Washington, DC — A State Department official emphatically denied Tuesday that the United States would continue to participate in the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. "The U.S. has withdrawn," the official told allAfrica.com.
At a news conference, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson told reporters that the Craig Kuehl, the U.S. Consul in Durban, "would head" a downgraded U.S. delegation, despite Washington's announcement that it was pulling out.
But the State Department spokesperson said that while Kuehl would attend the conference as an "observer," his presence was a routine part of his duties. "He lives there and would be attending any conference as an observer. By observing the conference he is fulfilling his diplomatic function."
Meanwhile, many attending the Durban conference expressed disappointment at the U.S. withdrawal. "This conference presents a unique opportunity for the nations of the world to define, condemn, and remedy racism and racial discrimination," said Reed Brody, Advocacy director of Human Rights Watch. "The U.S. should be part of that process."
Sunday at a press conference in Durban, Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) criticized the absence of Secretary of State Colin Powell, saying that if the highest-ranking African-American official in U.S. history, "couldn't stand up to Bush on this, what can he stand up for?"
There is proposed language for a final conference declaration - strongly opposed by the United States and European nations - calling for an apology and possible reparations for slavery, but Israeli and Palestinian argument has made it a virtually invisible issue so far.
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Both the U.S. and Israel accuse Arab nations of manipulating the conference as a means of attacking Israel. You don't combat racism with declarations "containing hateful language" said secretary Powell, Monday, announcing the decision to pull the U.S. delegation out.
Norwegian diplomats, with U.S. backing, proposed new language that mentioned the Palestinian conflict but that language satisfied neither Israelis nor Palestinians. Members of the Arab League and South African officials have now begun meeting in a last ditch effort to reach some sort of compromise.
"The text already adopted during the preparatory process and at this Conference so far are constructive," said Mary Robinson in a statement Tuesday. "The process is continuing. On three groups of difficult issues, claims relating to past injustices, the situation in the Middle East, and recital of grounds of discrimination, serious informal processes are underway - in some instances at the highest levels."
The conference ends Friday. Almost no one thinks the U.S. and Israel can be lured back. Both nations boycotted U.N. conferences on racism in 1978 and 1983 because of a similar issue.
