WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (AP) - New Zealand’s government says the country won’t take part in this week’s U.N. racism conference out of concern that it could descend into the same chaos as the one in South Africa in 2001.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Monday he was not satisfied the wording of the review would prevent the conference from “descending into the same kind of rancorous and unproductive debate that took place in 2001.”
New Zealand joins the U.S., Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy in boycotting the conference out of concern that it could be used by Muslim countries to criticize Israel and to limit free speech when it comes to criticizing their religion.
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