WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has been appointed by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to be a member of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Conference will be held in Berlin, Germany April 28-29.

The Congressman is the Ranking Member of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission). As a member of the Commission, he has strongly pushed for stronger measures to combat anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia. The Congressman played a lead role in the OSCE establishing a separate conference devoted to anti-Semitism.

"I am proud to be a member of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism. Ethnic and religious intolerance remain strong forces throughout the world. It takes vigilance and aggressive action to alert the world to its dangers and to condemn it as a cancer that will ultimately affect us all. OSCE has committed itself to using its power and prestige to fight the scourge of anti-Semitism," said the Congressman.

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch has been appointed to head the U.S. delegation to the Berlin conference. The other congressional members of the U.S. delegation include: Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-OH, and Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-NJ. The two-day conference will focus on the problem of anti-Semitism throughout the OSCE region and what measures OSCE member states can take to fight it.

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