Dear Comrades,

On behalf of the communists of Portugal, we convey to the communists of the United States of America the sincere and fraternal greeting of the Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), on the occasion of the 28th National Convention and to your difficult struggle in the very heart of the worlds greatest imperialist power.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the world socialist system, some fifteen years ago, brought about a fundamental change in the world balance of forces, which favored imperialism and reaction. Events since have shown beyond any doubt that capitalism is an exploitative and aggressive system that threatens peace, social progress, the national independence and freedom of the peoples. Throughout the world, the forces of imperialism and reaction seem to take advantage of the new balance of forces in the world to roll back social rights and achievements that have been won through hard decades-long social struggles, to increase exploitation and the oppression of the workers and peoples, to recolonizein old and new formsa large part of Humankind, so as to ensure the ever more voracious exploitation of their resources and their labour by the ruling classes of the imperialist powers. In particular, big business in the largest imperialist power of the planet, the USA, has embarked upon an offensive to impose its world hegemony by all meansnamely by military means. The Communist Party, USA (CPUSA) has always opposed, with courage and determination, this militarist and war- mongering offensive by US imperialism, which violates the rights and interest of the peoples of the world, including the people of the USA. Your Partys staunchly anti-imperialist stance is respected throughout the world.

Imperialisms offensive is also inevitably generating a growing resistance by the workers and peoples around the world, and is enhancing the contradictions of capitalism on a global scale. The Bush Administrations criminal military aggression against Iraq, which is based on a most shameless campaign of lies, is sinking into a quagmire in the face of the Iraqi peoples heroic resistance to the occupation of their country. This resistance is creating growing difficulties for the imperialisms plans for further aggression and war. The resistance of the peoples of Latin America against their countries plunders by big business and the economic policies at their service is growing. The recent victory of the No! votes in the referendums in France and the Netherlands on the so-called Constitutional Treaty for the European Union, which comes after major working-class struggles in many European countries, is another example of the peoples growing resistance to big capitals offensive against their social and economic rights, and opens the road to break with the process of transformation of the European Union into an imperialist and militarist bloc. Throughout the world there are ever more signs that a growing number of countries are increasingly seeking to assert their national rights against the diktats of imperialism.

In Portugal, the general elections last February marked the defeat of a right-wing government that had carried out a brutal anti-working class offensive. Our Party was strengthened in those elections. But it was the Socialist Party that most benefited from the will for change of millions of Portuguese men and women, winning for the first time an absolute majority in Parliament. A mere three months after taking office, the new Socialist Party government has already shown that it is at the service of the same class interests as previous government, having launched an extremely violent offensive against the rights and living standards of millions of Portuguese workers, operating a qualitative leap in the right-wing and anti-people policies that have been carried out by successive governments of the establishment parties throughout the past twenty-eight years. This offensive has been met by a firm response from workers and people. During the last month, there have been a growing number of strikes and demonstrations by public employees, teachers, public transportation workers and even police officers and agents of the security bodies. The PCP has played a fundamental role in all of these struggles, aware of the fact that only by strengthening the mass struggle will it be possible to change the balance of forces in our country and operate a radical transformation in Portugals political life. Of particular significance for us was the extraordinary popular participation in the funeral of our Partys former General Secretary, comrade lvaro Cunhal. This great farewell is an expression of the prestige of our comrade and of our Party, as well as of a will for change by our people.

Dear Comrades,

Despite the peoples growing resistance, there are real perils for Humankind as a result of imperialisms increasing militarism and aggressiveness, of the intensification of capitalist exploitation and of the attacks against the sovereignty and independence of the peoples. In this context, it is of the greatest urgency to strengthen the bonds of friendship, cooperation and solidarity between the communist and the revolutionary parties of the world, between all progressive and anti-imperialist forces, in the quest for common actions and ensure a stronger mass struggle that may block imperialisms designs of world domination. We are confident that the development of each peoples struggle and stronger internationalist solidarity may change the present world situation and re-open the path of social progress and peace, placing once again on the agenda the prospect of replacing the capitalist system, which is based on exploitation and oppression, by the socialist society.

In reiterating our best wishes of success to your National Convention and to your struggle, we affirm our willingness to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship, cooperation and solidarity between the CPUSA and the PCP.

Long live the 28th National Convention of the CPUSA!
Long live the friendship and solidarity between the CPUSA and the PCP!

Central Committee

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