April 20, 2009 - Geneva - AJC praised New Zealand for withdrawing from the Durban Review Conference, which begins today in Geneva.

"With New Zealand's principled decision, eight nations have now refused to countenance an anti-democratic sideshow under the guise of an anti-racism conference," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "We are grateful for the moral leadership that New Zealand has shown, and the welcome attitude toward Israel and the defense of core democratic values that this decision reflects."

New Zealand joins Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States in withdrawing.

In a statement explaining his country's move, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said, "the review conference in Geneva is not likely to advance the cause of race relations at the international level."

New Zealand required that the conference not reaffirm the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which unfairly singled out Israel for supposed racial discrimination.