Dutch threaten to boycott Durban II

Gee, what will it take before the Dutch decide to boycott???

The Netherlands is "deeply disturbed by the turn the Durban Review Conference is taking". If the current draft outcome document is not amended, the country will stay away from the anti-racism conference, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said yesterday in an address to the UN Human Rights Council.

"The way in which the preparatory process for this review conference has been proceeding suggests that it is unlikely to be a useful exercise, a meeting that will really assist in reaching our shared objective: abolishing racism," stated Verhagen. "I therefore fully understand why some countries have decided not to participate in these proceedings any longer. For the Netherlands, too, the draft outcome document is not acceptable in its present form."

The US and Canada are among countries that have decided not to attend the conference if the text stays unchanged. They consider the draft outcome document is one-sidedly anti-Israeli and that it restricts the possibilities to criticise religions.

According to Verhagen, "the document does not focus on the main challenges to address the problem of racism. Instead, the thematic world conference is used by some to try to force their concept of defamation of religions and their focus on one regional conflict on all of us", namely the Middle East conflict. "That is certainly not what I have in mind when I call for a more empathetic approach."

"To all the delegates who doubt the Netherlands' intentions, I say this: we do want to participate and work together on a useful outcome - but not at any price. We cannot accept any text, which would put religion above individuals, which would not condemn discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and which would condone anti-semitism or single out Israel. These are clear red lines for the Netherlands."