CODEL WEXLER DISCUSSIONS ON ANTI-SEMITISM, DANISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000651

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR EUR, EUR/ERA, EUR/AGS, IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016
TAGS: PREL FR GM DA AU
SUBJECT: CODEL WEXLER DISCUSSIONS ON ANTI-SEMITISM, DANISH
CARTOONS WITH OSCE, AUSTRIANS


Classified By: DCM Scott Kilner for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Florida) visited Vienna
February 22-23 to meet with Austrian and OSCE officials on a
variety of topics, including religious tolerance and the
controversy over cartoons depicting Mohammed in Danish
newspapers with Austrian and OSCE officials. Septels report
Cong. Wexler's discussions on Hamas and on Iran.

Meetings at OSCE
--------------

2. (U) Congressman Wexler met with Gert Weisskirchen, a
German parliamentarian and the OSCE Personal Representative
on Combating Anti-Semitism, and Kathrin Meyer, Adviser on
Anti-Semitism Issues for the OSCE's Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR),at OSCE offices on
February 23.


3. (SBU) Topics included recent anti-Semitic incidents in
France, ODIHR's education and civil society development
activities, and the controversy over caricatures of the
prophet Mohammed. Weisskirchen noted his and the ODIHR's
excellent working relationship with French government
officials, who have shown their willingness to speak out
aggressively against anti-Semitism and other forms of
intolerance in the wake of riots in Paris in Fall 2005.
Meyer said France actively supports ODIHR projects on
Holocaust education, and pointed out that since these
projects were introduced in schools and through French NGOs
one year ago, anti-Semitic incidents there have decreased by
50 percent. She added that awareness raising is necessary to
ensure that legitimate criticism of Israeli policy does not
cross the line into anti-Semitism, which can lead to hate
crimes and violence.


4. (SBU) Participants in the discussion agreed that the
Danish cartoon controversy presents a good opportunity to
raise concerns over the routine publication of anti-Zionist
and anti-Semitic cartoons in the Middle East and to involve
OSCE's Mediterranean Partners in a dialogue on the importance
of both tolerance and media freedom. At the end of the
meeting, Weisskirchen said the German Foreign Ministry is
considering holding an experts meeting on anti-Semitism in
Berlin in mid-September 2006.

Meeting with Chancellery Adviser
--------------

5. (C) The cartoons controversy was also a topic of
discussion in Congressman Wexler's meeting with Chancellor
Schuessel's foreign policy adviser Hans Peter Manz. In
response to a question from the Congressman on the effects of
the cartoon controversy on European public opinion, Manz said
that he did not think that the matter would increase sympathy
for US policy in the Middle East, but he did think that it
would make it more difficult for Arabs to play off
differences between Europe and the U.S. Manz also stated
that the organizing forces behind the controversy ) he
specifically mentioned Syria and Iran ) have harmed their
own interests as the controversy has escalated.

Congressman Wexler did not have an opportunity to clear this
message before departure.


McCaw