Former NYC Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to Head U.S. Delegation to OSCE Anti-Semitism Conference

Former New York City mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, will head the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism, hosted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria, June 19-20. The conference will address the problem of anti-Semitism and its manifestations in Europe, Central Asia and North America, and the role of governments and civil society in promoting greater tolerance.

Secretary Powell asked Mayor Giuliani to head the delegation in recognition of Mr. Giuliani’s leadership as New York City mayor in combating ethnic hatred and prejudice.

The U.S. delegation will include representatives of the U.S. Congress and of U.S. nongovernmental organizations, and Department of State officials, including U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Stephan M. Minikes, and Ambassador Randolph M. Bell, United States Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues.

Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Dan Geoana, and former Polish Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski are due to deliver keynote addresses.

The OSCE is made up of 55 member states in Europe, Central Asia, and North America. The conference stems from a resolution at the OSCE ministerial council in December, in response to the increase in anti-Semitic incidents and violence in Europe in recent years.