"Our experience of a multiethnic and multiform country with the age-old history of coexistence between different nations, religions and traditions can come in useful for Europe, which has quite unexpectedly been faced in recent years with an outburst of anti-Semitism, growth of national intolerance", Ella Pamfilova told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. She participates in the international anti-Semitism conference in Berlin.
"Many public and human-rights organisations note that Russia has no anti-Semitism at the state level and much has been done in this direction in recent years", making it possible to say that the Russian experience can be of use in Europe, she said.
"Manifestations of household anti-Semitism are still met", she admitted.
Pamfilova also noted that the participation of Russia in this conference "is very important as a country which defeated fascism and lost very many lives of its compatriots of different nationalities in that struggle".
She believes that "a serious analysis of the reasons of all sorts of racism and national extremism is required. Particularly, as regards the socio-economic, religious, moral and cultural reasons".
In her opinion, "anti-Semitism is only one manifestation of national extremism. It has to be discussed openly and professionally".
"In order to reveal the causes and suggest methods of counteraction, a plan of actions in the future, a delicate, minute but serious conversation is required", Pamfilova stressed. And noted that "in the discussion of such problems, there should be false shame and false political correctness. Things should be put forwardly and the reasons revealed by a joint effort".
The German mass media report that the Berlin forum is expected to be attended by over 50 foreign ministers from different countries, as well as representatives of a number of Jewish organisations.
Among the most high-ranking participants are the American chief delegate State Secretary Colin Powell and Israeli President Moshe Katzav.
In the Russian delegation are Leonid Nadirov, first deputy minister of culture and mass communications, Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission under the president, Anvar Azimov, deputy director of the European Cooperation Board of the Foreign Ministry, RIA Novosti was told at the Russian embassy to the FRG.
The Berlin conference on anti-Semitism will be over on April 29.
