperialist centers and states".

EEDYE underlines that the plan is the extention of the U.S-Greece MDCA for 8 or 10 years, instead of the annual renewal. It also stresses out that focus points for the U.S. are, among others: the expansion of the capability of the Souda base in Crete, the Larissa Air Base which hosts U.S. drones, the Air Base at Stefanovikio, close to the city of Volos and the port of Alexandroupolis which has a pivotal role for the U.S. plans in the Balkans, East Europe and the Black Sea. Significant is also the role of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps (NRDC-GR) headquarters in Thessaloniki which has been "upgraded as a center of chemical and electronic warfare, being capable to store weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and nuclear ones". 

EEDYE has already started the collection of signatures against the U.S.-Greece MDCA and will proceed to mobilizations in the upcoming weeks.