Israel welcomes election of new UNESCO head
AFP
JERUSALEM- Israel on Tuesday welcomed the election of Bulgaria's Irina Bokova as head of the UN culture agency after she defeated an Egyptian rival accused of anti-Semitism.
"Israel welcomes the election and is convinced that fruitful cooperation with UNESCO will continue and even be reinforced," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hosni, Egypt's culture minister, was dogged by anti-Semitism accusations after saying last year that he would burn Israeli books.
Despite the controversy, Israel had earlier this year lifted its opposition to his candidacy after a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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