U.S. sticks to its guns on Durban meet

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, AUG. 28. The Bush administration makes it clear that the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, will not attend the U.N. Conference against Racism. Washington has left open the possibility of boycotting the Durban conference and The Washington Post has reported that the United States may also stay on the sidelines of a U.N. meeting on children starting next month.

The Republican administration, has stuck to its guns on the Durban meeting with the State Department and the White House stressing that unless sections of a draft declaration were toned down the U.S. will not attend the meet. Washington is especially upset by the anti-Israeli sentiments and language equating Zionism with racism that is being insisted upon by many West Asian States. The Bush administration also took exception to the language on slavery and the call of some in the African continent for reparations from those responsible for the slave trade. Some administration officials and diplomats in New York feel that the global conference in South Africa is focussing on the past without laying the groundwork for the future. But critics of the United States argue that the Durban Meet will have to be placed in perspective.

The decision on Gen. Powell staying out of the Durban conference brought about expected reaction. The African-American civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson said Washington was ``abdicating responsibility'' as well as losing an opportunity to show the progress made in getting rid of racism. ``Mr.Bush made a fateful step for isolation by disallowing Secretary of State Powell to lead the delegation for the conference against global racism in South Africa,'' Mr. Jackson said.

But support for the administration came from several Jewish groups who argued that the problem was in hardline Arab nations insisting on offensive language. ``If the United States does not go, nobody in the Jewish community will shed a tear,'' remarked Mr. David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee. It was also felt that if Gen. Powell travelled to Durban it would give legitimacy to the anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Many diplomats at the U.N. have been critical of the attitude of some of the West Asian nations, who in their view seem keen on derailing every international meeting by bringing in extraneous issues and languages to the final resolution. And the insistence on hanging tough has been related not only to the increasing violence in West Asia but a general frustration that no positive movement has been registered in that part of the world over the last several months.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that the Bush administration may sit out another major international meeting due to start in New York next month. More than 75 Heads of State and Government are expected to attend a General Assembly special session on children between September 19 and September 21. Here again, the Bush administration has difficulties with the language of the final declaration. A decision on attending it will be made later but apparently administration officials are worried about at least two aspects of the final outcome: an overemphasis on the rights of children over parents; and promotion of abortion counselling and services.

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Section  : International
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