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Argentine Asks Rights Body to Defer Action on Anti-bias Proposals

March 7, 1961
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Mario Amadeo, the Argentine representative on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, advised that body today to postpone until next year consideration of a report from the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities because, he said, it contained “too many controversial” matters.

The report contained draft resolutions urging study of discrimination in the matter of religious rights and practices; the prevention of manifestations of anti-Semitism and other forms of racial prejudice and religious intolerance, and special protective measures for ethnic, religious or linguistic groups.

Mr. Amadeo referred to the fact that the General Assembly last year had voted a resolution condemning manifestations of racial, national and religious hatred and said that “exessive repetition” would only weaken the issue. He said the problem of protection of minorities should be approached strictly from the point of view of human rights and should not be considered a political issue.

A contrary view was expressed by Shiam Sunder Nath of India who stressed the need for all governments to orient long-range programs in the educational field to eradicate all forms of discrimination. He proposed that UNESCO consider a freedom from prejudice campaign which could include a “Freedom from Prejudice Year” modeled after World Refugee Year.

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