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Holocaust Denial Yes, Clown Noses No
Posted April 21, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Reports from Geneva
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Durban, European Union of Jewish Students, United Nations
Being a head of state has its privileges. One is the ability to commandeer a global podium and say whatever you want.
If you’re an NGO, not so much. The European Union of Jewish Students, and perhaps other Jewish student groups, have lost their accreditation to the Durban Review Conference for standing up to Ahmadinejad in the corridors of the Palais des Nations yesterday. (The now-famous clowns who protested in the assembly hall were actually from the French Union of Jewish Students, but that distinction seems to have been lost on the conference secretariat.)
Signs, placards, and costumes are apparently against UN rules. Of course, so is calling for the eradication of another member state, but no one seems particularly eager to enforce that one.
Czechs Leave With Mates
Posted April 21, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Breaking News, Government Positions
Tags: Common foreign policy, Czech Republic, EU Presidency, European Union
The Czech Republic, having seen Ahmadinejad take the floor yesterday, has had enough of the Durban Review Conference.
This is significant, at the Czech Republic holds the EU Presidency, and had previously suggested it would therefore continue to participate as long as other European countries did. This is a rare and total splintering of the European consensus at the UN, especially in Geneva. Five member states, including the Presidency, have left their counterparts behind.
The Walkout
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Uncategorized
Here’s the moment that dozens of delegates walked out of Ahmadinejad’s speech. Note the wild cheering as well.
Mahmoud’s Day in the Spotlight
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Breaking News, Commentaries, Reports from Geneva
Tags: Durban, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, protests
The bad news:
- Ahmadinejad still thinks that Israel shouldn’t exist, and that the world should urgently act to eradicate it. These views led at least a handful of delegates to applaud.
- He was allowed to speak first at the general debate — “to accomodate the schedules of visiting dignitaries,” wink, wink — making him into a keynoter of sorts.
The good news:
- He was greeted by hundreds of protestors.
- Most or all of Europe — and, reportedly, Morocco — walked out. And his speech was roundly condemned as the nasty bit of hate-mongering that it was.
EU Walkout
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Uncategorized
There was a walkout of what appears to have been all the EU participants when Ahmadinejad got to the particularly nasty segment of his speech.
or not…
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Uncategorized
There’s no translation in the overflow room.Farsi, anyone?
Blogging Mahmoud in Geneva
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Uncategorized
313 PM – The presiding diplomat mispronounces Ahmadinejad’s name in introductions, drawing a derisive laugh in the gallery.
3:15 – Of course, Ahmadinejad gets a polite introduction.
What Durban II Should Have Been…
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Reports from Geneva
Tags: AIDS, Asfraf El Hagog, Durban, Libya, Palestinian
Kudos to the crowd over at AJC’s UN Watch, which was a key part of the diverse coalition that put together yesterday’s Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance, and Democracy — a gathering of dissidents and human rights activists speaking out for dispossessed minorities around the world.
Among the key speakers: Ashraf El Hagog, the Palestinian doctor who was imprisoned, tortured, and sentenced to death in Libya for supposedly infecting children with AIDS. UN Watch had previously brought him in to speak at the UN — and this happened.
Also, check out Zvika Krieger’s reflections over at The New Republic.
Dominos Keep Falling: Poland, New Zealand Out
Posted April 20, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: AJC on Durban II, Breaking News, Government Positions
Tags: Durban, Helen Clark, New Zealand, Poland, Radek Sikorski
Two more countries have withdrawn from the Durban Review Conference — Poland and New Zealand. Report on Poland is here from Le Figaro (in French).
Nations of Good Will Must Turn their Backs
Posted April 19, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: AJC on Durban II, Breaking News, Government Positions
The author of these words will be addressing the Durban Review Conference tomorrow:
“Zionists have dominated the main media and monetary centers of the world to plunder nations by threats, smearing campaign and psychological war.Today the behavior of U.S. officials and Europe’s parties and governments are dominated by Zionists. They have monetary and financial systems of the world and have kept nations in poverty and direct their money and fortune to their pockets.”
Yep, it’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, helpfully parsing the main themes of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Enabling this racist to appropriate an anti-racist forum is perhaps the ultimate farce. Which is why AJC today reiterated its call for all “nations of good will” to withdraw entirely from the conference; those states who do attend are urged to instruct their representatives to leave the hall when Ahmadinejad delivers his rant. Read the full statement here.
The US, Australia, The Netherlands: Farewell Durban Review
Posted April 19, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: AJC on Durban II, Breaking News, Government Positions
It’s been a momentous twenty-four hours. The US announced it was pulling out the Durban Review Conference, swiftly followed by The Netherlands and Australia.
“We applaud the principled stance of the United States,” said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris of the US statement. “The Obama Administration correctly concluded that the reaffirmation of the 2001 Durban Declaration in the final declaration effectively singles out Israel for condemnation. That is an outrage.” Read AJC’s statement in full here.
“We know that this choice was difficult, given the Australian government’s deep commitment to racial equality,” said Harris of the Australian decision. “It’s still more proof that the UN’s relentless obsession with one country obstructs the real struggle for justice and human rights.” More here.
In a letter to Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, AJC wrote: “Throughout the Durban preparatory process, you have been steadfast in your view that the Netherlands will not accept the unjustified singling out of any country, and will not allow democratic values to be trampled upon in service of a particular political agenda. Today, you courageously acted upon these commitments.” Read the full letter here.
The Blind Man and the Elephant
Posted April 14, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Government Positions
The State Department issued a Durban statement yesterday afternoon. Full text below. What does it mean? Well, Reuters says, “U.S. Hints It Might Attend Racism Meeting in Geneva.” The Washington Post, on the other hand, declares, “U.S. Appears Set to Boycott UN Session on Racism.” What gives?
From U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood:
“The United States welcomes the recent progress that has been made through the efforts of many delegations, governments and officials in the formulation of the draft outcome document for the Durban Review Conference on April 20. As the United States noted on February 27, the previous draft text contained objectionable language in several areas. Since then, substantial improvements have been made, including shortening the document, removing all language that singled out any one country or conflict, and removing language that embraced the concept of “defamation of religion” and that demanded reparations for slavery. We commend those who have worked to effect these changes.
“There remain, however, elements of the current draft text that continue to pose significant concerns. 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). In addition, while references to “defamation of religion” have been removed from the current draft text, we cannot support restrictions on freedom of expression that could result from some of the document’s language related to “incitement” to religious hatred — a concept that the United States believes should be narrow and clearly defined and made consistent with human rights obligations ensuring freedom of expression.
“We appreciate that many delegations continue to work hard in good will to improve the current text. We hope that these remaining concerns will be addressed, so that the United States can re-engage the conference process with the hope of arriving at a Conference document that we can support.
Mahmoud’s Traveling Circus…
Posted April 13, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Breaking News
Tags: Ahmadinejad, anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, Iran, Zionism
… comes to Geneva. Iranian President Ahmadinejad will attend the Durban Review Conference.
Suprising, in a way. After all, Geneva is a central hub for multinational corporations and international finance, and, as the president has previously reminded us, “Although they are a minuscule minority, Zionists have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries ….”
On a serious note, this does not bode well for the overall level of calm, seriousness, or focus on the actual subject of racism next week.
Australia ‘Unlikely’ to Attend
Posted April 13, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Breaking News, Government Positions
Australian FM Stephen Smith puts it rather plainly: “Frankly, unless something qualitatively changes or something qualitatively different occurs, it is most unlikely that Australia will attend the Durban Review Conference in Geneva.” (From Xinhua news.)
This is perhaps the clearest indication yet of Australia’s intentions. Though, it must be said, the Conference’s opening gavel is less than a week away. At what point — if only for logistical reasons — do threats of non-attendance need to begin to be realized? (Heck, if anyone’s going to show up from Canberra, don’t they practically have to leave tomorrow?)
Outreach from Pillay’s Office
Posted April 7, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Uncategorized
Tags: Durban, Navanethem Pillay, UN
In what seems like fairly unusual outreach, representatives in New York of the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights pledge that Durban II will be a “celebration of tolerance.” They also assert that there’s nothing accusing Israel of racist practices in the current document … well, except for that pesky reaffirmation of the 2001 document that accuses Israel of racist practices.
Pillay: Don’t Bring Back the Israel-Bashing
Posted April 2, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Breaking News
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who previously accused an unnamed “lobby” of trying to undermine the Durban conference out of concern for “narrow interests,” is now spreading the blame around. She says she fears that countries may try to re-insert the extreme anti-Israel language that has been removed from the Durban draft.
On the one hand, it’s good that the High Commissioner wants to avoid this. On the other hand, if she’s spooked, it probably doesn’t bode well for where things are headed.
AJC Durban Dispatch 
So, What Happened?
Posted April 22, 2009 by ajcmediaCategories: Commentaries
Zvika Krieger, who’s part of the AJC ACCESS delegation here in Geneva, opines at TNR that the Durban Review Conference has actually been a relative non-event.
The conference is ongoing, but, with the conference declaration passed and the drama of walkouts subsided, there is a definite sense of anti-climax.
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