Brussels, 06/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - In a letter addressed to Messrs Benatoff and Bronfman, Presidents of the World Jewish Congress and the European Jewish Congress respectively, Romano Prodi points out that their attitude toward the Commission forces him to "suspend preparations" for the seminar on anti-semitism scheduled to be held in February. In answer to criticism by the two presidents in The Financial Times on Monday on the fact that the report commissioned by the Vienna Observatory on Antisemitism in Europe was not published (see EUROPE of 3 December, p.6) and that the results of the poll indicating that most Europeans see Israel as a danger for peace was published (EUROPE of 5 November, p.4), the President of the Commission states: "I cannot believe you wrote that the Commission censured the report, since you know perfectly well that the Vienna Observatory is an independent institution (…). I cannot believe that you accused the Commission for being 'politically motivated' when publishing the results of the Eurobarometer survey after what I had explained to you at a meeting we held in New York the same day as it was published." This said, Mr Prodi trusts that the two officials will create "the conditions to resume, as soon as possible, a dialogue that is as fruitful as it is indispensable".
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini hoped the meeting foreseen in Brussels in February would be finally confirmed.