New York Times - 08.15.2001

 

New York Times

Groups Clash Over Racism Conference

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United States' threat that it may skip a U.N. conference on racism has created a dilemma for the 175 American non-profit groups registered to attend; many say they will go, but with a heavy heart.

With key issues still unresolved -- such as an apology for slavery and singling out Israel as racist -- the Americans must decide whether it's better to go and fight or stay home and diminish the gathering's international credibility.

Washington warns that it will boycott the gathering -- as it did two previous racism conferences -- unless the issues are resolved and wording it finds offensive is removed from the document to be adopted at the end of the Aug. 31-Sept. 7 meeting in Durban, South Africa.

At a final round of preparatory meetings in Geneva, a group of 57 Muslim states placed the Nazi atrocities that left 6 million Jews dead in World War II on equal footing with Israel's treatment of Arabs. However, the Islamic group did remove wording that condemned Zionism, the movement that led to the founding of the state of Israel.

The United Nations has lobbied Washington hard to send a delegation led by Secretary of State Colin Powell, the first black to hold such a senior post. Washington's allies are just hoping the United States will attend.

American Jewish groups say they will attend no matter what, but are divided on whether their government should go.

``Based on what happened in Geneva, I think at this point the United States should not go,'' said Abraham Foxman, president of the Anti-Defamation League, which has planned several panels at the conference, but is reconsidering the size of its delegation.

In Washington Monday, State Department spokesman Phillip Reeker said the administration was ``disappointed in the outcome of that preparatory conference.'' The White House was being briefed by negotiators and would decide on its participation ``in due course,'' Reeker said.

A U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington was trying to figure out which strategy was best but indicated it was unlikely that Powell would lead the delegation.

Some delegates acknowledged they are waiting to see what the White House decides.

Bill Spriggs of the National Urban League, said ``no one will take the conference seriously,'' if Powell doesn't go.

Spriggs, who was also in Geneva and plans to attend the conference, said he expects Powell to take a different tack than the administration on slavery issues.

``The United States has staked its global leadership on human rights and I think Powell can look the administration in the eye and tell them that they can't really expect him to go and say there isn't supposed to be an apology for the trans-Atlantic slave trade,'' Spriggs said.

Gerald Lemelle of the U.S. branch of Amnesty International said his organization was ``using any leverage we have,'' to get the United States to attend, and he hoped all of the so-called non-governmental organizations would show up in Durban. More than 1,000 are expected, the largest number from the United States.

``The NGOs are often the strength of these meetings, saying what governments cannot,'' Lemelle said.

Felice Gaer of the American Jewish Committee said she was planning to go ``but with a heavy heart.''

``If the United States goes it would be legitimizing a conference on hate which is spreading hate,'' Gaer said after returning from Geneva. ``On the other hand, only the United States has the capacity to stand up and fight this.''