Anti-racism rally in Geneva
Photo: Reuters
Israel on Durban II: We will prevail
Israeli envoy to UN headquarters in Geneva believes additional countries will follow US, Canada and Australia's lead, drop out of nearing anti-racism conference, giving Israel 'a great victory'
"The United Nations conference has been left devoid of any moral validity, now that prominent nations have decided not to attend it," Israel's ambassador to the UN Geneva headquarters, Aharon (Ronny) Leshno-Yaar, said Sunday.
The US, Australia, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands have announced they would not be attending the UN conference on racism, set to begin Monday in Geneva. Leshno-Yaar believes other nations will follow and that it would be "a great victory for Israel."
Solidarity
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The United Nations organized the forum in an attempt to heal the wound created by the first conference, held in Durban, South Africa in 2001.
That meeting saw the Israeli and American missions storm out after statements comparing Zionism and racism were made. But early in the planning stages of the current conference – dubbed "Durban II" – it was made evident that the controversial decisions of 2001 were to be reaffirmed.
Delegates of the nations attending the meeting have already begun arriving in Geneva, including one of the "star" performers - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Geneva saw several conference-related rallies Sunday morning, including a small anti-Israel one.
"The modern world is made up of 193 nations, 192 of them are members of the UN," said the Israeli ambassador. "The conference will go on if four nations drop put and it would probably go on if 50 nations drop out – that's not the problem.
"The issue here is the moral validity of the conference. Once countries like Israel, the US, Canada and Australia decide not to attend - and hopefully more will follow - they surpass those which do decide to attend. I wouldn’t be surprised if more countries declare they are dropping out."
Many European counties, he added, have yet to make a final decision on the conference. The Czech Republic, which is the reigning president of the European Union, has called a meeting of all EU members for Sunday night in order to render an official decision on the matter.
Timing is everything
As for the conference being held on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Leshno-Yaar believes it is pure coincidence. "But if you're looking for symbolism, tomorrow is Hitler's birthday. How symbolic is it, that the most prominent persona scheduled to come here is Ahmadinejad, a certified Holocaust denier.
"More than anything, I think this conference is evident of UN diplomacy, which mirrors the world's diplomacy and that mirror image is not always a pleasant one. This image is one of blocs and numbers and in US assemblies, the bloc we are associated with, the Western one, is always in the minority.
Marching in Geneva (Photo: Reuters)
"That is why we have usually to be content with small victories and compromises," he continued. "But we refused to compromise on Durban II, which is why this will be a big victory."
Israel's victory over the conference, he added, may have several aspects: "First, we'll have to see what the conference statement looks like. The way it is worded now is a fine achievement for Israel, since it is not mentioned in it directly, and is only mentioned indirectly once. We may not like the reference, but it's still better than the 2001 statement.
"Second, prominent counties have decided to boycott the conference beforehand, and third, I hope the atmosphere is more mellow than it was in 2001."
The reaffirming of the Durban 1 statement, added Leshno-Yaar, "was the indirect reference I spoke of. That was the reason Israel and other nations decided to boycott this conference. You must remember that things can change up to the very last minute, but we also have to be realistic – we can't be on the outside and expect to influence what goes on inside."
There is a certain concern that the Geneva conference would produce a worst statement, "but when you consider that nations like the US are not included in the forum making these decisions, any document produced lacks moral validity," he said. "The UN admits all kinds of documents from nations hostile to Israel, by the mere force of the majority bloc."
As for the reports suggesting that Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz will meet with Ahmadinejad, Leshno-Yaar suggested that the importance of the meeting has been "overrated." Ahmadinejad, he said, "is arriving to a UN function in Geneva, just like any other head of state. He doesn’t need any formal authorization."
The two are likely to meet during a gala dinner held by Merz for those attending the conference. "It saddens me that this gala is taking place – you don’t see the US president hold a special dinner for heads of state attending the (UN) assembly in New York.
"I had hoped that given the timing – the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day – and the nature of this guest, that Switzerland, which is a friend to Israel, would refrain from honoring the Iranian president."
