Time for U.S. to reject U.N.'s anti-democratic conference
By Claudia Rosett
Philadelphia Inquirer
March 10, 2008
If a group of despotic governments wants to organize a global mega-conference dedicated to fueling hatred of Jews, Israel and the United States, the United Nations might not be able to stop it. But surely the U.N. would at least refuse to organize, bankroll and host such an outrage?
Think again. The U.N. has done it before, in 2001, with a gathering in South Africa known as the Durban conference. There, after preparatory meetings in places such as Geneva and Tehran, the "Death to Israel! Death to America" discourse waxed so virulent that then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell ordered the U.S. delegation to walk out.
Now the U.N. is planning a repeat performance, location yet to be finalized - billed as a "review" of the results of Durban, round one. So far, Durban II is shaping up to be at least as vile as Durban I, and possibly worse. The U.N. has come up with a 20-member executive planning committee chaired by Libya, has Cuba as its rapporteur, and includes such bastions of official intolerance as Russia, Pakistan and Iran (which, along with its record of supporting terrorism, threatening the existence of Israel, and hosting one of the preparatory meetings for Durban I, has experience organizing such hate-fests as its 2006 Holocaust cartoon contest).
So nasty are the portents that Canada recently did the right thing and took the lead in announcing that rather than lend any legitimacy to this outrage by taking part, the Canadian government would boycott Durban II.
Right now the Bush administration ought to be racing to back up Canada by announcing a U.S. boycott. That would help set an example for other democratic governments, such as those of Western Europe.
Click here for the full story.
Senator Tom Coburn
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
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