New York, NY, July 11, 2005 … Concerned that an international United Nations conference taking place this week in Paris will serve as a forum for anti-Israel propaganda and sloganeering, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has urged U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to reconsider his support for the gathering.

In a letter to Mr. Annan, ADL noted that in the past, the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Middle East Peace has served as "a forum for anti-Israel propaganda, with fifty-year old anti-Israel slogans."  This year, the annual conference is being held at UNESCO Headquarters, July 12-13 in Paris.

"While we notice that the title of the conference has shifted from being in support of the 'Palestinian people' to support of 'Middle East Peace,' its agenda has not changed from a biased approach to the conflict," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, in the letter to Mr. Annan.

"As in years past, in only addressing the concerns of the Palestinian people, this conference focuses on a one-sided, anti-Israel approach to the situation complete with anachronistic grievances and debates while ignoring current realities on the ground," added Mr. Foxman.

The League's letter urged Mr. Annan to immediately reconsider sending a representative from his office to address the conference, "and to work to ensure that the Israeli-Palestinian situation be approached in an evenhanded manner at all United Nations forums."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.