A people that is fighting against war can loose the fight - peoples that are not fighting against war have already lost.

Thus the motto of our events.

The Federal Committee of the FDJ is more than happy that we have succeeded to invite a representative of the KNE, the Communist Youth of Greece for a tour of events in the FRG and in the annexed GDR. I am honoured to welcome comrade and friend Vasilis Tasoulas, member of the Central Council of the KNE.

For the third time in this century german troops are based on the Balkans. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is smashed one more time and smashed further by a so-called peace that Mr. Schröder, Scharping and Fischer have fought to get through by a plan document named after Fischer. They have fought it through against the competitors of german imperialism, especially against the USA. The very USA, that no bomb was too much and no cruise-missile was too expensive for in their attempt to put the german competitor back on its place. The occupation of a part of Yugoslavia is no peace. With the invasion of 8000 Bundeswehr soldiers into the South of Kosovo, peace cannot be achieved. This policy is the continuation of politics with other means. It is the continuation of a war that the FRG did not just start at the 24th of March 1999. It is a war on the new division of spheres of influence in the world that they have started when they broke peace in Europe by annecting the souvereign state GDR. A war, that The FRG and no-one else has started by acknowledging Slovenia and Croatia and thus smashing up Yugoslavia. The FRG wanted the splitting-up and wanted it by means of war right from the start - if all else failed to succeed. This war has thoroughly set back in their fight and destroyed the yugoslavian people as well as the movement of workers and of youth. The common aim of all states involved in the bombraids has been to clearly show all the peoples that resistance against imperialism and defence of even the smallest achievements in the fight for building up socialism is as useless as the victory over Hitler-fascism. Yugoslavia has been pressed into a decision wether to be suppressed as a powerless protectorate or to be bombed without mercy. The Balkans have become a military marching-up basis for the imperialist super powers and their armed troops. Whose power will now be stronger after the bombing? Who will win which loyals and who will be able to enlarge even more the dependance of neighbouring countries in a sense both economical and political? To name just one example: During last weeks« debates on the topic of its neutrality, Austria has already put its army in Yugoslavia under german command. This is an immense victory for german imperialism and a great defeat for the people of Austria. And here in this country: The workers and the people of the FRG did not stand up to fight against the war. It is a devastating defeat, especially for the youth. New attacks are threatening the peoples of Europe. For example Greece: Never since its being occupied by Hitler-fascism has Greece been attacked that aggressively by german imperialism as it is happening right now with german tanks in Kosovo near the border to Greece. But this enemy to the greek people, the german imperialism, is no longer just in front of the door. In Thessaloniki, the very same town the first Concentration Camp on greek ground was built in under the occupation of german Hitler-fascists, here, in the harbour of Thessaloniki, the german Bundeswehr tanks have been embarked. German tanks have been driving through the streets again, not at all caring about the resistance of the greek people. And very correctly and for even the last idiot here in the FRG to finally get the point, greek communists have painted the Bundeswehr tanks with the slogan: Killers go home!. This alone shows that we have to lead the fight against german imperialism in both countries together and that the mutual fight alongside greek comrades and friends is growing more and more vitally necessary. But what about the opinion of the majority on the territory of the annexed GDR? Public surveys confirm a significant split between East and West. 63 % voted for stopping the bombraids - in the West only 43 %. 48% voted against an involvement of the Bundeswehr - in the West only 25 %. 57 % considered the western military alliance«s involvement in Kosovo as a fatal mistake - in the West 24 % thought so. It seems amazing that the education for peace in the GDR still brings forth such fruit, even ten years after. But the opinion of the people in the GDR must not lead to lean back on the couch and accept the policy of the FRG gouvernment with more or less reluctance. Reluctance and dissent have to grow to active resistance and have to be carried out with full force on the streets.

With us never! Better to leave the FRG than to go into war! This is what the FDJ fights for on the territory of the annexed GDR. Right from the start we were protesting against the annexation of the GDR. Right from the start we were demonstrating against the expropriation and economical strangulation carried out by the FRG gouvernment. And now, ten years after, it is us who speak up for the keeping of at least the most minimal settlements of the 2+4-negotiations. For both the german states have signed and settled in 1990 in the 2+4-negotiations that only peace will come from german territory. May the imperialist competitors believe the wolf in sheep«s clothing, that is of little interest here. Still, it is a catastrophe that the people in both the german states are not willing to grow fully aware of what chancellor Kohl has put on official gouvernment«s record only a few months after, to be precise, on the 57th anniversary of Hitler«s taking power, on the 31st of January 1991: Germany has come to a close with its history, in the future it can openly admit to its role as a world power and it should expand this role.

So, would the german attack on Yugoslavia have taken place if the GDR still existed? The question is worth asking, and if the people in the former GDR would put their resentment against this war into action, they would help the people in the FRG in two ways: In any case the FRG in its limits and borders of the year 1989 would fall back again on its adequate status of being a secondary power, at least in the eyes of its competitors. Following that, the need to bomb back the pushing and aggressive german imperialism into the second row would not exist any more. Make the big and aggressive Germany two smaller ones again and peace can be saved. For this reason we painted the Berlin frontier wall and what is left of it with the slogan:

"This frontier prevented us from marching to war together against other peoples."

At the day of the election for the new president of the FRG, the 23rd of May, we also, members and friends of the FDJ from East and West stood and demonstrated alongside a thousand other people at the former state frontier in Berlin where one week later the question was asked on a huge banner high in the air above Brandenburger Tor:

"Has this frontier been torn down so that we go into war together against other peoples?"

The huge banner is now deconstructed, but the question is still in the air. And we, the FDJ will go on confronting as many people as possible in the FRG and in the annexed GDR with this very same question. We cannot choose the situation we are set into. Indeed we are in a different situation than the people of Greece. But that is not so important. For every fight in our country even with means that seem ineffective and weak, is a support for the fight of other peoples. And vice versa. And this is why we decided to get concrete and lifelike information today about the conditions and situation in Greece. With cunning, persistance and lots of courage the revolutionary powers in Greece, the KKE, the KNE and also great parts of the Trade Unions have called the poeple to the fight against the war and against the Simitis gouvernment led by Social Democrats. Their fight was not only centered against the war mongers in their own country but also against the war-leading powers USA, Great Britain, France and FRG. The greek people has started the struggle and will go on fighting. The facts we are about to hear tonight from Comrade Vasilis concerning these fights of progressive youth, students and Trade Unions in Greece against the war, will make us aware that:

These were mass actions on the streets, in the factories, in the Trade Unions and in the army, that also served for Greece not to be actively part of the military aggressions against Yugoslavia.

With this, dear Vasilis, you have the floor.