Argentine Official Predicts His Country Will Vote Against Measures in UN Equating Zionism with Racis

Foreign Minister Cesar Guzzetti predicted that in the future Argentina will vote against any resolutions at the United Nations equating Zionism with racism. He made that statement in written replies to questions submitted by the Jewish weekly Mundo Israelita in which he discussed his recent meetings with American Jewish community leaders in the United States and with Israel’s Foreign Minister Yigal Allon at the UN General Assembly.

Guzzetti said, with regard to Zionism: “In effect, until now the Argentine position in this matter has been abstention in the UN regarding Zionism. But this position is being reviewed in the appropriate areas of the Foreign Ministry and I can predict that our country in the future will express itself with a negative vote regarding Zionism’s equation with racism.”

The Foreign Minister also told Munda Israelita that in his contacts in the U.S. he had sought to alleviate the fears of many American Jews that Argentine Jewry was threatened by rampant anti-Semitism. “I explained in full detail in a meeting we had in the venue of our Mission to the UN the true Argentine position and that by no means did there exist any anti-Semitic action or campaign nor was there ever any real spread of such ideas in our country,” he said.

Guzzetti acknowledged that “obviously there are certain isolated actions. But this by no means could be considered as a systematic action and even less as an official action of the government.” He said he had expounded on this subject to Allon “and he promised to intercede before the North American Jewish community to clarify the Argentine situation. I consider exaggerated the concern of Jewish communities of other countries regarding Argentine Jewry.” (By Asher Mishaban).