Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini openly admits his commitment to Israel, the memory of the Holocaust and the fight against resurgent anti-Semitism, and proudly states that "the Jewish community always receives me as the great friend I feel I am."
He plans to say more about this when, as guest of honor, he addresses the American Jewish Committee at its Annual General Meeting in Washington on May 7.
With Frattini at the helm, Italy was the first EU country to announce its boycott of last week’s UN anti-racism conference ("Durban II") in no uncertain terms. As early as March 5, he declared the basic conditions for Italy’s participation were lacking, setting the stage for Poland, Germany and Holland to follow suit.
On April 21, the day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s shocking address, Italy’s Foreign Ministry released a memo on its boycott of the conference stating, "In our assessment we also considered… the statements that would eventually be made in plenary session and on the sidelines. We could not participate in an event where, once again, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was manipulated and Israel labeled a racist nation, as happened in 2001. The events of Monday afternoon confirmed that foresight."