Letter to Incoming UN Secretary General
AJC applauded incoming UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his condemnation of Iran's Holocaust denial conference and its continued threats against Israel. "True leadership is always based on moral principles. We want to thank you for the moral leadership you demonstrated and wish you every success as you assume your new position," AJC wrote in a letter to Ki-Moon. Letter to Secretary General Designate
Full text of the letter:
E. Robert Goodkind and David Harris
December 18, 2006
His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon Secretary-General Designate The United Nations New York, NY 10017
Your Excellency:
We write to extend to you the American Jewish Committee's heartfelt congratulations on your election as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Respectful of your considerable diplomatic experience, and the strong leadership you displayed in your previous positions, we are confident that this challenging job is in the most capable hands.
Our organization has supported the UN from the very beginning, embracing the lofty ideals enshrined in its Charter. Indeed, the UN, an organization committed to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," was founded in the wake the horrors of the Second World War, first among them the Holocaust, which brought the murder of six million Jews. As you know so well, it is against this backdrop that the UN Charter obligates all UN members to "refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."
In this regard, we wish to express our deep appreciation for your statement last week, that "Denying historical facts, especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust, is just not acceptable," and adding, "Nor is it acceptable to call for the elimination of states or people."
True leadership is always based on moral principles. We want to thank you for the moral leadership you demonstrated last week and wish you every success as you assume your new position. Please know that in all your efforts to assure the UN's adherence to its noble principles, you will have the full support of the American Jewish Committee. Respectfully,
E. Robert Goodkind David A. Harris
Ari M. Gordon Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org