AJC Praises Germany for Decision to Skip "Durban 3"

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Sep 02, 2011, 01:33 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC praised Germany for withdrawing from this month's tenth anniversary commemoration of the UN World Conference on Racism. The event, known as Durban 3, will take place at the UN in New York on September 22.

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"We welcome Germany's decision, announced today, to join with other democratic nations boycotting this lamentable gathering," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

Germany was also one of the ten countries that laudably refused to participate in the Durban Review Conference in Geneva in 2009, at which the notorious Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was a speaker.

"The original gathering, in 2001, became best known for the toxic atmosphere of raw anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment expressed by some governments and NGOs," said Harris. "Is this a cause for commemoration ten years later?"

Germany is the ninth country -- and fifth EU member state -- to opt out of Durban 3. The others so far are Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, and the United States.

"Those nations that have decided not to participate understand clearly that this UN initiative, originally conceived to contribute to the noble struggle against racism, had been hijacked at its inception ten years ago by those seeking to turn it into yet another forum for bashing Israel, Zionism and Jews," said Harris.

"Our earnest hope is that other democratic nations will reach a similar conclusion as Germany just did. What a telling statement that many of the world's leading democracies have chosen to shun the upcoming Durban conclave -- with more to come in the next few weeks, we hope."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee