Vernon Walters, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, may take direct action to expunge the 1975 U.N. General Assembly resolution equating Zionism with racism.
“I am considering the idea of introducing a resolution that will repeal the ‘Zionism is racism’ resolution,” he told 200 American Jewish community leaders attending the National Executive Committee meeting here of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.
American policy at the United Nations is “never to leave a lie unchallenged, whether it is directed against Israel, the United States or other countries,” Walters said.
The 12th anniversary of the adoption of the infamous resolution falls on Nov. 10.
The American envoy also predicted that by 1990, Israel’s foes in the world organization will give up trying to oust Israel from the United Nations. He said the perennial attempts by the Arab states to deny Israel’s credentials to sit in the General Assembly have been losing steam year by year. This year, it was rejected by a vote of 80-39, the largest margin ever.
Nevertheless, Walters noted that the United States has made it clear that if Israel were ousted from the General Assembly or the Security Council, this country “would cease to participate in those bodies.”
In addition to Walters, speakers at the ADL meeting included Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel, who discussed “Jewish Priorities in These Changing Times,” and Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine), who reported the results of the hearings of the Select Congressional Committee on the Iran-contra affair, of which he was a member.
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.
