Annan unhappy over outcome of Durban meet

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

UNITED NATIONS, SEPT. 11. The Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan said while the recently concluded conference against racism in South Africa was ``worthwhile'' it was regrettable that it was overshadowed by several acrimonious discussions in the NGO conference on West Asia and on the issue of reparations for slavery.

``The conference was about victims; the conference was about the future; the conference was to try and come up with a plan of action and declaration that would mean something to all people in the room and around the world who are victims of discrimination. I think in the end we did not achieve everything...but at least the issue of discrimination was put on the agenda, was discussed and in the end a document came out,'' Mr. Annan said here today.

When asked whether the criticism that such conferences were a waste of money was justified, Mr. Annan said it would be wrong to dismiss all conferences. ``Yes, this did not go as well as we thought but it does not mean that the world coming together to discuss common issues and find a solution is not a proper thing to do,'' Mr. Annan remarked. Reflecting on the Durban meet, Mr. Annan said things could have been done differently. ``Perhaps better preparation, there could have been better preparation and the member-States could have tried to do more at the preparatory meetings,'' he said, adding that differences over the final document were not settled at Geneva and that agreements had to be made at the eleventh hour in South Africa.

If the Durban meeting is still being discussed, there are good reasons for it. Several member-States and their representatives here are furious that the conference against racism was ``hijacked'' by some who had an agenda against Israel. The point being made is if the wording of the final document was worth all the furore. In a larger perspective, many see a pattern; the introduction of extraneous issues and extreme positions based on politics in conferences which had nothing to do with the issues at hand. Against this is the consequence of going through with international meetings, one of the criticisms being whether in the context of a budget squeeze, it was worthwhile.

But more immediately is the concern that a major country like the United States - which walked out of the Durban meeting protesting against the hate language against Israel - is trying to dictate the outcome of conferences.

The Bush administration has sounded more alarm bells by saying that it will stay away from the meet on children if there is anything on abortion in the final document. ``I think the objective of the conference is clear. And I hope the leaders who are coming here are coming to focus attention on the needs of children from around the world - from education to health and what society needs to do to protect children and ensure their future...We all want to protect our children. And I'm sure the U.S. will be here,'' Mr. Annan said.

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