(Newswire.net — November 23, 2014) — New York, DC. – Recognizing a raising tendency of denial of German Nazi war crimes and attempts to glorify Nazism ideology, Russia proposed a resolution at UN General Assembley, on condemnation such tendencies. The document voiced concern over the rise of racism-driven crimes around the world.
115 nations, Germany included, backed the resolution. US, Canada & Ukraine voted against. 55 nations (mainly EU countries) decline to vote.
Similar resolution on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination has been already adopted on the International Convention. The convention has been signed by many countries included the US, however, there were no exact mechanisms for resolving particular issues, which makes the convention unenforceable.
The resolution passed in UN on Friday has its obligatory mechanisms that clearly denounce attempts to honor Nazi collaborators by depicting them as fighters of nationalist resistance movements or freedom fighters.
In addition, the resolution condemned any form of denial of Nazi war crimes, including the Jewish Holocaust, and any attempt on rewriting history such as Austria tried to shift the blame for WWI or Croatia attempts – as it becomes a newest EU member – to diminish its role as Nazi collaborator in WWII.
It is not a surprise that Russia proposed a resolution, as they believe growing pro-Nazi militant groups connected with the government in Ukraine are to blame for escalating clashes to a civil war. It is not surprise that EU nations abstaining, because the resolution comes from Russia, which is under EU sanctions. Voting against the resolution, however, is entirely different issue.
“Ukraine’s position is particularly dispiriting and alarming. One can hardly understand how a country, the people of which suffered their full share of the horrors of Nazism and contributed significantly to our common victory against it, can vote against a resolution condemning its glorification,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Kiev’s representative at the session, Andrey Tsymbalyuk, said, however, that “As long as Stalinism and neo-Stalinism are not condemned as strongly as Nazism, neo-Nazism and other forms of hatred, Ukraine would not be able to back this document.”
The resolution is to be formally adopted by the UN General Assembly as a body in December.