Durban, South Africa — It took a blocking vote, and an additional twenty-four hours, to abruptly end further discussions and wrap up the proceedings at the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban on Saturday evening.
The conference had already been extended by a day to allow further negotiations and to tie up loose ends. Just as it looked set to close its doors, there was a final hurdle to overcome.
Hours before closure, the conference chairwoman, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africas foreign minister, implored remaining delegates in a trembling voice, hoarse with fatigue, to strive to reach agreement so that the conference "at the 11th hour does not come to no conclusion".
"We are almost there," said the minister. We are really trying to get something out of this conference that can be used to push back the frontiers of racism".
After ageement on the two issues that have taken up the lions share of publicity in Durban, the Middle East and the question of slavery, there was a last minute hitch, when Syria tabled a last-minute motion, backed by Pakistan. Damascus demanded that the conference adopt a draft declaration implicitly branding Israel a racist state.
But the demands were dropped after the conference rejected the motion. This opened the way for the adoption of the Durban Declaration, a declaration of principles and a programme of action to fight against racism, discrimination and xenophobia.
The action plan was agreed by more than 160 countries which attended the Durban conference and agreed to implement the programme.
But Australia and Canada, as well as Syria and others, expressed their deep reservations over the final text of the declaration, where it referred to the Middle East conflict. These objections will be included in the final report on the conference to be sent to the United Nations.
A Canadian official told the extended conference "Canada is still here today because it wants to condemn attempts at this conference to de-legitimize the state of Israel and to dishonour the history and suffering of the Jewish people".
On Monday, the Americans and the Israelis pulled out of Durban in protest at what they called hateful, anti-Israeli language in the draft declaration.
A modified text removed that wording, though it referred to the 'plight of the Palestinian people.
After Dlamini-Zuma declared the conference closed, saying niyabonga (thank you in Zulu and a dozen other languages), she rose to her feet and warmly embraced Mary Robinson, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, who was the secretary-general of the racism conference.
The two then addressed the media at a final news briefing. Dlamini-Zuma, who was clearly exhausted from 9 days of solid negotiating and mediating, told allAfrica.com said she would do it all again if it meant continuing the fight against racism.
Asked if avoiding failure necessarily meant success for the racism conference, Dlamini-Zuma said a step had been taken in the right direction and the world had come together to discuss and address important issues.
She said the fact that slavery had been labelled a crime against humanity was a victory. Europe expressed 'regret for the slave trade and Dlamini-Zuma said this was an issue that was 'very close to our hearts.
However, the Europeans were insistent that 'regret would not make them legally liable for reparations.
Dlamini-Zuma said "the issue of apologies, reparations, to most of us, does not mean money. It does not mean money. It means dignity. So Im quite sure that many, many people in this country and far afield are not looking to go and use this declaration and programme action for monetary gain".
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The South African foreign minister added, emphatically "Most people just want the dignity of black people, the dignity of our continents, the dignity to be restored and thats the most important. And you cannot even put monetary value to that dignity".
But African countries are hoping that the nations which benefitted from slavery and colonialism will help Africa with a continental recovery programme. The South Africans indicated that a deal on economic assistance to Africa had been agreed.
In her closing speech, the UN Human Rights Commissioner said "We have not been deterred from making a breakthrough here in Durban" at what was a landmark world conference and the largest ever against racism.
Robinson said that there was a provision in the final document for follo-up, to ensure that the Commission of Human Rights and the General Assembly of the United Nations were kept updated with twice yearly reports.
