Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch to Head U.S. Delegation To Conference on Anti-Semitism Sponsored by the Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe, April 28-29, 2004

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has asked Ed Koch, former New York City Mayor, to lead the U.S. delegation to the April 28-29 Conference on Anti-Semitism, sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and hosted in Berlin by the Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. Koch was chosen to represent the United States in recognition of his leadership role as mayor in combating anti-Semitism in ethnically diverse New York City.

This will be the second OSCE conference on anti-Semitism, following up on a successful event in Vienna last June. German President Johannes Rau plans to open this year’s event, which is intended to draw high-level attention to the problem of anti-Semitism in Europe. The focus of the conference will be on practical measures that can be taken by the OSCE and non-governmental organizations to combat anti-Semitism and promote tolerance.

The OSCE is made up of 55 nations, located in Europe, Eurasia and North America.