SPECIAL ENVOY ARRIVES FOR OSCEPA, MEETS JEWISH

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 002538 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OSCE PHUM PREL BE SUBJECT: SPECIAL ENVOY ARRIVES FOR OSCEPA, MEETS JEWISH COMMUNITY ¶1. Dr. Gregg Rickman, the DoS Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism, made an introductory visit to Brussels. Rickman participated in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCEPA). He lobbied in support of a draft resolution principally sponsored by Senator George Voinovich. The resolution titled "Funding for Positions of Advisors in the Tolerance and non-Discrimination Unit of the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights" adopted by a large margin with opposition votes from only three MPs; from Switzerland, Russia and Lichtenstein. ¶2. While in Brussels Rickman met with several members of the Jewish community, NGO leaders, Belgian government officials, and EU representatives all working to combat anti-Semitism. A wide range of views were present in Belgian Jewish society. Rickman met leaders of the three Jewish organizations that collectively represent Belgian Jewry, including Julien Klener, Director of the Central Jewish Consistoire of Belgium, Kouky Frohman from the Antwerp community, and Philippe Markiewicz, leader of the secular Jewish community. Although all agree physical assaults are on the decline, the increase in cyber-racism is cause for concern. The talks yielded a positive view of Belgium's approach to anti-Semitic acts, with strict enforcement of its hate crime legislation. Together they agreed while both monitoring and combating anti-Semitism are equally important, the former is much more easily done that the latter. KOROLOGOS .