TOP STORIES DEBKAfile Special Report April 19, 2009, 1:19 PM (GMT+02:00) Swiss president Hans Rudolf Merz More world nations decided to stay away from the UN World Conference against Racism opening in Geneva April 20 as Holland joined the US-Canada-Australia-Italy-Sweden-Israel boycott. It is the follow-up to Durban I of 2001, from which the US and Israeli delegates walked out over its anti-Israel, anti-Semitic content. Yet the text prepared for second session reaffirms the language of the first. Guest of honor Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has scheduled a press conference for Monday, the eve of Israel's annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jerusalem has asked Swiss president Hans Rudolf Merz not to shake the hand of this "Holocaust denier, exporter of terrorism and anti-Semitism," whom he has arranged to meet Sunday evening. In regretfully announcing US absence from the Geneva event, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said that while some progress had been made in crafting a more acceptable conference document, "The text still contains language that reaffirms in toto the Durban Declaration from 2001… [It] singles out one particular conflict and prejudges key issues that can only be resolved in negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The US also has serious concerns about relatively new additions… regarding 'incitement' which run counter to the US commitment to unfettered free speech." Explaining its absence, Canada has said it is "interested in combating racism, not promoting it," and Italy condemned its "aggressive and anti-Semitic statements." Durban II intends to criminalize any “defamation of Islam” based on a Pakistani proposal that only mentions Islam by name and ignores the other religions of the world such as Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and, of course, Judaism. In walking out of the original conference in 2001, the then secretary of state Colin Powell said: "… you do not combat racism by hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of Zionism equals racism, support the idea that we have made too much of the Holocaust or suggest that apartheid exists in Israel or that single out only one country in the world – Israel – for censure and abuse." Black U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Democrat) said the Black Caucus, which she heads, was “deeply dismayed” at the decision to boycott Durban II. She explained that this would make it more difficult for Washington to influence the UN Human Rights Council. Washington has taken steps to join the controversial body which is dominated by states under fire for human rights violations. On the other hand, pro-Israeli and freedom of speech groups will hold protests against the Geneva conference. A noon rally will be led by Rep. Scott Garret (R-N.J.). Garret, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R.-Fla.), and Rep. Dough Lamborn (R.-Colo.) have co-sponsored legislation to prohibit US funding for any follow-up events of Durban I. DEBKAfile Special Report April 19, 2009, 11:40 AM (GMT+02:00) Roxana Suberi condemend to eight years in Iranian jail In the course of opening up US relations with Iran, the Obama administration was confronted April 18 with an unforeseen obstacle: A Tehran court convicted the US-born American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi of spying for the US and sentenced the 31-year old to eight years in jail. DEBKAfile's Iranian sources explain the timing of the Saberi case as an attempt by wildly anti-US elements inside Tehran's power structure, possibly in the Revolutionary Guards Corps and clergy, to choke off an Iranian-US rapprochement.
Holland joins US-Canada-Australia-Italy-Sweden-Israel boycott of anti-racism conference
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Sunday 19 April 2009
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