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The conference was fully [[boycott|boycotted]] by [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Germany]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], the [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Poland]], and the [[United States]]. The [[Czech Republic]], which held the presidency of the [[European Union]] at the time of the conference, left on the first day and boycotted the remainder of the conference, and twenty-three European Union countries partially boycotted the conference by sending low-level delegations.<ref>France was represented at the conference by its Geneva-based ambassador instead of its foreign minister.</ref> The Western countries expressed concerns that the conference would be used to promote [[anti-Semitism]] and laws against [[blasphemy]] perceived as contrary to the principles of free speech,<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLJ34980320090419 Growing Western boycott threatens U.N. racism forum] by Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 19 April 2009.</ref><ref>[http://w racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, tml Boycotts hit U.N. racism conference], CNN.com, 19 April 2009.</ref><ref name=Klapper/><ref>[http://www.france24.com/en/20090419-western-nations-boycott-un-anti-racism-conference Western nations boycott UN anti-racism conference] by Peter Capella, France 24, AFP News Briefs List, 19 April 2009.</ref><ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKTRE53I0UT20090420 Ahmadinejad to address racism summit] by Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 20 April 2009.</ref> and that the conference would not deal with [[homophobia|discrimination against homosexuals]].<ref>{{cite web|author=17 Mar 2009 |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g5fbrP6bp0x8g06_7zf78fDbpg9A |title=AFP: Text on Israel cut from UN racism draft |publisher=Google.com |date=2009-03-17 |accessdate=2009-04-19}}</ref> [[Europe|European]] countries also have criticized the meeting for focusing heavily on [[Western world|the West]] and ignoring problems of racism and intolerance in the [[developing world]].
Controversy also surrounded the attendance of [[President of Iran|Iranian President]] [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] at the conference due to his past statements on [[Israel]] and the [[Holocaust]]. On the first day of the conference, Ahmadinejad, who was the only head of state in attendance, made a speech condemning
==Committee==
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