Brussels, 05/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The President of the World Conference against Racism in Durban, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, handed over to the President-in-Office of the EU Council, Louis Michel, a draft text that will form an entirely new base for consensus between the participants on the Middle East (see EUROPE of 5 September, p,6). Mr Michel then had meetings with the representatives of the EU Member States. His spokesman, Koen Vervaeke, told the press that, for the EU, this draft text was an "acceptable base for beginning negotiations", and that the "Fifteen have reconfirmed their determination to make a constructive contribution to the conference". The Belgian Presidency therefore received the mandate to take part in the drafting group convened by Ms Zuma. The EU may thus give its opinion on the text recast by Ms Zuma, who used the European arguments and those of the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, as a base, added the spokesman. The participants now have three days in which to adopt the final declaration and the action programme that are to close the conference, on 7 September.
In the new draft text, all specific mention of Israel has been withdrawn. The EU's proposals mainly concern reparation for slavery and are a response to the requests of African countries in this respect. The EU also insists on the implementation of the "New African Initiative" (resulting from the recent UN conference in Brussels on the less developed countries) aimed at promoting democracy and political governance in Africa, it is explained by a senior European Commission official. The latter points out that the EU proposes to use this initiative to make progress with peace, eradication of poverty and the fight against racism and xenophobia. Louis Michel told the press: "We wish to prevent any failure of the conference being later attributed to the EU".
According to Emma Bonino, Europe should withdraw from Durban conference
"If democracies want (…) to state their views against racism, then the only way to do so is to abandon the Durban conference. This is a pressing and urgent appeal that I make to the European governments", said MEP Emma Bonino. In her view, "given the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (…), the grotesque and unworthy operation consisting of depicting the only democratic State of the region as the only one that denies human rights , as racism and the author of ethnic cleansing and genocide, means adding hate to hate, and making the spectre of anti-Semitism rise up again in the world".