Gaza War

(source: VOC fm Online / Sapa)

Cosatu saluted the SA tourism ministry on Thursday for not attending a tourism conference to be hosted by Israel. “By its decision, South Africa now joins Britain, Spain and Turkey who have all refused to attend the conference,” Cosatu’s deputy international relations secretary Zanele Matebula said.

Matebula was referring to the 86th session of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Tourism Committee conference to be hosted by Israel in Jerusalem. The conference is set to take place between October 20 and 22.

Cosatu said the Palestine Liberation Organisation had joined a call by radical Sunni Islamist group Fatah, Palestinian trade unions and civil society groups for countries not to attend, citing Israel’s “illegal occupation”, including that of Jerusalem. Cosatu was informed that neither Tourism Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk nor his deputy would be attending, Matebula said. The office of the director general of tourism has indicated, according to Cosatu, that no representative would be attending.

Tourism ministerial spokesperson Trevor Bloem confirmed to Sapa on Thursday night that the ministry would not attend the event for “logistical reasons”. “Since resources and time are limited we have for logistical reasons prioritised and choose to attend some conferences and not others.”

The minister and DG had just returned from a conference in South Korea. The department had recently been to another conference in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, also organised by the OECD. Matebula said: “The momentum for the boycott dramatically increased last week when Israeli Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, said attendance at the conference would be ‘a seal of approval on the fact that we [Israel] have a state whose recognised capital is Jerusalem’.

“No member of the United Nations (nor the organisation itself) recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Even the United States, Israel’s unwavering ally, refuses to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”

Matebula said the comment by the Israeli tourism minister angered the OECD. However, by holding the conference in the city, the OECD ignored the fact that Jerusalem was under occupation. Matebula said taking part in the conference would be a “tacit acceptance” of Israel’s “illegal annexation” of the city.

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BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that it was crucial for Lebanon’s 2009 legislative elections to be held "on time." "Not holding the elections or postponing them would be very dangerous," Nasrallah said in a speech to mark Martyrs Day that was broadcast via video link to a gathering of resistance supporters in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

It would be in the interests of all parties, he argued, to hold free and fair elections "without obstruction or postponement."

Nasrallah also stressed the need to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 and called on MPs to adopt a constitutional amendment for that purpose.

He also reiterated his loyalty to his allies in the opposition, vowing that "recent reconciliations or meetings do not breach this firm commitment."

Nasrallah said reconciliation efforts were "welcomed and we have our hand extended to all."

"Reconciliations are a national interest, all groups are interested in having a calm political situation," he added. 

Concerning broadcasts on Syrian television last week of confessions by alleged Fatah al-Islam militants for a deadly September bombing in Damascus, Nasrallah called for "a serious and transparent investigation."

In the broadcast, the suspects said that Fatah al-Islam, an Al-Qaeda-linked group which battled the Lebanese Army last year at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, had links to Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri’s Future Movement. Nasrallah and Hariri met for their own reconciliation session in late October.

"We support Lebanese-Syrian security coordination and we are sincere in our calls that justice be removed from politics," he added.
 

He also thanked Lebanese Army intelligence for last month’s arrest of a cell that collaborated with Israel. "I hope the day comes when evidence shows that Israel is involved in the bombings and assassinations that happened in Lebanon," he said.

Nasrallah stressed that equipping the army was "a priority," adding that discussions of a national defense strategy should be completed "soon."

"Despite disagreements … all groups agree that the Lebanese Army should have an integral role in defending Lebanon," he said, adding that it was "a pity" that a proposal by his ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel Aoun, to integrate Hizbullah with the military, had not been well received.

He also called for the number of participants in the dialogue to be expanded "so we can face burdens together and transform the dialogue table into a true forum for discussion."

The sayyed also cautioned his supporters against expecting a change in US foreign policy with the election of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Our Arab world, our Third World and our African world can empathize with Obama because of his past or the color of his skin, but politics and interests are a different story," he said. "Don’t exaggerate hopes nor give people high expectations so that no one is disappointed or makes miscalculations," he added. "I don’t want to anticipate events, but logic dictates that we not bet on changes in injustice or believe that he will be more lenient or less unfair than his predecessor."

Nasrallah also paid tribute to fallen resistance fighters "with great pride," thanking them for their "efforts and struggle."

The Daily Star, with AFP

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