Former military officers fighting for peace

On May 7, 2004 the Greek Committee for International Peace and Détente (EEDYE), in cooperation with the “Movement for the national defense” held a public meeting on the subject “Armed forces and world peace and security”. The initiative took place in the framework of the “Peace Olympics” campaign and the World Peace Council Assembly.

The meeting dealt with questions related to the armed forces in the context of the imperialist new order: the new aggressive doctrines and tasks of armed forces, the mercenary armies, the new structure of the armed forces and the armaments race, NATO, euro-army and the doctrine of preemptive wars, rapid deployment forces, as well as the role and the responsibilities of the militaries and retired army officers in the struggle for peace and democratic rights.

The meeting was attended by representatives of social organizations, peace committees, unionists, officers and retired officers of the armed forces, as well as by delegates of associations of retired officers and representatives of peace movements from abroad.

Keynote speeches and contributions were made by Tzovlas N (retired Lieutenant War Navy, Greece), Dimou D (Greece, retired Lieutenant-General, Honorary Chief of the General Staff of National Guard of Cyprus and Army Commander), Alevromageiros D (Greece, retired Lieutenant-General, Honorary Inspector General of the Army), Antonio Pessoa (Portugal, retired Colonel), Kopyshev Evgeny (Russia, retired Air Force Lieutenant General), Elmar Schmaehling (Germany, retired Admiral), Herbert Bernig (former GDR, retired Rear-admiral) and Kiril Maznef (Bulgaria, retired Brigadier)

In the meeting, and on the eve of the anniversary of the antifascist victory of the people, was launched the initiative “FORMER MILITARY OFFICERS SPEAK” with the publication of an appeal (it is attached below) that has already been endorsed by tens of retired officers from different countries.

Among the first signatures there are 222 coming from Bulgaria, 57 from Germany, 45 from Russia, 14 from Hungary,18 from Greece, 9 from Turkey, 9 from Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6 from Ukraine, 6 from Portugal, and 5 from Czech Republic.

For further information, new endorsements, signatures etc you may contact
EEDYE (eedye@otenet.gr) and the “Movement for the National Defense” (a.kakkaras@stt.aegean.gr ).

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We have served in our countries’ armed forces, in which we underwent training and prepared for warfare for decades. We therefore know well what force can be-and is-used to impose the will of the stronger over others. Many of us have seen from within the role played by offensive coalitions such as NATO. We clearly see the distortions caused in the armed forces by the new doctrines and by the deployment of troops outside of their own countries into war zones as imposed by the regulators of the new world order. After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact we had hoped that NATO would also dissolve and that the huge allocations for armaments would be channeled into healthcare, welfare, education and to meet other needs of our peoples.

Out of love for our homelands, for civilization and the history of countries, and out of deep belief in the ideals of freedom and justice, aware that without independence and peace the peoples cannot make progress,

We profess our concern and disagreement

•  With the wars being unleashed by the leaderships of the USA and its allies on peoples and states that refuse subservience and the exploitation of their countries’ wealth and their own labor by foreigners.
•  With our governments’ support for the aggressors, the provision of facilities, the participation in operations against third parties to confront supposed threats that exist, are invented or are provoked by the attackers.
•  With the successive arms buildups which are supposedly necessary in order to keep stocks up to date, whereas they actually serve the needs of the arms manufacturers, traders and middlemen and are for the implementation of the new doctrines and missions of the USA and NATO within the framework of their plans for global domination.
•  With the way our peoples’ human rights and liberties being violated and crushed through legislation and action imposed on them. We note that the human rights of peoples are being crushed in those countries where their leaders are terrorizing the entire world by means of the operations and wars they unleash.
•  With the centrally controlled reorganizing of the armed forces of NATO member-countries, which is not being undertaken in order to improve their own defense but rather so that the NATO administration, that is the US power team, can manage and exploit these forces. It is not accidental that the same thing is gradually happening with the armed forces of the countries in the so-called “partnership for peace” (PFP), which are being brought into NATO in stages.
•  With the way the new NATO doctrine is being identified with that of the European Union and those organizations’ member states. It is this doctrine, which aims for and implements the objectives of the new world order through the use of our countries’ armed forces.
•  With the way the nightmare of nuclear weaponry is being brought back, with the militarization of space and with the monopolization of terror by the superpower with its imperialist world ruling practices.
•  With the hypocritical “Olympic truce” with its limited duration, the goal of which is not a LASTING PEACE, which every simple person desires, and struggles for, but rather for the trade fair called the Olympic Games to be carried out in Greece.

To Confront All The Aforesaid We Appeal

•  To the United Nations
•  The peace-loving people
•  To our colleagues now serving and to former military personnel in all countries and mainly
•  To those being used by the new world order to impose its will through use of force