Durban Watch

EYEontheUN ALERT - April 8, 2009

Durban II – The Platform For Genocide

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Announces He Will Attend Durban II

EYEontheUN has learned that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced his intention to attend the Durban II "anti-racism" conference. Durban II is billed by the UN as an occasion to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. But Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust, has advocated genocide and openly seeks the annihilation of the state of Israel. In providing a hatemonger with a global platform - under the banner of an anti-racism conference - the United Nations has become an enabler of genocide.

Anne Bayefsky, Editor of EYEontheUN urged: "It is time for every decent self-respecting democratic state to withdraw immediately from Durban II – the platform for genocide."

The Iranian President had every reason to expect a warm reception from the UN. The UN Human Rights Council elected Iran as a Vice-Chair of the Preparatory Committee of Durban II. Iran has been the single most active participant in this week's preparatory sessions going on in Geneva. Iran has succeeded in denying a Jewish non-governmental organization accreditation to preparations for Durban II. At yesterday's negotiating sessions for a final document to be adopted formally at Durban II, the Iranian representative proposed sweeping limitations on freedom of expression and protection for "cultural diversity" as a vehicle for justifying Iranian laws that permit the stoning of women, the murder of homosexuals, and the torture of dissidents.

When Ahmadinejad spoke to the UN General Assembly last September he said:

The dignity, integrity and rights of the European and American people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the U.S. in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner...This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people...Today, the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse, and there is no way for it to get out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters.

Ahmadinejad's hateful speech was greeted by applause from the assembled UN member states.

As Bayefsky points out, "it can be expected that Ahmadinejad will use the opportunity of the UN Durban II global megaphone to continue his genocidal campaign. After all, the current draft text of the Durban II final declaration continues to single out Israel and condemn it as racist by reaffirming the words of the 2001 Durban Declaration."

Will the European Union, Australia, and the United States sit in their seats at Durban II and listen to the hatemongering and anticipated applause?

"Democratic states, having delayed a decision about participation until the final hour," said Bayefsky, "have encouraged Ahmadinejad to believe he has one more opportunity to spread antisemitism and demonize the Jewish state. It is long past the deadline for democracies to pull the plug on Durban II and stop legitimizing a racist anti-racism conference."