U.S. Ambassador Morris Abram on Wednesday urged a United Nations subcommission to denounce the seizure and threatening of hostages by terrorist organizations.
In his first public statement since becoming U.S. ambassador to the United Nations European headquarters here, Abram said that the conduct of terrorist hostage-takers is more reminiscent of a barbaric age than of present-day standards of civilization.
He said the U.N. Subcommission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities should condemn hostage-taking.
The subcommission, which started its annual four-week session here Monday, studies humanrights violations and recommends measures for action to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
Abram, who is immediate past chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, served as a human-rights expert on the subcommission 26 years ago.
In his statement, he urged the subcommission to adopt a more balanced approach to today’s human rights problems and to deal with serious, large-scale human rights problems, not just marginal issues.
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.
