Declaration of International Peace Conference - Antioch, 2012

Antioch, Turkey

24-25 November 2012

The International Peace Conference held in the city of Antioch of Turkey by the initiative of the Peace Association of Turkey under the auspices of the World Peace Council reaffirms that the recent events that occurred in the Middle East is a threat to the region and to the world peace, and calls upon all the peace loving people to stand side by side for peace and to act with solidarity against imperialism which is the main source of war threat.

The policies against Syria is a crime. The name of this crime is nothing else but international terrorism under imperialist guidance. Our Conference held to a few kilometers away from the Syrian border underlines that it is the sole right of the Syrian people to determine their future and leadership and denounces any foreign military and political interference in this country.

Foreign military interference aims to intimidate the public masses by means of terrorist actions targeting fellow citizens. USA, EU,NATO, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the blameworthy powers backing these policies causing increasing brutality everyday. Our conference convened in Turkey demands from the AKP government to stop interfering in the domestic affairs of Syria immediately.

We express our solidarity with Syrian people who do not surrender before imperialism and reaction under the intense terrorist attacks.

We demand that Syria-Turkey border to be controlled for terrorist infiltration, that the armed crossing to be blocked, and that the government to stop the policies of supporting, financing, arming and sheltering the terrorists.

The majority of Syrian people taking refuge in Turkey are civilians escaping the destruction and threats of war and even many of them are the relatives of citizens of Turkey. It is an urgent necessity to put an end to exploiting these people as instruments in tensions, to carry away the refugee camps away from the border regions in accordance with the international law and to humanize their living conditions.

On the other hand, the violent actions of the armed mercenaries counted in several thousands must be prohibited and they must be prosecuted. There has been no clear evidence of Syrian government’s role in the mortar bombs that hit Hatay and Şanlıurfa provinces of Turkey which killed and injured citizens living there. Considering this, the bombardment of Syrian territories by Turkish Armed Forces is unacceptable. It is obvious that in practice these bombardments mean an explicit and direct support for the mercenaries of Free Syrian Army fighting against Syrian government forces. The aggression of Turkish Army which supports a wide margin of movement for these terrorists must be ceased immediately. Turkey must withdraw from this undeclared war she is currently in.

Imperialism is trying to keep its hands clean by avoiding direct invasion once again and rathers prefers to make use of “subcontractors”. This fire also threatens the countries which are used for these policies. All the peoples of the region react against the aggressive foreign policy of AKP government against Syria. The strategy for building a new Middle East based on religious axis is inciting the tensions between groups from different religious, ethical origin. The ongoing capitalist restructuring in the region aims the dissolution of secular states and building Islamic states in accordance with imperialism.

Our conference calls upon the peoples of this region to end this game.

Our International Peace Conference in Antioch states that the increasing armament in the region motivated by threat of war is a trap and that this armament will only increase the potential of war threat.

The initiative for deployment of Patriot missiles requested by Turkish government and discussed in the context of a new NATO base in Diyarbakir must be cancelled.

The missile shield established in Kurecik, district of Malatya which makes Turkey a key target must be deactivated.

The NATO military base located in Incirlik - Adana which has been used in several occasions against Middle East must be closed.
The other burning point in the region is Palestine. The apartheid and fundamentalist state of Israel has been occupying the Palestine territories for decades and is the main responsible for the shedding blood in Gaza. Our conference reaffirms support and solidarity with the Palestinian people, for immediate ending of Israeli attacks and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Furthermore, we demand the right to return for Palestinian refugees, based on UNGA Resolution 194, and the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The public opinion in Turkey is filled with great anger against the recent Israeli attacks. We, in the name of peace loving people of the world condemn the recent and ongoing military policies and attacks of Israel and express our solidarity with the struggle of Palestinian people.

The peace organizations and peace lovers gathered in Antioch observe that people of Turkey in general and specifically people living in Antioch do adamantly oppose the militaristic policies. Our conference clearly states that people in the region who have suffered heavy losses from the winds of war by means of economic collapse, unemployment, risk of migration, deaths and injuries are not alone in their determinate attitude for peace.

Long live peace, long live the fraternity of the peoples
Down with war, down with imperialism and reactionism

World Peace Council (WPC)
International Action for Liberation (INTAL), Belgium
Cyprus Peace Council (CPC)
Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE)
All India Peace and Solidarity Organization (AIPSO)
Palestinian Committee for Peace and Solidarity (PCPS)
Turkey, Peace Association

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