News

On 21 April during his working visit to Poland, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas commented on yesterday’s speech given by President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations conference in Geneva (Durban Review Conference) and called it unacceptable, provoking and insulting to Israel and the Jewish people.

Minister V.Ušackas noted that Lithuania was against Iran’s attempts, which had been expressed through anti-Semitic statements, to disrupt the goal of the international community to unite efforts in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

“By continuing our work at the UN conference in Geneva along with other European Union partners we shall seek the conference to assess the implementation of commitments that were made by governments to combat racism and related intolerance, in compliance with established human rights and universal values,” the Minister said.

According to Minister V.Ušackas, Lithuania reserves the right to retreat from the conference, if its final document will encompass provisions that are not in compliance with established human rights and universal values or if the conference will acquire an atmosphere that does not conform with the values that are followed by Lithuania.

On Monday, Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Eduardas Borisovas, who represents Lithuania at the conference, walked out from the conference hall together with other EU delegates after the President of Iran had accused Israel and the international community of racism.