U.S. State Department - 10.13.2004

State Department Opposes New  Anti-Semitism Office



(See full transcript)

U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing Index
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
12:45 p.m. EDT

Briefer: Richard Boucher, Spokesman

[EXCERPT]

QUESTION: And did you ever get an answer to my question yesterday about
the Lantos bill and the creation of the anti-Semitism office and envoy
position?

MR. BOUCHER: The -- I mean, first of all, let me repeat the Department's
record on anti-Semitism, I think, is very clear. We have been very active
against anti-Semitism. The Secretary has sent people to represent the
United States at conferences and represented the United States himself
directly at the OSCE Conference on anti-Semitism, which I think everybody
recognizes was a very important milestone and step forward in efforts
against anti-Semitism.

We put years of efforts into these issues, Holocaust issues, religious
freedom issues, and we feel that anti-Semitism is one of the important
priorities that we have sustained, and we don't feel that in order to
sustain that effort -- we did not feel that in order to sustain that
effort it would require a separate office and an annual report.

So in terms of this legislation, we opposed creation of a separate office
for the purpose and opposed the mandating of a separate annual report when these proposals appeared in a measure that was introduced in the House. The bill has now passed both the House and the Senate.

We expressed the view that separate reports on different religions or
ethnicities are not warranted given that we already prepared Human Rights
reports and Religious Freedom reports on 190 countries.

We did support a bill that was introduced in the Senate by Senator George
Voinovich, which only required a one-time report and didn't establish a
new office for this purpose. That being said, if this bill becomes law,
we will implement it.

QUESTION: Okay, well, would you like to see the President not sign it or
veto it?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't have anything on that.

QUESTION: Are you -- so you are -- and there is a concern that this might
-- that this may -- that this bill, if it becomes a law, may give the
impression that the United States is being -- that it's favoring one
religion over another?

MR. BOUCHER: Our feeling was that the issue of anti-Semitism is something
that has been important to us that we have been active on and is
adequately covered by our efforts and by all of the other reporting that
we do.

QUESTION: So, reluctantly, if it becomes a law, you will create this
office?

MR. BOUCHER: If it becomes a law, we will implement the law.

QUESTION: Even though you opposed it?

MR. BOUCHER: We will implement the law.

QUESTION: All right.

QUESTION: Thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:25 p.m.)

(end transcript)

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