US Backs Out of
World Conference Against Racism

AP 3sep01

DURBAN, South Africa  -- The United States pulled out of the World Conference Against Racism on Monday, denouncing language proposed for the U.N. meeting's final declaration that condemned Israel.

Israel announced that it was also pulling out of the conference because of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Monday in Jerusalem.

In a statement released in Durban, Secretary of State Colin Powell denounced the draft declaration's "hateful language."

"Today I have instructed our representatives at the World Conference Against Racism to return home. I have taken this decision with regret because of the importance of the international fight against racism and the contribution that this conference could have made to it," the statement said.

"But following discussion today by our team in Durban and others who are working for a successful conference, and others, I am convinced that will not be possible."

Norway and Canada had attempted to mediate a compromise between the Arab states and Israel on the conference's draft declaration. The United States, which had sent only a midlevel delegation to the conference in protest of what it considered anti-Semitic language in the document, was part of those talks.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, attending the conference as a member of the Black Leadership Forum, said he was disappointed that President Bush allowed the debate over Israel to determine whether the United State would participate.

"In many ways, the American delegation never walked in," Jackson said.

U.S. delegates had left their desks at the conference Monday afternoon. The United States and Israeli delegations had been threatening to leave the conference if the language in the declaration was not changed.

"All attempts to reach a compromise have failed," Rep. Tom Lantos, a member of the official U.S. delegation, said.

Debate over referring to Israeli practices and Zionism, the movement that founded the Jewish state, has threatened to overwhelm the conference.

Lantos said the Arab states were unwilling to accept reasonable compromise.

"We have gone the extra mile," Lantos said. "We have tried beyond anything that was reasonable to make compromises."

Palestinian Ambassador Salman el Herfi said the Arab delegations had been very reasonable but that the U.S. delegation had refused to compromise.

"It's sad. It's sad they didn't leave room for dialogue, they didn't leave room for flexibility," he said.

Herfi accused the United States of pulling out because of its own refusal to face up to responsibility for slavery and the injustices done to American Indians.

"Their withdrawal will not affect the success of conference. The conference will succeed," he said.

Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement Monday about the decision to withdraw the U.S. delegation from the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa:

Today I have instructed our representatives at the World Conference Against Racism to return home. I have taken this decision with regret, because of the importance of the international fight against racism and the contribution that the conference could have made to it. But, following discussions today by our team in Durban and others who are working for a successful conference, I am convinced that will not be possible. I know that you do not combat racism by conferences that produce declarations containing hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of "Zionism equals racism"; or supports the idea that we have made too much of the Holocaust; or suggests that apartheid exists in Israel; or that singles out only one country in the world, Israel, for censure and abuse.

I deeply respect the goals of South African President Mbeki and Foreign Minister Zuma in hosting this conference. I strongly support the good work of Secretary General Annan to try to make it come out right. The United States and delegations interested in a successful outcome had worked productively in Durban on the other key issues of the Conference and were hopeful that they could be resolved. I wish that it could have turned out more successfully.