UN human rights chief tries to sway Israel, U.S. on anti-racism summit - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Tue., September 02, 2008 Elul 2, 5768

Israel Time: 22:37 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Haaretz Toolbar

Diplomacy

Defense

Jewish World

Opinion

National

Print Edition

Car Rental

Books

Haaretz Magazine

Business

Real Estate

Easy Start

Travel

Week's End

Anglo File

Last update - 20:12 01/09/2008

UN human rights chief tries to sway Israel, U.S. on anti-racism summit

By The Associated Press

Tags: Israel

The UN's new human rights chief said Monday she hopes to persuade the United States and Israel to drop their opposition to an upcoming global racism conference.

"My instinct would be to get as many countries to participate as possible," Navi Pillay said on her first day as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The so-called Durban II meeting in Geneva next year will review progress in fighting racism since the global body's first such conference seven years ago.

	Advertisement

The U.S. and Israel walked out midway through the 2001 World Conference
Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, because of a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and compared Zionism to racism. The resolution was never adopted.

Israeli officials say their country will likely stay away from Durban II because of anti-Semitic excesses at and around the first meeting.

The United States has not yet decided whether to take part, but used a vote in the UN General Assembly last year to protest the conference.

Libya chairs the preparation committee for Durban II, and Iran and Cuba are also involved, indicating that there will be more bashing of Israel, Itzhak Levanon, the Jewish state's former UN envoy in Geneva, told The Associated Press last month.

Canada is the only country that has explicitly said it will not take part in the April 20-25 meeting.

Pillay, a South African jurist, takes over the post of UN rights chief after serving for five years as an appeals chamber judge with the Dutch-based International Criminal Court.

"The High Commissioner should fearlessly focus on protecting the victims around the world, and that does involve speaking out against the violators as well," she said. "I intend to do that without the application of any double standards."

Pillay's office has 1,000 staff working in 50 countries with a total annual budget of some $150 million.

Related articles:

`Durban 2` anti-racism meeting to be held in Geneva

Iran said trying to ban Canada Jewish group from anti-racism meet

Jerusalem & Babylon / Ignoring Durban summit not an option

Get Haaretz news headlines delivered daily to your inbox!

———— Click here to sign up for Haaretz newsletter ————

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Turning a blind eye
	Ex-Mossad agent Rafi Eitan: We let Nazi doctor Mengele get away.


	Aloha Republicans
	Hawaii's first Jewish governor says Palin is more experienced than Obama.




1.	UN Human Rights=oxymoron	19:55	\|	Arie	01/09/08

2.	Pillay, stop lying; close your waste-of-money office	19:56	\|	McQueen	01/09/08

3.	Pillay-South African Arbour! -	20:04	\|	Arie	01/09/08

4.	If you buy this	20:47	\|	Daniel	01/09/08

5.	2 McQueen,does this mean that zionists are also in the same	20:55	\|	lakshmi	01/09/08

6.	Anyone	21:06	\|	Baz Mann	01/09/08

7.	Racism at the Durban conference	21:11	\|	Conroy	01/09/08

8.	150M$ in tax payers money... managed by Lybia? Iran involved?	21:12	\|	Rafa	01/09/08

9.	Wasteful,disgraceful and very stupid.	21:15	\|	Stephen	01/09/08

10.	A third way	21:17	\|	Afikoman	01/09/08

11.	Belgian UN troops admit to "Roasting " Somali boy	21:17	\|	H	01/09/08

12.	The bashers will soon be posting	21:35	\|	Stephen in New York	01/09/08

13.	Israel should not attend	21:38	\|	Lou Medel	01/09/08

14.	22 billion $ per year spent on nonsense and folly	21:45	\|	jane	01/09/08

15.	Israel running away?	22:09	\|	Keith T.	01/09/08

16.	The UN Global Racism Conference Is Itself the Epitome of Racism	22:12	\|	Proud Israeli	01/09/08

17.	May Navi Pillay address double standards in refugee definition	22:22	\|	Bruce	01/09/08

18.	#5 lakshmi, don`t worry about my money	22:25	\|	Bruce	01/09/08

19.	#5 let the Muslim world pay for this massive waste	22:27	\|	McQueen	01/09/08

20.	is she actually going to deal with muslim apartheid	22:31	\|	vhardman	01/09/08

21.	Video clip on what happened in the Durban Conference	22:38	\|	Proud Israeli	01/09/08

22.	Lou Medel 13	22:53	\|	ChanahS	01/09/08

23.	Keith T. 15	22:56	\|	ChanahS	01/09/08

24.	18 Bruce, you willingy pay for israel`s right to steal land and	23:11	\|	lakshmi	01/09/08

25.	Human Rights is the anti thesis for Israel...	23:27	\|	ClearCut	01/09/08

26.	pilay is a crook and wants money	23:30	\|	michel	01/09/08

27.	UN human rihgts = rights for the wrongdoe when have money or oil	23:36	\|	JP	01/09/08

28.	UN human rihgts=rights for the wrongdoes when have money or oil	23:36	\|	JP	01/09/08

29.	Time To Attend Possibly	23:44	\|	Yosemite	01/09/08

30.	UN human rihgts=rights for the wrongdoes when have money or oil	23:55	\|	JP	01/09/08

31.	The Truth Hurt and UN rights chief w/ Durban II Don`t like it.	00:10	\|	Joseph.E	02/09/08

32.	UN a bunch of hypocrites	00:21	\|	Observer	02/09/08

33.	Nothing to justify, Keith T, UK	00:33	\|	No need	02/09/08

34.	Conroy #7	01:17	\|	Scott G	02/09/08

35.	this is about as ridiculous as saudia arabia hosting a	01:49	\|	terrornator	02/09/08

36.	WHO will get the Hitler T shirt concession this time?	02:10	\|	PETER SM	02/09/08

37.	Conference& UN	02:32	\|	Kirk	02/09/08

38.	THE UN HAS DONE THE IMPOSSIBLE: GIVE HUMAN RIGHTS A BAD NAME!	03:12	\|	Freethinker	02/09/08

39.	Agenda for Durbin II at UNWatch.org	03:12	\|	Lynn	02/09/08

40.	Text of upcoming Durbin II at unwatch.org	03:31	\|	Lynn	02/09/08

41.	#15 Keith.....Obviously you have no idea	03:38	\|	Lynn	02/09/08

42.	Indigestion	04:22	\|	Morris Valentine	02/09/08

43.	Hooray for Canada	05:03	\|	Lloyd	02/09/08

44.	#28 Observer	06:00	\|	Jim	02/09/08

45.	#15 Keith T	06:17	\|	Jim	02/09/08

46.	Afikoman-Third Way	21:48	\|	Deb	02/09/08

Read & React


	Bradley Burston: Our Hurricane Mahmoud and their Hurricane Gustav
	Responses: 78



	Hamas leader Meshal 'leaves Syria for Sudan'
	Responses: 76



	Editorial: Curb unlimited gov't aid to yeshiva students
	Responses: 31



	Poll: Hamas popularity among Palestinians declining
	Responses: 35



	GOP lawmaker: Palin-Buchanan tie is 'propaganda by Democrats'
	Responses: 59

More Headlines
21:18 Court halts demolition of Jerusalem terrorist's home


19:32 Hamas leader Meshal 'leaves Syria for Sudan'


22:33 Blair's sister-in-law denied land exit from Gaza by Israel


18:14 Court: PA must compensate family of U.S. terror victim


17:26 Fearing terrorist attack, cop fires at Palestinian who stole tractor in Modi'in


20:25 Ex-Mossad agent: We let Nazi doctor Mengele get away


19:45 Iran shuts down al-Arabiya TV station over 'false reporting'


22:09 Back home, released Israeli says Nigerian kidnappers 'feared I would die'


15:58 2 Israeli Arabs indicted for Jihad plot to kill pilots, scientists


22:24 Hawaii's 1st Jewish governor: Palin more experienced than Obama


19:14 Pregnant driver kills man, hurls his grandson out of medical team's sight


13:26 Samir Kuntar: I met with Abbas in Beirut at his request


18:37 Petah Tikva religious schools reject kids of Ethiopian immigrants


12:10 What wouldn't you do for love? Israeli dating Web sites step up gear