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Wiesenthal Centre to InterContinental Hotels Chief Executive: "Withdraw Discriminatory Directory from Circulation"

In a letter to InterContinental Hotels Group Chief Executive, Andrew Coslett, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Affairs, Dr. Shimon Samuels, protested "the geographical revisionism" of the Global Directory 2005/6.

Samuels noted that this Directory presents a series of maps marking cities with IC properties (Europe pp. 14-15, North America p. 16, Latin America p. 17, Middle East p. 18, Africa p. 19, Asia Pacific p. 20). Tel Aviv is the only locale that appears to have been deleted. If this was an oversight, the absence is repeated in:

- the detailed hotel listings pp. 22-91 - no Tel Aviv

- the IC Hotels Group Country Reservation numbers, alphabetically listing Argentina to Venezuela pp. 93-95 - Israel apparently does not exist

- Global Sales Offices pp. 96-97 - likewise

- Global Distribution Systems Codes pp. 98-101 - all cities are listed except Tel Aviv

- Crowne Plaza hotels are listed by city all over the world pp. 101-108 - strikingly absent are Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat.

The letter continued, "by geographical revisionism, your company seems to have endorsed the policy of the Arab boycott, in contravention of freedom of commerce provisions of the European Union and the World Trade Organization. Moreover, such a position would militate against current measures to revive hopes for peace in the region and will encourage those rejectionists who aspire to truly delete the Jewish State from the map."

"On behalf of our many members who are regular clients of InterContinental hotels" and "in view of its offence to the world Jewish community and to Gentile friends of Israel," the Centre urged Mr. Coslett "to withdraw this discriminatory directory from circulation forthwith and replace it with a truly 'Global Directory' for your clients in all regions - including your properties in the Middle East."

For further information, please contact Dr. Samuels at +33 6 09 77 01 58.