Ahmadinejad, who has earned international condemnation for his anti-Israel remarks and for calling the Holocaust a “myth”, is scheduled to attend next week’s Durban Review Conference in Geneva.
“Governments should stand firm in Geneva to ensure that Ahmadinejad’s presence isn’t used to undermine a process that’s now backed by so many nations, or to undercut the constructive spirit of the negotiations,” said Juliette de Rivero, Human Rights Watch’s Geneva-based advocacy director.
Israel and Canada have said that they would not attend the conference, which will be held from 20 to 24 April, while the United States has so far refused to commit to participating, citing concerns with the draft declaration text.
De Rivero said that participating nations have removed any reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to “defamation of religion”, two issues that had polarized delegations.
“It’s clear Iran stood isolated when it tried to reintroduce the concept of defamation of religion in negotiations last week,” she said, adding that if Ahmadinejad tries to reopen those issues, “delegations should act firmly to uphold the current consensus.”
The New York-based human rights watchd… >>>
