Sen. James Abourezk (D.SD) took advantage of an official U.S. Senate trip to the Middle East to speak in an “unofficial capacity” at the anti-Zionist conference in Baghdad, his office here acknowledged yesterday. Abourezk, with three staff aides, is visiting four Arab states on a trip of more than two weeks at American taxpayers expense. He is on official government business for the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on refugees, of which he is a member.
The week-long Baghdad conference closed Friday. According to the Washington Post, “Zionism was baked, boiled, fried and roasted in an unrelenting ideological tirade” at the conference sponsored by the University of Baghdad, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Arab League in cooperation with the Iraqi government.
SENATOR ATTACKS U.S. PRESS
Participants from 46 nations sat through the delivery of 30 papers and through dozens of “solidarity statements” from Third World countries, according to the Post’s account. Abourezk was reported to have attacked the American press coverage of the Middle East, alleging it is biased toward Israel.
An aide to Abourezk told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the Senator had prepared a text for delivery in Baghdad in which he attacked the American media but it does not mention Zionism. However, the aide acknowledged that Abourezk believes the United Nations resolution last year equating Zionism with racism “is an accurate statement.” The aide said he did not know whether Abourezk departed from his prepared text at the conference.
Abourezk is expected to return this weekend from the trip to Syria. Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Asked why he did not include Israel, which has tens of thousands of refugees, the aide replied “it is pretty clear why he didn’t go to Israel.” The aide said Abourezk visited government officials in Iraq but said he did not know whether the invitation to attend the conference or meet the officials came first. The Senate Judiciary Committee officials were mystified or lacked information about the trip, including its cost, when questioned by the JTA.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
