DURBAN, South Africa, Sept 3 – The United States and Israel pulled out of an acrimonious global conference on racism in South Africa Monday after failing to win removal of language condemning Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.
The European Union announced shortly afterwards that a “completely new text” would be drawn up, with an informal group, chaired by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and including the EU and African and Arab nations, planning to meet at midnight (2200 GMT) and work through the night.
“The European Union will stay in Durban,” declared Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, the president of the council of the European Union
“You do not combat racism by a conference that produces declarations containing hateful language,” said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who reluctantly boycotted the conference himself, sending a mid-level team instead.
“I have instructed our representatives to the World Conference Against Racism to return home,” Powell said in a statement, adding that he had taken the decision with regret.
Said Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Jerusalem: “I regret the very bizarre show in Durban … a convention that was supposed to defend human rights, and which has been a source of hatred and unfounded accusation, a reverse of every responsibility of the international community.”
Added his spokesman, Emmanuel Nachson: “In Israel, the U.N. is not exactly smelling of sainthood, and now even less.”
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, visiting Kigali, said he regretted the U.S. pullout, saying Washington should have focused more on the conference’s main goals.
“I consider it regrettable. The question of racism, xenophobia and intolerance is something that all societies live in and should fight against,” he said. “It is an issue that demands action from all of us … one expects everybody to be at the table to fight for what they believe in and to make their case.”
The meeting in the Indian Ocean city, drawing delegations from more than 150 governments, was the United Nations’ third conference on racism.
The United States and Israel boycotted the first two, in 1978 and 1983, for the same reason.
Drafts of final documents to be produced in Durban include references to “a new kind of apartheid”, practiced by Israel, accuse it of “a crime against humanity”, and mention “racist practices of Zionism”.
A sidelines conference of non-governmental organizations here, which drew more than 6,000 delegates from around the world, shocked the U.N. delegates by producing a final declaration on Sunday that accused Israel of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Their five-day forum was marked by altercations between Palestinians and pro-Israelis, with police having to move in several times to separate them.
Host government South Africa deplored the pullout as “unfortunate and unnecessary”.
Essop Pahad, minister in the presidency of Thabo Mbeki, added: “The conference will continue in the spirit in which it has been conducted thus far – a melting pot of a number of perspectives”.
American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson – in Durban – said the pullout was “unfortunate and unnecessary”.
“We missed a great moment,” he said.
Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor and member of the U.S. delegation, said: “Those who have made a go of hijacking the conference for propaganda purposes have shown a … rigidity and refusal to compromise.
“The conference has fallen victim to its own discriminatory practices. It has become pathologically focused on one controversy.
“We tried to put it back on track,” Lantos said. “We have gone the extra mile. We tried beyond any reasonable compromise.”
“When the Norwegian compromise [a new text] dealt with it in a civilized fashion we embraced it – it was refused,” he said, blaming “extremists in the Arab and Islamic world”.
Suleiman al-Herfi, the Palestine Liberation Organization representative in South Africa, said: “It’s a great pity. They themselves [the United States] are confirming their isolation. They weren’t able to impose their point of view … so they quit.”
Issues for the remaining nations to tackle before the conference ends on Friday include demands for reparations for slavery, the status of low-caste Dalits, discrimination against migrants, women, Roma, indigenous people, discrimination because of HIV/AIDS, refugees and victims of racist speech spread by the Internet.