Delegates to Conference Against Racism Agree on Final Declaration

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) -- The World Conference Against Racism ended Saturday as tumultuously as it began, with a declaration and program of action that was immediately cited as groundbreaking and momentous, hurtful and disastrous, and everything in between.

The eight-day U.N. meeting went into a ninth day when compromises on the two dominant issues -- the Middle East conflict and the legacy of slavery -- failed to materialize.

Even when deals on both issues were struck Saturday morning, last-minute attempts to add several thinly veiled references to Israel deadlocked the conference and sent diplomats scurrying. Only the imminent departure of the interpreters and some rough use of parliamentary procedure brought debate to an end and kept out the additional paragraphs.

When the final meeting was called, the president of the conference, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, declared the documents adopted before any of the delegates had a chance to speak, sparking more anger, but no one walked out, prompting organizers to call the conference a success.

``We have come a very long way. ... The language will resonate throughout the world,'' said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who organized the meeting.

At stake were two pledges: a declaration promising to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and a program of action spelling out how they should be fought. The documents are not legally binding, but countries will be monitored to see if they keep their promises.

The United States and Israel withdrew their delegations halfway through the conference when a Norwegian compromise on references to the Middle East was rejected. Although original references condemning the ``racist practices'' of Israel and Zionism -- the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state -- were removed from the final declaration, a reference to ``the plight of the Palestinians'' remained.

In Washington, a State Department official said the U.S. government looked forward to examining the final text.

``We appreciate the effort of other parties in the conference who thought to remove the offensive language. We're disappointed that the conference, which had an opportunity to address the issues of racism, was politicized. We're confident that our withdrawal was the correct measure and hope the decision had some effect on a better but still flawed result,'' the official Saturday said on condition of anonymity.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan conceded, ``It is regrettable that the useful work of the conference was overshadowed on one or two highly emotional issues, especially in the Middle East. Many hurtful things were said ... which tended to inflame the atmosphere rather than to encourage rational and constructive discussion.''

But, he added in a statement from his office in New York, ``to have left Durban without agreement would have given comfort to the worst elements in every society.''

Immediately after the document's adoption, Canada and Australia disassociated themselves from the paragraphs on the Middle East.

``We are not satisfied with this conference. Too much time has been spent on an issue which does not belong here,'' the head of the Canadian delegation, Paul Heinbecker, told the conference. ``We want to condemn at this conference the attempts to delegitimize the state of Israel.''

Speaking in Italy, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said he was pleased with the European Union and other countries for keeping any direct reference to Israel out of the final document.

``What happened in Durban was a scandal,'' Peres said in an interview with Italian news agencies. ``What occurred is that a majority of non-democratic countries tried to give democracy lessons to democratic countries. ... I think that if we hadn't left, nothing would have happened'' to improve the text.

Muslim nations led by Iran, Iraq and the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference, were also unhappy with the final text, saying not enough attention was paid to Israel and the Palestinians.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa rejected a paragraph recognizing the Holocaust, saying that Europeans were responsible for the genocide and ``are trying to spread their guilt around the world.''

Robinson and African nations immediately praised the language referring to the legacy of slavery, citing it as the most historic outcome of the conference. But again, many nations thought it did not go far enough.

``Africa had a rendezvous with history,'' said Amina Mohamed, the Kenyan mediator in the talks. ``We have an agreement on a document that is far from satisfactory, is terribly imperfect, but that provides a basis to build on, and I think, for the first time, the dignity of the black man has been recognized.''

Under the slavery deal, the conference acknowledged slavery and the slave trade as a crime against humanity and ``should always have been so.'' It also expressed an apology in the form of acknowledgment for the wrongs of slavery and colonialism and offered a package of economic assistance to Africa.

It remained unclear what the new language would mean for European fears of potential lawsuits seeking reparations, though several European delegates said on condition of anonymity their fears had been addressed.

Despite efforts to expand the grounds of discrimination that should be illegal to include religion, language and sexual orientation, the conference recommended they be limited to the current definition of race, skin color, descent and national or ethnic background.

The racism conference was the first time human and civil rights groups were allowed to participate in a U.N. conference, and many went away unhappy. Indigenous groups from the Americas joined Jewish groups in condemning the conference's outcome. Palestinian groups expressed disappointment with it as well.

``We wanted clearer language in regard to Israeli practices and policies,'' said Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations who represented Arab countries at the conference.

U.S. human rights lawyer Chip Pitts linked the hardening of positions on the Middle East to the acrimonious atmosphere in Durban.

``Lots of issues were neglected ... because of the politicized nature of the final document,'' Pitts said. ``It was the reinforcement of the worst tendencies toward polarization.''

Excerpts From U.N. Declaration

ollowing are excerpts from the Middle East declaration approved yesterday by the United Nations conference in Durban, South Africa, and from the Program of Action.

1. We are conscious of the fact that the history of humanity is replete with major atrocities as a result of the gross violation of human rights and believe that lessons can be learned through remembering history to avert future tragedies.

2. We recall that the Holocaust must never be forgotten.

3. We recognize with deep concern religious intolerance against certain religious communities, as well as the emergence of hostile acts and violence against such communities because of their religious beliefs and their racial or ethnic origin in various parts of the world which in particular limit their right to freely practice their belief.

4. We also recognize with deep concern the increase in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in various parts of the world, as well as the emergence of racial and violent movements based on racism and discriminatory ideas against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities.

5. We are conscious that humanity's history is replete with terrible wrongs inflicted through lack of respect for the equality of human beings and note with alarm the increase of such practices in various parts of the world, and we urge people, particularly in conflict situations, to desist from racist incitement, derogatory language and negative stereotyping.

We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation.

We recognize the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent state and we recognize the right to security for all states in the region, including Israel, and call upon all states to support the peace process and bring it to an early conclusion.

6. We call for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region in which all peoples shall coexist and enjoy equality, justice and internationally recognized human rights, and security.

7. We recognize the right of refugees to return voluntarily to their homes and properties in dignity and safety, and urge all states to facilitate such return.

Program of Action

1. We believe that all conflicts and disputes should be resolved through peaceful means and political dialogue. We call on all parties involved in such conflicts to exercise restraint and to respect human rights and international humanitarian law.

2. We call upon states, in opposing all forms of racism, to recognize the need to counter anti- Semitism, anti-Arabism and Islamophobia worldwide and urge all states to take effective measures to prevent the emergence of movements based on racism and discriminatory ideas concerning these communities.

3. As for the situation in the Middle East, we call for the end of violence and the swift resumption of negotiations, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law, respect for the principle of self-determination and the end of all suffering, thus allowing Israel and the Palestinians to resume the peace process, and to develop and prosper in security and freedom.

Slavery Text

10: We acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade, were appalling tragedies in the history of humanity not only because of their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of their magnitude, organized nature and especially their negation of the essence of the victims and further acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should always have been so, especially the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and are among the major sources and manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and that Africans and people of African descent, Asians and people of Asian descent and indigenous peoples were victims of these acts and continue to be victims of their consequences.

Remedies and Other Measures

116: The world conference acknowledges and profoundly regrets the massive human sufferings and the tragic plight of millions of men, women and children caused by slavery, slave trade, trans-Atlantic slave trade, apartheid, colonialism and genocide and calls upon states concerned to honor the memory of the victims of past tragedies and affirms that wherever and whenever these occurred they must be condemned and their reoccurrence prevented.

The world conference regrets that these practices and structures, political, socioeconomic and cultural, have led to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

125: The world conference recognized that these historical injustices have undeniably contributed to poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion, economic disparities, instability and insecurity that affect many people in different parts of the work, in particular in developing countries.

The world conference recognizes the need to develop programs for the social and economic development of these societies and the diaspora within the framework of a new partnership based on the spirit of solidarity and mutual respect in the following areas: debt relief, poverty eradication, building or strengthening democratic institutions, promotion of foreign direct investment, market access.

Last Minute Realizations and Modifications Bring the Best of Humanity Together in Durban!!!

Beleaguered delegates at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism pulled off a last minute documentary miracle, snatching rhetorical victory from the jaws of a defeat that had been inexoribly closing around them during the tumultuous week-long gathering in Durham, South Africa.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson could barely be heard over the tumultuous cheering of the delegates--who hailed from all corners of the world-- as she read the historic document.

Ms Robinson, whose heroic personal demonstrations of solidarity with all despised, suffering groups this week included surgically attaching a circumcised penis to her left shoulder, shaving her head, putting her left eye out with a red-hot poker, cutting off her clitoris with a dirty strait-edge razor, tearing the neck out of a living chicken with her teeth as well as a host of other culturally sensitive acts, broke down in tears as fatigue, joy and possibly post-surgical complications caught up with the doughty human rights crusader.

"We have finally realized that time and tide wait for no man or anybody better than that either," thundered the diminutive Robinson.

"Furthermore, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, unless you prefer birds in the bush and we certainly honor those who struggle against the patriarchal cliches that so often dog us like a pack of wild hyenas--as beautiful as all creatures in the wild may be."

The delegates jumped to their feet in a frenzy of support as the High Commissioner continued in a soft but clear voice:

"We all know who the Bad Guys are and who the Good Guys are. And we are pleased to announce that Bad Guy Central is located somewhere deep in the Vatican. And although our Israeli brothers and sisters have yet to return to the fold, we are heartened to hear that Prime Minister Sharon has promised to read our new communique and get back to us: 'when hell freezes over,' as he put it to me personally on the phone a few minutes ago. Since 'hell' is obviously a dated, grotesque Christian fable used to scare innocent Children of Color into abandoning their healthy, natural ways of life, surely this must mean that Israel will soon take her--or his, either way is perfectly acceptable to all civilized, non-sexist people--seat among the nations of the world. Or they can stand and bang themselves upon their heads on the foundation of that lovely Mosque in Jerusalem--if they prefer.

"As for the USA," said Robinson, briefly abandoning her prepared text, "90% of the rubes and hayseeds there have presumed to express negative words about our sacred gathering here. But I ask you, when has that ever meant anything to anybody who matters? Does their own government pay any attention to their putrid mewlings?"

The crowd, which had been expressing it's opinion of Middle Americans in a variety of unrestrained, colorful ways, burst into a raucous round of laughter at these words.

"Furthermore," continued the former President of Ireland, her now shiny bald pate glistening in the television lights, "the fact of the matter is, there are cadres of white men, not all Catholic, dwelling in the Middle of the North American continent who are even worse than the Pope--the self-same Pope, by the way, we are saddened and shocked to have discovered, whose forerunner actually raped Cleopatra's eldest son, causing the destruction of the Ptolemaic dynasty and the resultant so-called Third Word conditions we now, tragically, see in so many places in the continent we stupidly call "dark" but is actually the "Light of the World"; and anyone incorrectly referring to the Light of the World as: "dark" will henceforth be subject to the harshest penalties the International Community can inflict."

The gathering broke into the longest sustained period of applause when Robinson revealed that: "The one thing Adolph Hitler was right about was the Slavs. They are, in fact, the filthy, sub-human vermin that Mr. Hitler--who was so dreadfully wrong about other things--was always going on about. We, the oil-needy peoples of the planet, are heartened to discover this disturbing phenomena because it makes our affection for the Sons of Allah-the-Most-High so wonderfully fortuitious--don't you all think so?" asked Ms. Robinson, gesturing painfully with her, now penis-festooned, left arm towards the enthusiastic, multicultural throng.

"Show us the money!!" chanted the delegates as the High Commissioner struggled, voice cracking, to be heard to the end.

"We know the Jews have the money," read Robinson. "And we know Christian and post-christian whitey has the Jews. We know the sub-human Slavs are squatting on a lot of possible oil pipe-line real estate. Keeping always in mind our determination not to submit, nor to ever force anyone to submit, to Western Patriarchal mathmatic oppression, we can all add one and one and one; whether it be one femur, one severed head, or one toe offered in sacrifice to some delightful anima--can't we?"

"Yes!" shouted the gathered delgates in a final, delerious round of cheering as Ms. Robinson dramatically dis-robed and hurled herself onto a nearby blazing bonfire, apparently in solidarity with the setee-practicing women of the world.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.