PARIS: France s most famous Nazi-hunter Tuesday gave his support to Egypt s candidate to lead the United Nations cultural organization, despite the allegations of anti-Semitism clouding his campaign.
Serge Klarsfeld told AFP that Farouk Hosni, Egyptian culture minister and the frontrunner to take over as head of UNESCO, had apologized for remarks seen by many as anti-Semitic and had taken a strong stance against the Holocaust.
The intervention of 73-year-old Klarsfeld, who dedicated his life to hunting down escaped Nazi war criminals, was something of a surprise in France, where several Jewish intellectuals have condemned Hosni s candidacy.
I support him because of his public position on the Shoah and his openly expressed repentance, Klarsfeld told AFP in a telephone interview given after he issued a statement following a meeting at the Egyptian embassy in Paris.
Naming Mr. Farouk Hosni head of UNESCO would be entirely positive, his statement said. It is also to be welcomed because Egypt is home to one of the oldest and most remarkable civilizations and today plays an important role.
In his long ministerial career, Hosni has often been accused of promoting anti-Semitism, in particular in 2008 when he told the Egyptian parliament that he would personally burn any Israeli books in the country s libraries.
Noted figures, including Auschwitz survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, have opposed his candidacy, but he nevertheless remains the frontrunner among nine candidates to become the next UNESCO director general.
Representatives from the 58 nations that make up UNESCO s executive council are meeting in Paris this week ahead of a first round of voting on Sept. 17 to elect a successor to Japan s Koichiro Matsuura. -AFP
