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Holocaust conference in Sweden

STOCKHOLM: European political leaders flew into Stockholm on Wednesday for an international conference on the Holocaust as three neo-Nazis went on trial in Sweden.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson will head discussions about what can be learnt for the future from Nazi Germany's extermination of six million European Jews.

As conference delegates -- who include some 20 heads of state or government -- gathered, the media spotlight was also on three known Swedish neo-Nazis on trial for spreading and selling Nazi propaganda.

At the same time, the far right seemed on the verge of government in Austria, with the country's conservative politicians in coalition negotiations with far-right leader Joerg Haider.

Austria's Social Democrat acting Chancellor Viktor Klima is attending the Holocaust conference, abandoning hopes of forming a minority government.

Israel and the Jewish community, represented by the World Jewish Congress (WJC), have made it clear that relations with Austria will be strained if Haider enters government.

"This man and his teachings are insults to decency and democracy. They are an insult to the essence of the message of what we are gathered here in Stockholm to talk about," Michael Melchior, responsible in the Israeli cabinet for fighting anti-Semitism, said.

The conference grew out of a 1997 Swedish government education campaign launched after a survey found that 10 percent of Swedish schoolchildren did not know about the Holocaust.

Spreading knowledge about the Holocaust has become a personal crusade for Persson as Sweden battles with an upsurge in neo-Nazi and racist violence, including several murders.

Although the number of active neo-Nazis in Sweden remains relatively small at an estimated 1,200, the production of white power music, racist magazines and Internet sites has put the country at the hub of European neo-Nazism.

Three known neo-Nazis are on trial in Helsingborg, southwest Sweden, this week, accused of spreading and selling Nazi propaganda in what is described as Sweden's largest freedom of speech court case.

The three men, aged 27, 32 and 46, with links to white power music companies in Sweden, have denied charges of racial agitation, saying the charges are a "political gimmick".

The court has been told that a list of 8,000 clients in 46 countries was found during a search of one of the men's homes.

Sweden remained neutral during World War Two. But the government traded with the Nazis and allowed German troops to cross its land.

A television documentary this month revealed at least 260 Swedes joined Hitler's Waffen SS.

Breaking with political tradition, Persson made a strong statement of regret last week for Sweden's failure to act morally during the war, an apology he repeated to the World Jewish Congress on Tuesday.

Persson has promised to set up an inquiry to further study Sweden's relationship with Nazi Germany and to review legislation so that Nazi war criminals can be brought to trial in Sweden.

The Holocaust conference has led to Sweden's biggest security operation, with large chunks of central Stockholm sealed off and 1,200 police working round the clock.

Persson was to officially open the conference with speeches also expected from Barak, Schroeder, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.-Reuters