DURBAN--A panel of international
human rights organizations said Monday they feared
the UN World Conference on Racism could end in
failure and acrimony if controversy over the
Middle East continues to dominate political debate
among more than 150 governments called to draft
new guidelines to tackle growing racism and xenophobia
around the world.
The panel with senior officials from
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International
Service for Human Rights, Lawyers for Human Rights
and Physicians for Human Rights, said they had decided
to call a joint news conference on Monday because they
were concerned too few days were left for negotiators
to reach a proper consensus.
Failure in Durban, they warned, would also be
a setback for human rights around the world, and
even serve to undermine existing legislation on
rights at both the national and international levels.
Hours after their meeting, the United States announced
its withdrawal from the Durban conference citing
an anti-Israeli bias.
"We are united in our goal as human rights
organizations here to cut back racism. The complex
nature of problems should not obscure that goal," Irene
Khan of Amnesty International told Conference News
Daily. A Bangladeshi national, she was appointed
secretary general of the organization last month. "We
are concerned that this conference is falling into
political recrimination. World governments still
have no guidelines on racism there is a unique
window of opportunity here in coming days."
Asked
whether Amnesty objected to the fact that Israel
was the only
nation named for violations
in the draft declaration, Khan said: "There
are very serious human rights issues in the Middle
East. If we name one country we should name them
all. But I think it is time to move ahead. I am
concerned about the progress. We are halfway through
this now and only have a few days left."
Governments
had to show willingness to tackle the hard questions
from a broader perspective of
human rights. It was time for them to put aside
their national interests and narrow domestic perspectives. "Everyone
agrees that racism is a major problem. We are very
concerned. We just hope governments will wake up.
What happens in Durban has serious implications
for a whole range of issues."
Representatives of Lawyers for Human Rights and
Physicians for Human Rights said they were dissociated
themselves from references to Israel in recommendations
collectively adopted by Non-Governmental Organizations
for the conference.
"With just five days left now, it's time
to stop playing political games games and focus
on racism," said Smita Narula of Human Rights
Watch. "Governments have to leave Durban with
a plan of action. India, with the support of China,
for example, tried to stifle debate on caste discrimination."
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