Africa: Durban Conference May End Without Agreement or Consensus

7 September 2001
allAfrica.com
By Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

Durban, South Africa — South African negotiators and mediators have been working around the clock in a bid to avoid the failure of the UN World Conference against Racism (WCAR) in Durban.

But feverish last-minute efforts may not be enough to save the conference, which has been blighted by disagreement over two key questions, the Middle East and slavery and reparations. Discussions have so far ended in deadlock, though these two portfolios have eclipsed the main theme of the conference, namely, racism and xenophobia and the fight against them.

Early Friday, the day the conference was due to end, the host nation had not succeeded in narrowing the gap on the thorny issues of the Middle East conflict and slavery and reparations.

The United Nations has suggested that the talks may extend beyond midnight on Friday.

A modified draft declaration on the Middle East question, presented by the South Africans to both the Arab countries and the European Union, had removed all language branding Israel a racist state which provoked the American and Israeli walk-out on Monday.

France had threatened that it too would pull out, as well as the rest of the EU, if the text remained unchanged.

This was acceptable to the Europeans, but not to all the Arab nations.

The Syrian News Agency, SANA, reported Thursday that Damascus was insisting that condemnation of Israel for 'racist treatment of Palestinians’ remain in the final text. SANA reports that the Syrian foreign minister, Farouk al-Chareh, held talks with his South African counterpart, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on Thursday to put Syria’s position.

It appears that moderates and hardliners in the Arab League are not all in agreement, though they are presenting a united front. Thursday marked the second time the Arab group had rejected a compromise draft drawn up by the South Africans.

The new text called for recognition of the 'plight’ of the Palestinian people

Discussions were continuing early Friday afternoon concerning the legacy of the past, the umbrella title that includes the issues of slavery and reparations.

At a midday news briefing Friday, a UN official said a closing plenary session would be held in the afternoon and that the Middle East and slavery questions, which had been discussed in special committees, would revert to the main conference working group dealing with the final declaration.

Slavery, and especially reparations, has been the second dossier that has dominated the Durban Racism Conference and has split the African group and the European Union who have been unable to reach consensus on recognition of the slave trade as a crime against humanity, an apology by countries that benefitted from or promoted slavery, or the vexed question of reparations and restitution.

The UN spokeswoman was unable to confirm whether or not the Durban conference would end on Friday, and whether there would be agreement or consensus on the proposed final declaration.

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