Durban | Tuesday
FOREIGN Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says she does not believe that the absence of her United States counterpart Colin Powell will affect the outcome of the World Conference Against Racism in Durban later this week.
Earlier a US government representative announced that he would not attend the conference and that a decision had yet to be made about the level of representation — if any — his country would field.
State Department representative Richard Boucher cited concerns about anti-Israel statements for the decision.
Speaking after the close of a two-day youth summit in Durban on Monday night, Dlamini-Zuma said the WCAR was about fighting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
”Every person who comes here will come here with this in mind and therefore the conference will be a success,” she said.
”I don’t think the absence of Secretary Powell is going to create any problem for us. It would have been very nice to have him. We were looking forward to having him …”
”The United States needs this conference just as much as anybody else. Therefore, I think they have to answer to themselves what their absence means …” Referring to two previous UN world conferences against racism boycotted by the US, she said that despite the country’s absence these conferences had achieved their objective.
On the view that this was one more step by the US in isolating itself and retreating from the world stage, she said: ”It is a pity. I think this question of racism is such an important question, because no country, not even the United States, has been able to deal effectively and eradicate racism”.
”The United States needs this conference just as much as anybody else. Therefore, I think they have to answer to themselves what their absence means …”
Dlamini-Zuma said the conflict in the Middle East could not be ignored by the WCAR.
”My view is that we have to have a discussion on that issue. What in the end comes out in the document about the Middle East, will obviously have to be discussed.
”There is no way you can sit for eight days, with the situation as it is on the ground there and not discuss it.”
On the thorny issues of slavery and colonialism, Dlamini-Zuma said it was very important that the conference addressed the tragedy of trans-Atlantic slavery in particular, because it had been based on racism.
”There is no way that a conference like this can meet for eight days and not talk about that.”
It was important for the conference to acknowledge the injustice of slavery and colonialism.
”It is important that we acknowledge that and it is also important that we all agree that slavery is a crime against humanity,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
She repeated that there should also be a form of redress, but what that form took should take would have to be the product of discussion and negotiations.
”It must be a form of redress … something that acknowledges and restores the dignity of African people.”
Meanwhile, vocal protesters calling for a free Palestine and an end to United States involvement in Puerto Rico disrupted the closing ceremony of the international Youth Summit on Racism in Durban on Monday night.
The summit also ended without adopting a final declaration, a glitch organisers said was due in part to logistic problems, including the fact that 800 delegates, instead of the expected 500, turned up.
Shouting protesters twice interrupted an address by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and one, calling for an end to human rights violations in Puerto Rico, challenged her on what she was doing about the issue.
Robinson told the heckler her voice was being heard.
”This is a conference that must break the silence for victims of discrimination,” Robinson said.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli youth delegation walked out of the summit after a Palestinian motion declaring Israel an occupying force was accepted.
Shortly afterwards the 10 member Israeli delegation notified organisers that they would boycott the summit.
In a note to the organisers, the delegation called the conference a farce and said it was a platform for anti-Zionism. – Sapa
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