The White House declared today that the United Nations draft resolution equating Zionism with racism could “undermine” the international organization and pledged to fight it in the UN General Assembly’s plenary session when it will be presented for a vote. The Arab-inspired resolution was supported in the General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee) by Communist and some Third World states, U.S., representatives at the UN termed the measure “obscene” and said “decent” nations oppose it.
Responding to a question from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on President Ford’s view of the subject, Presidential Press Secretary Ron Nessen replied: “As a general principle the United States takes grave exception to any act which would weaken the United Nations as a creditable forum for the peaceful resolution of international disputes. We strongly oppose the recent vote characterizing Zionism as a form of racism and believe such a resolution can only undermine the principles upon which the United Nations is based and compromise its ability to function in the future. We will continue to oppose this resolution in the plenary.”
Fred R, Harris, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma who is running for the Democratic Presidential nomination, said he was urging both the State Department and the President “to come out with strong public statements condemning the resolution.” Harris termed the measure “a slur against Israel and the Jewish people and a tragic disservice to the ideals of the United Nations.”
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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.
