Durban Conference beset by Africa, Middle East problem
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 9/1/2001

"The Durban UN World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) is beset by two main problems: Africa's demands that the West admit responsibility for the damage caused by its occupation of the continent, and the situation in the Middle East," Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Friday.

"The first problem is that the West is willing to offer some kind of apology, but there appears to be no intention to pay compensation for occupying African nations and turning their peoples into slave-labourers," said Maher, who heads Egypt's delegation to the WCAR.

"A solution can be reached on compensating African countries if the West agrees to take part in Africa's development and settle its debt and trade problems," Maher said.

The second problem, Maher noted, is the adoption of double standards with regard to the situation in the Middle East.

Although the conference's draft final communique draft condemns the Holocaust committed by the Nazis against the Jews, and refers to the suffering of other peoples, particularly the Palestinians, or to campaigns aimed at defaming and undermining the Arabs and Moslems. The Egyptian delegation is convinced that the issues of slave labour and Palestinian suffering under the Israeli occupation have to be solved through just, and even-handed standards," Maher said.

"Egypt wants the conference to be a success and is looking forward to seeing the whole world saying strongly:

"No to all forms of racism, no to all violations of human and peoples' right, no to all those who try to use past events to cover up for what is going on today on the ground," Maher said.

He called on the delegations attending the conference to take advantage of this event to find solutions to the problems faced by their peoples as a result of racism.

He said that the Palestinian people are suffering occupation, attacks against civilians, destruction and prevention from work, and this surely undermines human rights.

He said that the Islamic Arab paper calls for condemning practices faced by the Palestinian people.

He said that the US attitude towards the conference is regrettable as it underlines double standard theory.

He said how can the conference addresses the sufferings of some people and neglect the suffering of another people. He said Egypt and Arab as well as Moslem countries are seeking to have the conference issue a just and balanced document.

Previous Stories:
  Maher leaves for Durban Thursday   (8/30/2001)
  Maher attends Anti-Racism Conference in Durban   (8/28/2001)
  Mubarak to hold an Arab, European tour in September   (8/27/2001)

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