Peace Forum

THE sharply stepped-up aggressiveness of U.S. imperialism marks the present international situation. The invaders' bombs are exploding on the territory of North Viet-Nam, and in the Congo, Angola and Kalimantan the colonialists are committing their crimes, in an effort to suppress the peoples' just struggle for national liberation and a new life. The United States has intervened in the affairs of the Dominican people. The clouds of war are thickening over Laos. Tensions are mounting in Europe, where the Bonn militarists are clamouring for nuclear weapons.

For all these reasons there is today a greater need than ever before to strengthen the unity of all the peace-loving forces in the struggle for peace, normalisation of relations between all nations, and the freedom and national independence of peoples still under the colonial yoke. That was the idea uppermost at the last World Congress for Peace, National Independence and General Disarmament, which met in Helsinki in July.

It was convened at a time when there was a real possibility and need for launching concrete joint action by the various political forces, sections of progressive world opinion, and representatives of the peoples of all peace-loving countries in the struggle for peace and disarmament, and against the gambles of international imperialism. "Peace, national independence and disarmament," says a message sent to the Congress by Soviet Prime Minister A. Kosygin, "are problems for whose solution no efforts should be spared."

The Congress opened at the Helsinki House of Culture on July 10. Nearly 1,500 delegates and many guests from the four corners of the world gathered at this representative forum.

Chairman of the Finnish Preparatory Committee of the World Congress, Deputy of the Finnish Parliament, V. Svinhuvud, welcomed the assembly on behalf of Finnish peace fighters. He said: "Finnish peace fighters are happy that the World Peace Council has chosen Helsinki for the peace forum. Finland's peace-loving ...