Netherlands will not accept anti-Semitic slurs 
May 18, 2008 
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Original Source: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5787419/Netherlands-will-not-accept-antiSemitic-slurs

The Netherlands will not accept it if there are any attempts to call Israel a racist state at a UN conference in the South African city of Durban next year. Interior Minister Maxime Verhagen said this at a meeting at the Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel to mark the state's sixtieth anniversary.

The last conference in Durban in 2001 failed because a number of Arab countries wanted to label Israel a racist country. Israeli and Jewish organisations were excluded from preparatory meetings and anti-Semitic cartoons were circulated while other organisations failed to take any action to stop it.

Mr Verhagen said that the Netherlands was involved in the organisation of the new Durban conference and would not hesitate to withdraw if there is a similar negative spiral of events.