Austria pulls out of 'anti-Israel' Durban III conference

[King_David]

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
08/31/2011 17:39


Central European country joins list of 7 countries opposing UN anti-racism event; Swiss government slated to participate.

BERLIN – Austria does not plan to attend the so-called Durban III antiracism conference, which is slated to take place on September 22 in New York City, a spokesman for Austria’s Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Schallenberg told the Post that “we have no intention of participating in Durban III in September.” Austria has now joined the anti-Durban group of countries, which includes Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Australia, the United States, Canada and Israel.

Schallenberg said that Austria has “doubts about the content and direction of the conference” which is the reason for its decision to skip the event.

The September 22 Durban III event commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Durban I conference, which took place in Durban, South Africa. It was widely denounced as an anti-Semitic, UN-sponsored event that singled out Jews and Israel in order to attack them, including calls to abolish Israel.

Austria participated in Durban I in 2001 and the 2009 Durban II conference in Geneva. Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, from the Austrian People’s Party, has now, with his decision to boycott Durban III, placed Austria as the first Germanspeaking country in the anti-Durban camp.

In response to Austria’s decision to pull the plug on its participation in Durban III, Israel’s Ambassador to Austria, Aviv Shir-On, told the Post on Wednesday, “I was pleased to hear that our position on the Durban III process was accepted by the Austrian government.”

He added that “not only Israel sees the issue as problematic,” citing Canada, the US, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries that are staying away from the Durban conference.

Shir-On said “Israel was singled out and bashed at the first Durban conference” and the countries at Durban I were “not interested in fighting racism but criticizing Israel.” He said that does not mean that the “basic idea of fighting racism in all its forms is bad,” but the Durban process has steered away from its anti-racism mission. “I welcome the Austrian decision and that they realize this is a problem.”


http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=236175

[King_David]

1. Switzerland's citizens object.

'Meanwhile, the Jewish community in Switzerland has objected to their country’s decision to participate in Durban III.'