Page 6-The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, January 19, 1989 ,
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Foreign ministef invites Arafat to Madrid
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BRUSSELS (JTA) ^
Spain is moving swiftly atihe head of a European Community effort to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to talk peace.
Spanish foreign minister Francisco Fernandez Ordonez has invited Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasser Arafat to Madrid for talks Jan. 27, EC sources disclosed here.
Ordonez himself went to Jerusalem Jan. 15 for talks with Israeli leaders.
Ordonez assumed the " rotating chairmanship of
the Brussels-based EC Councilof Ministers Jan. 1. taking over from Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias of Greece. Foreign Minister Roland Dumas of France will succeed Ordonez next July 1.
The three foreign ministers constitute the "troika" mandated by their EC partners last month to consult and confer with Israel, the PLO and all other parties conceriied to help resolve the Middle East conflict.
The troika is expected to visit Syria, Jordan and
Egypt and will be in Madrid to talk to Arafat.
The flurry of activity this month is in preparation for the Feb. 14 meeting of the 12 EC foreign ministers in Madrid.
According to a well informed source here, the foreign ministers may use that gathering to launch an initiative for an international conference for Middle East peace under UN auspices.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources here hinted that Dutch foreign minister Hans van den Broek may
meet Arafat latei: this month in Tunis.
Speculation over such an eiicounter followed a meeting in Tunis between a delegation of senior Dutch foreign ministry officials and PLO representatives.
The Netherlands is considered the most pro-Israel of the EC states.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has told Lord Henry Plumb, the Speaker of the European Parliament, who was in
./By JEFF ROSEN
TORONTO -
An electronics equipment retailer has been forced to pay over $290,000 in damages for violating the Ontario Human Rights Code's provisions dealing with racial discrimination and harassment.
Raj Anand, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commi-sion, recently announced that a ''landmark'' settlement had been reached between Majestic Elec-
JERUSALEM (JPFS) -Over $631 million worth of Israel Bonds weriB sold last year, an in-creasie of $27 million over 1987, the Bonds organization has announced.
This brings to $3.24 billion the total amount of bonds sold during the 6-year tenure of Yehuda Halevy, who is stepping down as president of the organization.
He will be succeeded by career diplomat and former ambassador to Washington Meir Ro-senne.
Ironies and five former employees who had filed complaints alleging the company's president, Curtis Ramsauer, had threatened and harrassed them after refusing to carry out orders they considered racist and sexist.
•'We appreciate that Majestic arid Ramsauer were willing to settle this matter prior to a Board of Inquiry -r- which had been appointed — holding a hearing." Anand said. ■'This settlement represents full compensation' for the individual complainants, as. well as one of the most far-reaching packages of systemic reniedies so as to prevent future discrimination."
The;, commission . had •found it necessary to set lip such a board after it received complaints from Robert Lee. Matthew McArthur, Jim Spariks, Jerry Buxton and Vasmin Moledina in 1987.,
The commission's inves-tigation revealed the four men were forced to leave senior positions in the company as their jobs became unbearable when Rainsauer directed them not .to hire minorities and women, niade bigoted and racist remarks, and when the occasion arose, insisted they fire minorities and women they had hired despite his threats.
Moledina reportedly left her job after working four days at Majestic as a data entry supervisor as she was told she would be fired be-cau.se she was East Indian.
Lee, former vice-president of finance for Majestic, told The GJN he was surprised and .shocked after being asked to dismiss a person because of race.
*'This case shows that if you stand up for your rights you can win,'' said Lee. "It proves you can't discriminate in Ontario."
company directives
Lee said one of the times he was forced to go against company d irect ives came, after he hired administrative staff for head office. He said Ramsauer made it clear to him that he didn't approye of five pf the six new employees, who were not white. However, Lee said he stood his ground, defending them as the best qualified candidates.
"Hopefully the exposure of this case will help others stand up for other people'is rights,'' Lee said.
: As a result of the commission's intervention, the five complainants will receive a total of $253,796 in compensation for specific damages and $8,000 each in jgeneral damages, the latter to be paid per-
sonally by Ramsauer.
Under the terms of the settlement, Ramsauer has also agreed to provide each of his former employees with a letter of apology for the "embarrassment, inconvenience, stress aind financial costs suffered as a result of treatment received" while employed at Majestic Electronics.
As Well as rectifying the complaints made by the five former employees, Ramsauer agreed to cease such practices in the future, guaranteeing Majestic will hire qualified women and minorities in direct proportion to the percentage of appU-. cations received from th^e groups.
The company will also hold six human rights educational prograrns in the next three years which Ramsauer has agreed to attend and hire an employment equity coordinator for a 3-year period.
In placing future* ads, Majestic will now be required to place at least one employment advertisement in an established nevvs-paper representing a visible minority group for each ad placed In a daily newspaper; and include the statement "Majestic Electronic Stores Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Empioyer" in each ad. '
Any such ads which portray Majestic employees w i 11 be requ i red to i nc 1 ude women and minorities.
Judaic Studies and Hebrew Language Teachers
required for September 1989 for an
Orthodox Zionist Elementary Day School.
Subjects: Chumash, Gemara, Mishna, , Halacha, Navi and Safah. -Applicants must be Orthodox, experienced and fluent in Ivrit. Must have teacher certification and Sriiicha is preferable.
Good salary and benefits available.
Send resume to: Rabbi Samuel Biber NETIVOT HATORAH DAY SCHOOL 55 Yeomans Road, Down.sview, Ont. M3H 3J7
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Israel, that it is hard to see what role the European community could play in peace efforts, given its ^'consistent pro-Palestinian policies.''
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Shamir told Plumb that the EC should not alloW its political views to affect its economic relations with Israel. Such an attempt was made last year when the European Parliament refused to ratify trade protocols with Israel because of the situation in the territories, Shamir complained.
He expressed satisfaction, however, that that particular linkage had been scrapped, and said: "This should serve as a lesson so that mistakes are not repeated," according to the spokesman.
Despite the political disagreements. Israel was interested in good relations with the EC, the Prime
Minister stressed. The British visitor, for his part, told Shamir that the EC bears goodwill toward Israel, and would like to play, an active role in peace efforts.-
■ By VIC ALHADEFF
SYDNEY, Australia-
A senior representative of the PLO will fly to Australia to meet Australian government officials next month in a visit which will mark upgraded relations between Canberra and the PLO.
The move comes i n the Wake of the U.S. administration's decision to negotiate directly with the PLO and a subsequent decision by Australia to allow direct contacts with the PLO.
The visit will be by PLO representative Zuhei Dazhi, a spokesman for
Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans said last week. The meeting would be in line with Evans' statements clearing the way for direct dealings with the PLO. he added. Prime Minister Bob , Hawke, a longstanding and staunch friend of Israel, has met moderate PLO representatives both in Israel and Australia, but has never met an official PLO delegation. After PLO head Yasser Arafat's Dec. 15 statement renouncing terrorism and implicitly recognizing Israel, Hawke said an official PLO delegation would be welcome in Australia.
Dahzi will attend a UN seminar while in Australia. The seminar — the UN Conference on Media Encounter— is also due to be attended by Israeli representatives. It will be held in Sydney on Feb, 3 and in Canberra on Feb. 6.
YOUR TEENAGER
COIHLD BE IN ISRAEL THIS SUMMER!
AN INVITATION TO THE YOUTH OF THE ONTARIO AND ATLANTIC COMMUNITIES FROM THE YOUTH OF OR-YEHUDA ISRAEL
The United Israel Appeal of Canada is now accepting a limited number of candidates for its annual Youth to Youth Exchange Program between Canada and Israel. It will run for 3 weeks, August 10 - August 31st, 1989, and is open to all teenagers between 16 & 18 years of age residing in Canadian communities twinned with the Projea Renewal community' of Or-Yehuda. *
The program's unique features will enable participants to:
• Live with an Or-Yehuda family ajid learn first hand about the Israeli way of life.
• Gain friendships with Israeli youths of the same age, who will work and travel with the group throughout its stay in Israel.
• Travel off-the-beaten path, with an itinerar\- specifically designed to encompass experiences not available to standard tourist groups.
• Share in the rewards of participating in worthwhile work projects in the Projea Renewal community of Or-Yehuda.
Contact Eli Rubenstein for details at: United Israel Appeal of Canada Inc. 4600 Bathurst St. #315 Willowdale, Ontario
M2R 3V3
one:
Hk- Youth to Youth Exchange Program to Or-Yehuda is sutwidizcd. in part, by the IJnited Israel Appeal of Canada Incrr
• Including Hamilton. London, Windsor. Halifax, and the smaller communities of Ontario and Atlantic Regions. -