OSCE Chairman pays tribute to late Simon Wiesenthal

LJUBLJANA, 20 September 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, paid tribute to the late Simon Wiesenthal today, calling him a champion of justice after having survived the horrors of World War II.

"Simon Wiesenthal became both the conscience and the voice of all those that were persecuted, expelled or killed during the middle of the 20th century," the OSCE Chairman said. "His tireless fight to bring to justice more than 1000 people of the Nazi regime, greatly responsible for mankind's most destructive war in which millions were executed due to ethnicity or faith, will stand as a reminder to all future generations.

"His efforts forced us all to overcome apathy and indifference. He taught us not to forget a past filled with hatred and heinous crimes, but to face up to that past and deal with it honestly and justly as the only way for humanity to move on", he added."

Acknowledging close co-operation between the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the OSCE in the fight against anti-Semitism, the OSCE's Personal Representative on Combating anti-Semitism, Gert Weisskirchen, said the Organization had benefited significantly from its expertise of the Centre.

"The participation of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and its contribution to the OSCE conferences on anti-Semitism and on other forms of intolerance in Berlin last year and this year in Cordoba brought attention to various aspects of the fight against anti-Semitism and contributed to awareness-raising in this field", said Weisskirchen.