Durban, South Africa — Prospects for success at the UN World Conference against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa were looking distinctly gloomy on Wednesday, as a rift deepened between European and African countries on the subject of slavery and reparations.
African delegations have hardened their position, demanding an outright apology and the labeling of slavery as a crime against humanity, as well as reparations for the slave trade. European officials are warning that agreement may not be possible on this issue.
Early this week, most of Europe - excluding the main slave-trading nations of Britain, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands - was prepared to offer some sort of apology for the transatlantic trade. But those divisions have faded, and the European Union (EU) is now maintaining a united stand against what are being called "unreasonable" demands by the Africans.
A senior UN official told the South African Business Day newspaper that Africa had squandered a golden opportunity and made a "terrible tactical blunder".
The official said: "On Monday, the EU was stricken by internal divisions over the apology question. Eleven EU countries wanted to apologise. Four wanted to stop short at an expression of regret. Africa could have used that tension by wooing the eleven. Instead, it lost its head and 'demanded the world', with the result that the 15 EU countries have closed ranks."
The European nations fear that any admission of guilt for slavery could lead to litigation. They point to ongoing trials, at the international criminal tribunals for Rwanda in Arusha and for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, of people accused of modern day genocide and crimes against humanity.
The host nation of the racism conference, South Africa, appears caught between all sides. The South Africans, along with the Senegalese leader, Abdoulaye Wade, had been promoting an optional route for restitution for the damage and suffering inflicted during the slave trade. The suggestion was that the West should contribute development aid to enhance an African continental recovery programme, a 'Marshall Plan' for Africa.
It appears now that most of South Africas continental peers have abandoned that proposal, leading to European accusations of belligerence and intransigence by African delegates, backed by a determined African American lobby.
The African Americans want an explicit apology for the slave trade, as well as debt cancellation, more aid and reparations.
South Africa is still fighting hard to save the conference from ending in failure. The South African foreign minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma - who is also the chairperson of the meeting - has been busy trying to mediate and hold crisis talks with the African bloc and the Europeans, to try to find a way out of the impasse.
Threats and talk of a walkout by EU countries are flying around the corridors of the International Convention Centre in Durban where the conference opened last Friday.
On the other controversial dossier at the conference - the Middle East - the French Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, announced Wednesday that his country and the EU would follow the American and Israelis, who quit the conference on Monday, if efforts to remove anti-Israeli language from the final declaration failed.
Proposals to equate Zionism with racism have led to angry exchanges between the Israelis and the Palestinians and their respective supporters.
It was reported Wednesday that a decision on possible French and EU withdrawal could come within hours.
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Zuma and her delegation, along with a working group of Belgians (representing the EU) and delegates from Norway, Namibia and the Palestinians -- have been drafting a new, compromise declaration.
The EU has given Wednesday evening as the deadline for producing the new document for evaluation.
The 3rd UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance has been blighted by the divisions on slavery and Zionism, to the exclusion of almost all other issues that were supposed to be raised and addressed in Durban.
President Thabo Mbeki, who opened the Racism Conference in Durban last Thursday, flew back to the South African port city on Wednesday. Perhaps the South African leader feels that his personal presence is needed to help mend the rifts that have developed and prevent the Durban conference ending in failure and no agreement.
