Livni lauds U.S. boycott of UN racism conference

Livni lauds U.S. boycott of UN racism conference
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Shlomo Shamir and Barak Ravid

After weeks of tension in Israel and protests by several Jewish organizations in the United States over the Obama administration's decision to participate in the preliminary talks for the United Nations conference on racism in Geneva in April, the State Department officially said on Friday it would not participate in Durban II.

"Our delegates met with over 30 delegations, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and other interested parties. In addition, the Department consulted with many governments in capitals regarding our effort. The engagement by the U.S. delegation was widely welcomed and appreciated," acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement Friday explaining the administration's position. Advertisement


"Sadly, however, the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse, and the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable. As a result, the United States will not engage in further negotiations on this text, nor will we participate in a conference based on this text. A conference based on this text would be a missed opportunity to speak clearly about the persistent problem of racism," Wood continued.

"The U.S. believes any viable text for the Review Conference must be shortened and not reaffirm in toto the flawed 2001 Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA)," Wood said. "It must not single out any one country or conflict, nor embrace the troubling concept of 'defamation of religion.' The U.S. also believes an acceptable document should not go further than the DDPA on the issue of reparations for slavery. We will observe developments in Geneva and in capitals to see if such an outcome emerges. We would be prepared to re-engage if a document that meets these criteria becomes the basis for deliberations."

In the same statement the State Department confirmed the participation of the U.S. in the UN Human Rights Council later this month. "... [We] share the concerns of many that the Council's trajectory is disturbing, that it needs fundamental change to do more to promote and protect the human rights of people around the world, and that it should end its repeated and unbalanced criticisms of Israel. We believe, however, it furthers our interests and will do more both to achieve these ends and advance human rights if we are part of the conversation and present at the Council's proceedings."

"Durban II is a cynical conference that is entirely anti-Semitic and anti-Israel under the guise of combating racism," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in response to the State Department announcement. "The U.S. government's decision is a genuine, courageous expression of its values as the leader of the free world, and this decision needs to point the way for other countries that share those same values."

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC said in a statement: "President Obama's decision not to send U.S. representation to the April event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings."

"As feared, it has become increasingly clear that the only purpose of the Durban conference is to condemn the State of Israel for its very existence," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of United Jewish Communities' Washington office.

"President Obama is absolutely correct in refusing to participate in this sham. Israel is one of our nation's closest allies, and we commend the President for recognizing the need to remove America's name from these efforts to soil the name of Israel and Jews across the globe. We are hopeful that other countries will follow our lead by refusing to give credibility to this shameful fear mongering and anti-Semitic effort," Daroff said.

It is thought that certain European Union member states could follow Washington's lead and skip Durban II, although senior European diplomats at UN headquarters in New York are doubtful that the EU as a body will boycott the conference.

"I don't expect much from the EU in terms of solidarity with the U.S.," a senior Western diplomat told Haaretz over the weekend, "but a few EU states will feel very uncomfortable in remaining completely indifferent to the American move."

Canada has also announced its boycott of the April meeting, together with Israel and the U.S.

UN sources said that Iran and Syria led the uncompromising position against the U.S. with regard to the text of the draft outcome document being negotiated ahead of the conference. Diplomats in New York said that Israel has been very careful not to appear to be actively attempting to influence the American position regarding the conference.
livni, the ethnic german jewish WHORE!