No to NATO

To mark the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in early July, the DIE LINKE tabled a motion in parliament, "replace NATO with a collective system for peace and security in Europe, including Russia" to leave.

To reread this motion here in German: http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/18/086/1808656.pdf

and here in English: http://www.wolfgang-gehrcke.de/de/article/1552.replacing-nato-with-a-collective-system-for-peace-and-security-in-europe-which-includes-russia.html

War, for the German left party DIE LINKE, can never be looked upon as a political instrument. That is why we call for the dissolution of NATO and its replacement by a collective security system also including Russia, which views disarmament as a central goal!

All other parties in the Bundestag have supported the NATO alliance for political reasons and have practically declared any criticism of NATO to be taboo. NATO is thus granted as privileged a position as that of the United Nations.

In signing this petition you can register your support for this motion submitted to the German Bundestag.

The debate on this appeal to the German Bundestag has been scheduled for one day before the start, in Warsaw, of this year’s NATO summit meeting. It will take place only shortly after several NATO manoeuvres were held in Eastern Europe, like "Anaconda”, in which over 25,000 soldiers were involved. Extremely dangerous manoeuvres of this kind are a legitimate cause for earnest concern. This appeal by the Left Party DIE LINKE, therefore, must be seen as one part of the peace-promoting activities planned to precede and accompany the NATO summit in Warsaw.

This appeal by the Left Party introduces a key demand of the peace movement into the Bundestag and into the sphere of public debate. Discussion of the contents of this motion on July 7 will represent the first time that the dissolution of the military structures of NATO will be opened to public debate. Alone the fact that this question will be on the agenda of the German Bundestag can stimulate discussion on war and peace in our whole society and might well grant it renewed dynamism and vigor.

That is why your support for this petition and any assistance you can grant in further circulating it are now of such very great importance.