CRIF MEETS THE SOCIALIST OPPOSITION

Roger Cukierman highlighted CRIF's total support to secularism and its total political neutrality.

CRIF criticized the Socialist Party for his past lack of awareness to the surge of anti-Semitism while Socialists were still ruling France. The Socialist delegation took a notice of the criticism and said it decided to "increase its efforts in training its militants and leaders. In the French regions where our party is ruling, we will train and raise the awareness of the youth and more generally speaking of the pupils and the students," said François Hollande.

CRIF's Roger Cukierman regretted the lack of support of the public opinion to the demonstration against anti-Semitism organized last May by the Left-wing group SOS-Racism. "This lack of support is mirrored by the decisions taken by the courts of justice," said Cukierman, referring to several recent cases where lawsuits for anti-Semitism were thrown out of court. Cukierman suggested that under age perpetrators of anti-Semitic offences should be punished by law and be brought with their relatives in front of the local mayors to hear a few words about civic behavior. The Socialist leaders said this was a "constructive idea" and promised to follow up on it.

CRIF's Director General Haïm Musicant said the Socialist Party had an important role to play with the young generation. Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris, agreed there was a "generation gap. The Socialist Party is committed now to train young people, especially in the suburbs (i.e. Muslim youths). This action must involve a total unequivocal criticism of terrorist actions. One must tell the young people that there is no justification to terrorist actions," said Hidalgo.

Pierre Schapira, member of the European Parliament and in charge of the City of Paris international relations, stressed that Paris will name a square or a street after Theodor Herzl. He reminded that since his inception as Mayor of Paris, Socialist leader Bertrand Delanoë had unveiled in numerous schools of the French capital city plaques in memory of the Jewish children deported to the Nazi extermination camps. Roger Cukierman thanked the Mayor of Paris for his "positive role". Schapira recalled that Socialist then-President François Mitterrand was the first French president to visit Israel and that the Socialist Party did support then the peace initiative of Israel's then-Prime Minister Menahem Begin.

François Hollande formally denied that Socialist former Prime Minister Michel Rocard said the Balfour declaration and the creation of the State of Israel were mistakes, as reported earlier by the Egyptian press.

Pierre Moscovici, in charge of the Party's International relations expressed the Socialists' support of the Geneva Initiative. There is no contradiction between the Geneva Initiative and the Road map, Moscovici said.

François Hollande stressed the "privileged" relations between his party and the Left in Israel. A Socialist delegation is due to leave "soon" for Israel. Cukierman and Hollande agreed that a representative of CRIF would join the Socialist delegation.

CRIF and the Socialist leaders agreed to set up a permanent liaising commission. CRIF's representatives to this group are Gérard Unger, Richard Prasquier and CRIF's Director General Haïm Musicant. Stéphane Le Foll will lead the Socialist representatives. The Liaising Commission is to convene soon.

The Socialist delegation was led by the Party's First Secretary François Hollande, Members of the European Parliament Pierre Moscovici, Stéphane Le Foll, Pierre Schapira, Vincent Peillon, Adeline Hazan, Annick Lepetit, First Deputy Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, National Bureau Member Jean Mallot and President of the Leon Blum Circle Laurent Azoulai.

The delegation of CRIF included President Roger Cukierman, Vice-President Roger Benarrosh, Director General Haïm Musicant, Honorary President Henry Bulawko, Treasurer Francis Kalifat, Members of the Executive Jean-Pierre Allali, Meyer Habib, Gérard Unger, Michel Zaoui, President Advisor Dr Richard Prasquier and Honorary Director Jacqueline Keller.