Commission attends “Durban II”, despite division

Brussels, 20/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 20 April, the European Commission confirmed it would be attending the UN conference on racism, “Durban II”, to be held from 20-24 April, in Geneva. “The Commission attends the conference as an observer. In doing so, the Commission takes the view that the EU 'red lines' for the negotiations of the outcome document have been preserved”, said Christiane Hohmann, spokeswoman for External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. “This text is not ideal and clearly represents a compromise, being the result of complex negotiations”, she said during a press conference. “Several member states have decided unilaterally to withdraw from the conference. However, a strong majority of EU member states (i.e. 23 out of 27) have decided to remain engaged”, Ms Hohmann added. Germany, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands will not attend the conference, taking the view that the draft final declaration does not sufficiently respect the red lines fixed by the EU concerning the stigmatisation of Israel and the defamation of religions. “It is essential to emphasise that no language on defamation of religion, of anti-semitic nature or targeting specific countries or regions of the world, is included in the draft outcome document that is now before the Review Conference”, the spokeswoman said. Without citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is known for his anti-Semitic stances, she said that “during the conference there is a risk of attempts to hijack the attention of the international community to other questions that are absolutely disconnected with human rights law and with the theme of the fight against racism”. “We will firmly react to any unacceptable statements during the conference”, she went on to say. Several hours after these declarations, in Geneva, the delegations of EU countries left the room during the speech by the Iranian president, who, with his very first words, criticised the establishment of a “racist government” in the Middle East after 1945, clearly alluding to Israel. (B.C./transl.jl)