The World Jewish Congress sent a letter yesterday to United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim asking him to explain why the WJC had been denied permission to attend the World Conference for Action Against Apartheid in Lagos, Nigeria, Aug. 22-28, according to Max Melamet, director of the WJC’s North American branch and its UN representative.
Melamet told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that the letter, signed by Philip M. Klutznick, chairman of the WJC’s governing council, and himself “expressed our concern” that the WJC had not been advised on the selection procedures and standards for deciding which Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) attached to the UN could attend the meeting.
The meeting is being sponsored by the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity and other organizations. Melamet said that when the WJC first learned that some NGOs had been invited it sent a letter June 16 asking that it be included. It received a letter on June 27 from the committee organizing the conference saying it would have to check into availability of facilities and then a letter Aug. 3 saying the WC could not attend.
Melamet said the letter, signed by E. S. Reddy, chairman of the special committee for the Lagos meeting, said there were no facilities available and the limited facilities had been allotted to NGOs which had “cooperated” in creating the conference.
Malamet said that as far as he knew, the WJC was the only Jewish NGO to ask to attend the conference. Israel can attend as a member of the UN although it is not known yet whether it will. About 50 countries, most of them Third World or Communist, are expected to go to Lagos.
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