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Middle East Talks Breakdown at Racism Conference
DURBAN, South Africa, Sept 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Negotiators at the U.N. World Conference Against Racism broke off talks on the Middle East early Thursday after failing to agree on a new text, but mandated South Africa to produce another after daybreak, news agencies reported a European spokesman as saying.
The talks, which had been scheduled to last until 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT), but ended around 1:00 am, "were not a success, but not a failure", maintained Belgian foreign ministry spokesman Koen Vervaeke, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
A restricted group of Europeans, Africans and Arabs met at the U.N. World conference in a bid to salvage the meeting after a walk-out by the United States and Israel Monday over "harsh language" in a draft text on Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
"There was no rupture," Vervaeke told AFP, adding that the European Union countries, which had earlier threatened to walk out if the negotiations failed, would remain in Durban to assess the final South African text.
That would be a "take it or leave it" text, another Western source told AFP.
Earlier Wednesday, a negotiator speaking on condition of anonymity said that, "The negotiations are very, very tough."
A source close to the talks said the Arabs were complicating the negotiations because they wanted to insert new material into the draft prepared by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is chairing the conference.
Her text refers to "the suffering of Palestinians," according to a source who has read it.
League of Arab Nations secretary-general Amr Moussa said earlier, "It was the Israelis who brought Middle East-specific language into the draft conference declaration by raving on about anti-Semitism. They threw down the gauntlet. When we brought in language about Zionism, we were only replying."
According to All Africa Online, when he was asked if the conference had been abused to settle a regional score, Moussa said, "it is nonsense."
"If this conference has been dominated by a single issue, it is because the media hugs the U.S.'s position tightly. It is the media's own narrow-mindedness that is the problem," he said.
Yet Moussa also indicated that the Arab League was beginning to back down.
The 15 European Union nations, backed by 13 EU candidate-nations, threatened to walk out if the Arabs made any attempt to equate Zionism with racism, or if no text was agreed to by Thursday evening.
Earlier Wednesday, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin fired a shot across the Arab's bow by reiterating an EU threat to leave the conference if any attempt were made to equate Zionism with racism, AFP reported.
In that case, "France and the European Union delegation will consider leaving the conference" within hours, said the prime minister's spokesman, Jean-Jack Queyranne.
"We do not find the Europeans flexible and we don't need them to give us lessons in how to behave," retorted Suleyman al-Herfi, a member of the Palestinian delegation and the Palestinian Authority's permanent representative in South Africa.
The Europeans are insisting that it not condemn Israel.
The new text would be presented to the conference's general committee, roughly 20 countries, at around 8:30 am, he said.
Ronnie Mamoepa, Dlamini-Zuma's spokesman, told AFP shortly after the talks broke down that he was unable to comment until he received "direction" from his minister.
Meanwhile, in Dakar, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade suggested that Africa take an initiative on the Middle East with the aim of obtaining a "ceasefire" between Israelis and Palestinians.
"I suggest that the Africans, led by [South African President] Thabo Mbeki propose an initiative on the Palestinian question, a sort of African Camp David where the two sides would be invited for discussions," Wade said in an interview with AFP.
Camp David is the U.S. presidential retreat where then president Jimmy Carter achieved a breakthrough on the Middle East in 1979, setting the groundwork for a future independent Palestinian state.
The United States and Israel boycotted both previous U.N. racism conferences, in 1978 and 1983, also over the Middle East.
The adoption of the "Zionism is racism" resolution followed a year of activity at the U.N. during which the rights of the Palestinians were recognized with increasing vigor.
In 1974, the General Assembly invited the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in its proceedings via observer status.
In November of that year, the Assembly reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property.
Those rights have been reaffirmed every year since and have remained unfulfilled by Israel.
Meanwhile, European and African negotiators at the conference remain divided on slavery, the other main sticking point.
The Africans are demanding an unambiguous apology for slavery and colonialism, as well as reparations, and the Europeans - fearful of opening the doors to lawsuits - are offering expressions of "regret", "sorrow", deep remorse" and "abhorrence", sources close to the talks told AFP.
More than 160 countries are taking part in the conference, which is due to end Friday afternoon.
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