The United States and Israel on Monday pulled out of the UN World Conference against Racism being held in Durban, South Africa, after failing to win removal of language condemning Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, said reports.
The draft text with the language in question had obtained broad support, especially among delegates from developing nations, where, according to US State Department estimates, 80 percent of the human race resides.
In the wake of the US withdrawal, the European Union was proposing a completely new conference closing statement.
"The Durban conference is a farce," Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told reporters in Jerusalem on Monday night, terming the conference's activities an "unbelievable attempt to smear Israel," reported Haaretz newspaper.
"We regret very much the very bizarre show in Durban. An important convention that's supposed to defend human rights became a source of hatred," he said.
Peres blamed the Arab League in particular, saying it had led a concerted effort to single out Israel and blame it in unacceptable terms for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In contrast, he lauded the US, according to Haaretz.
"I want to thank the United States of America, which took an extremely courageous position in order to make the world look more responsible, more balanced, more truthful. I think the United States has saved the honor of our world, of our time," he said.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a statement released in Durban, also denounced the draft declaration in uncompromising terms. He assailed the attempt to single out "only one country in the world, Israel, for censure and abuse," and said that conferences could not combat racism by drafting declarations with "hateful language" that was a throwback to the days when the United Nations equated Zionism with racism.
The draft text termed Israel's treatment of Palestinians "a new apartheid" and a "crime against humanity," stated that the conference "recognized with deep concern the increase of racist practices of Zionism" and said that Zionism is based on racial superiority.
Israel was the only country mentioned specifically in the document.
The Israeli-American withdrawal followed days of intensive efforts, led primarily by Norway, to convince Arab and Muslim delegates to remove the anti-Israel statements from the draft resolution and replace them with a general statement calling on all parties in the Middle East to end the "violence" and return to negotiations, while stressing the right of all peoples in the region to self-determination.
Though Israel had initially objected to any reference to its conflict with the Palestinians in the document, it had agreed to this compromise, the paper said.
Meanwhile, Canada said that it would remain at the event, although it understood why the United States had pulled out, AFP and Haaretz reported.
Hedy Fry, head of the Canadian delegation to the
conference, said in a statement that "we fully understand" the United States' reasons for withdrawing.
"This departure will undoubtedly make the work being undertaken in Durban that much more difficult," Fry said, cited by AFP.
"We believe, however, that it is important for our official delegation to remain in Durban to work the issues at the negotiating tables."
In the statement, which was faxed to Toronto, Fry promised
to "continue the dialogue unless it becomes clear to us that a satisfactory outcome is impossible."
"We have already indicated from the beginning of the
conference that we will keep our options open and review the situation on a day-to-day basis," she added – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
