Prague, July 21 (CTK) – The Czech Republic will not attend the U.N. session on the 10th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to fight racism, the Foreign Ministry told CTK yesterday.

Prague is dissatisfied with the Durban process as it has been often abused for a number of “unacceptable statements with anti-Jewish connotations,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Besides, it includes some tendencies that are at variance with existing standards of human rights protection, the freedom of speech in particular, it added.

The declaration was passed in Durban in 2001. However, many countries have adopted a very reserved stance on it.

In the document, the countries agreed on a global framework struggle against discrimination. The participants also recognised the difficult position of Palestinians seeking an independent state and condemned slavery and colonialism.

Due to the anti-Israeli position of Arab countries, the delegation of the USA and Israel left the forum at its beginning.

Now the ten years of the event will be commemorated on September 22.

“The Czech Republic will not attend the September top-level meeting and will not participate in any informal talks designed to pass a political declaration that is to ensue from them,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The Czech Republic coordinates its stance with Italy and the Netherlands.

Prague has thus decided to join Israel, Canada and the USA that announced their absence from the session earlier.

The Foreign Ministry said the Czech Republic still did not intend to reconcile itself with racism, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance.

It stressed that the crucial role should be played by existing international legal instruments such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination whose universal ratification the Czech Republic has always resolutely supported.

http://praguemonitor.com/2011/07/22/%C4%8Dr-intends-ignore-un-session-durban-declaration