At a sensitive moment in Arab-Israeli relations, Islamic countries are boycotting Israel’s presidency of the U.N.-sponsored conference on disarmament, senior diplomats told the Washington Times.
Israel’s one-month tenure as chair of the 66-member panel comes after the U.S. pressured Iran and Iraq to give up their turn in the leadership post.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Iraq and Iran were scheduled to assume chairmanship this spring of “the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community.” The committee’s leadership is determined by a rotating schedule of the member nations, done in alphabetical order.
Yesterday, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Alborzi circulated a letter to member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference saying the Muslim nations would not participate in the disarmament conference during Israel’s tenure.
Arab and Islamic countries accuse the United States of a double standard for pressuring some Muslim nations for their suspected buildup of weapons of mass destruction and not Israel, which is believed to possess nuclear weapons.
Responding to the boycott, an Israel source told the Times, “In today’s world, which places a premium on acceptance and dialogue, a policy of exclusion conflicts and is in stark contrast to the spirit and principles of the U.N., which we should all uphold and cherish.”
In his speech as incoming president, Israeli Ambassador Yaakov Levy urged the arms panel to think creatively and open-mindedly.
Disarmament diplomats said they anticipated the boycott because of the Bush administration’s pressure on Iraq and Iran, and senior Western diplomats characterized the action as symbolic, the Times said.
“It was a fairly low-key protest. They could have made more noise,” said a Western ambassador who requested anonymity.
Related story:
Iraq to chair Conference on Disarmament
Editor’s note: The May edition of WND’s monthly Whistleblower magazine, titled “THE NEW WORLD RE-ORDER, shows how decisions made in the next few months will determine to a great extent whether America remains a free, constitutional republic or yields its freedom to the rule of international law administered by the United Nations.
