[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 68 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E892-E893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE ADMISSION OF ISRAEL TO THE ``WEOG'' GROUP AT THE UNITED NATIONS IS 
                        A CRITICAL STEP FORWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago the leaders of Western 
Europe took an immensely important step by inviting the State of Israel 
to join the ``Western Europe and Other Group'' (WEOG) at the United 
Nations. Membership in a regional grouping is significant at the United 
Nations because seats on the UN Security Council and other similar 
rotating positions are made through regional caucuses.
  Israel has been a member of the United Nations since 1949--the year 
after the State of Israel was officially proclaimed--but during that 
half century, until it was invited to join the WEOG group last week, it 
was never a member of a regional group. As a result, Israel is the only 
country in the UN never to hold one of the rotating Security Council 
seats.
  Mr. Speaker, this welcome decision is one that many of our colleagues 
in the Congress have fought to achieve through letters, resolutions and 
similar actions. Several months ago, at my suggestion, the ambassadors 
in Washington of the countries who are members of the WEOG group were 
invited to a meeting with members of the Committee on International 
Relations, where we pressed for the inclusion of Israel in that 
regional grouping. This important meeting made clear to our friends in 
Western Europe the importance that we in the Congress have given to 
this issue, and I think it was essential in helping to overcome the 
ill-founded resistance to Israel's participation in WEOG.
  As I said to that large group of ambassadors attending the meeting, 
geographical proximity is not a consideration since WEOG includes, 
Turkey, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in 
addition to the countries of Western Europe. Israel's strong links with 
Europe and North America as well as its advanced economy make its 
interests and policies very consistent with those of the other 
participants in the WEOG. Israel's exclusion from the Asia Group and 
the Middle East subgroup is a case of blatant discrimination and a 
deliberate effort to de-legitimize the State of Israel.
  Some of the countries who are members of WEOG were particularly 
supportive of Israel's participation, and I want to thank in particular 
the United Kingdom, as well as the northern countries of Denmark, 
Norway, Sweden and Finland for their enlightened efforts on this 
matter.

[[Page E893]]

  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to many of those who 
have worked to bring Israel into more complete participation in the 
United Nations.
  The United States representative to the UN, Ambassador Richard 
Holbrooke, has been an important voice for resolving this issue. He 
appropriately called this decision to admit Israel to WEOG ``the 
rectification of a long-standing and wholly inexcusable exclusion of 
one country--and one country only--from any of the regional groups of 
the United Nations.''
  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also has personally been involved in 
the effort to resolve this important issue. When Israel was invited to 
join the WEOG the Secretary General said ``this step rectifies a long-
standing anomaly'' which ``should pave the way for Israel to 
participate on an equal footing with other nations in the main organs 
of the United Nations, and it upholds the principle, enshrined in the 
Charter, of equality among all member states.''
  Mr. Speaker, this temporary membership for Israel in WEOG is not the 
final step for Israel's full participation in the United Nations, and I 
am disappointed that the United Nations is still treating Israel 
differently than other nations. Although Israel will be a member of 
WEOG, it has been asked to forgo the opportunity to take its turn 
holding the most influential seats, such as the Security Council, for 
the foreseeable future. Also, the invitation does not include the right 
to participate in European caucuses at United Nations regional offices 
in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. The failure to include Israel in Geneva 
caucuses is significant because the UN Human Rights Commission is 
headquartered in Geneva, and this organization has frequently taken a 
hostile attitude toward Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, I welcome the decision of the WEOG to invite Israel to 
participate, but I emphasize that this is only a first step. 
Unfortunately, this first step does not fully rectify the half-century 
of discrimination at the United Nations to which the State of Israel 
has been subjected. I look forward to Israel's full participation, and 
I invite my colleagues to join me as we continue our efforts in this 
regard.

                          ____________________