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World Jewish News
UN: Durban II won't be repeat of last conference
16.04.2009
Hate speech and ethnic insults will be barred at the United Nation's "Durban II" conference on fighting racism and intolerance next week, a UN spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The world body will not permit a repetition of scenes around a similar 2001 UN gathering in Durban when activist groups staged openly anti-Semitic marches and protests, spokeswoman Marie Heuze said.
"Definitely we will not allow what happened in Durban to happen here," said Heuze, head of public information at the UN's European headquarters where the summit will be held.
"While respecting freedom of speech, within the precincts of the United Nations we will be vigilant to prevent hate speech, verbal abuse and insults against people of different races and creeds," she said in an interview.
Many Jewish and pro-Israeli groups, largely from the United States, have called on Western governments, especially the U.S .administration of President Barack Obama, to boycott Durban II.
Canada and Israel have said for months they will stay away from Durban II, despite appeals from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay.
The United States and European countries have yet to decide whether to attend the gathering. UN officials say it will aim to get agreement on a plan to combat all racism that was agreed in 2001 but never implemented.
Western countries were fiercely opposed to parts of early drafts for a Durban II declaration that suggested Israel was driven by racism in its treatment of Palestinians, and included proposals to bar "defamation of religion".
But the latest version of the draft issued on Wednesday as negotiations moved to a close showed all references to Israel had been dropped as has the "defamation" bid, also by Islamic states.
"This is the positive outcome of insistence by Western countries that the wording some people wanted was just not acceptable to democracies," said the representative of one rights activist group who asked not to be named.
The U.S. Human Rights Network, a coalition of groups across the United States, said the changes to the draft should lead President Obama to send a team to Geneva to engage in dialogue "on methods and principles to end racism and xenophobia".
In the interview, Heuze noted the anti-Semitism at Durban I, which led the U.S. and Israeli delegations to leave, was voiced largely at and around a forum of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) outside the main conference.
In Geneva, NGO meetings in parallel with the main conference will be inside the headquarters where UN security has been increased and to which access will be through special passes.
Источник: Haaretz
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