Wiesenthal Center Criticizes Meeting of Israeli Ambassador to Romania with Leader of AUR

JERUSALEM – The Israel office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center today harshly criticized yesterday's meeting by the Israeli Ambassadorto Romania with George Simian, the founder and leader of the Party for the Unification of All Romanians, among whose senior leader are members who consider the fascist Romanian Iron Guardmovement, which murdered many Jews in Romania during World War II, as national heroes, for example Sorin Labrik, the president of the party's Senate and Claudio Tarzin, the president of the boardof the party.

We have been informed that both Yad Vashem and the experts at the Foreign Ministry apposed the meeting, and the initiation ofcontacts with the party and the Wiesenthal Center agrees with their position.

The director of the Israel Office, Holocaust historian, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, harshly criticized the meeting, which sets a veryproblematic precedent.

According to Zuroff: "It is unthinkable that an official representative of the State of Israel will meet the leader of a politicalparty, among whose leadership are people who glorify the murderers of Jews and do not acknowledge Romania's responsibility for its role in the massive murder of Jews by Romanians during theHolocaust."

For additional information please contact the Israel office of the Wiesenthal Center: Tel: 972-2-563-1274 or Tel: 972-50-721-4156, follow the Center on Facebook,or @simonwiesenthal and @EZuroff for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations,UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).