World powers snub racism conference due to Muslim demands

The US and at least seven other countries are boycotting the United Nations’ first global racism conference in eight years today, fearing demands to denounce Israel and ban criticism of Islam.

The administration of President Barack Obama, America’s first black head of state, announced on Saturday that it would boycott “with regret” the week-long meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, which is already experiencing much of the bickering and political infighting that marred the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa.

The Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand announced their boycotts yesterday, while Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy had already said they would not attend.

“I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe,” Mr Obama said in Trinidad yesterday after attending the Summit of the Americas.

But he said the language of the UN’s draft declaration risked a reprise of Durban, during which “folks expressed antagonism toward Israel in ways that were often times completely hypocritical and counterproductive”.

“We expressed in the run-up to this conference our concerns that if you adopted all of the language from 2001, that’s not something we can sign up for,” he said.

“Hopefully some concrete steps come out of the conference that we can partner with other countries on to actually reduce discrimination around the globe, but this wasn’t an opportunity to do it.”

Some European countries are still deciding whether to attend the UN conference. Britain said it would send diplomats, despite concerns the meeting could become a forum for Holocaust denial or anti-Semitic attacks.

But Pope Benedict XVI said the conference was needed to eliminate racial intolerance around the world. Asia News, a Catholic news agency that is part of the missionary arm of the Vatican, said of the Pope’s comment: “The Holy See is distancing itself from the criticisms of some Western countries.”

And UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, who is hosting the conference, said: “I am shocked and deeply disappointed by the United States’ decision not to attend.”

The major sticking points regarding the proposed final UN declaration are its implied criticism of Israel and an attempt by Muslim governments to ban all criticism of Islam, Sharia law, the prophet Mohammed and other tenets of their faith.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and denied the Holocaust – is due to speak on the first day.

The pullout of Germany is significant since it has played a leading role in UN anti-racism efforts as a result of its troubled historical legacy. In recent meetings, it has expressed dismay about some governments’ attempts to downplay the significance of the Holocaust.

“This decision was not easy,” said foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “As in Durban in 2001, this conference could be abused by others as a platform for their interests. We cannot accept that.”

The bland UN draft statement does not mention Israel by name, but it reaffirms the Durban statement and its reference to the plight of Palestinians.

That document was agreed after the US and Israel walked out over attempts to liken Zionism – the movement to establish a Jewish state in the Holy Land – to racism.

Israel and Jewish groups have lobbied hard against Western participation in the meeting, arguing that the presence alone of American and European negotiators would give legitimacy to what they fear could become an anti-Semitic gathering.

Yesterday, Israel’s foreign ministry thanked the boycotters and predicted the conference would “once again serve as a platform to denigrate Israel and single it out for criticism”.

Many Muslim nations want curbs to free speech to prevent insults to Islam they claim have proliferated since the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.

They cite the 2005 cartoons of Muhammad published by a Danish newspaper that sparked riots in the Muslim world.

European countries also have criticised the meeting for focusing heavily on the West and ignoring problems of racism and intolerance in the developing world.