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Last update - 00:49 18/04/2009
Final Durban II text omits references to Israel and Zionism
By Reuters
Tags: Israel News, Durban II 

Diplomats reached agreement on Friday on a declaration for next week's politically-charged United Nations conference on racism, adding to the pressure on Washington and Brussels to decide whether to attend.

The 16-page text omits references to Israel, Zionism, the Middle East conflict and other divisive issues that have made Western powers shy away from the "Durban II" conference, which follows up on a 2001 racism conference in South Africa.

Israel and the United States, walked out of the Durban meeting after Arab and Muslim states tried to insert language defining Zionism as racist.
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she would be "very surprised" if the document meets resistance in the Geneva meeting, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address on Monday.

"I feel very certain because this was so well deliberated by all groups that it will have an easy passage through the conference," she told a news briefing at the UN's Palais des Nations complex, where the April 20-24 conference will be held.

The European Union and United States have been waiting to see a final version of the text before deciding who, if anyone, to send. Canada and Israel are boycotting the meeting because they think hostility towards Israel could dominate the forum.

Asked about the latest text, State Department Robert Wood said that Washington was still weighing its options.

"The United States still has some concerns," Wood told Reuters. "No decision has been made yet whether to attend or participate. We need to have our concerns addressed."

The White House has been especially uneasy about efforts by Arab states to include a condemnation of "incitement to religious hatred" and to criminalize "defamation of religion".

It sees those efforts as an attempt to limit free expression in response to controversy over the Danish cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad in 2006.

U.S. diplomats distanced themselves from negotiations over the text in past months, a decision Pillay said was unfortunate.

"It is to my tremendous regret that they did not come and try to persuade the other states on amendments that would be acceptable to them," she told journalists.

There was no immediate comment from the European Union, whose member states are expected to meet on the weekend to seek a common decision about taking part.

Earlier on Friday a German government spokesman said that neither Germany nor the EU could tolerate participating in the conference if it becomes a platform for "one-sided comments on the Middle East conflict".

And a British source close to the Geneva conference had said recent versions of the document appeared "pretty good", adding: "It's still up in the air, but at this stage we remain intending to attend the conference."

But even if the declaration is seen as palatable to Israel's major allies, human rights campaigners said an address by Iran's president on Monday - Holocaust Remembrance Day - could upset the meeting and even lead to a walk-out like that in 2001.

Western diplomats said they would be prepared to leave the conference if Ahmadinejad makes "unacceptable" comments in line with his previous statements saying Israel should be "wiped off the map" and questioning whether the Holocaust happened.

"His track record does not leave us feeling very comfortable about what he might say, given what he's said in the past on the Holocaust, on Israel and on anti-Semitism," one diplomat said.

"We don't normally walk out of conferences run by the United Nations and we'd rather avoid doing it. But that doesn't mean that there aren't red lines that if breached would prompt us to take action."

Pillay dismissed speculation that Ahmadinejad might disrupt the UN forum, reopen heated debates on the Middle East or call for a ban on "defamation of religion", as some human rights campaigners have suggested he may seek to do.

"I cannot prejudge what he will say," the South African said. "At the end of the day what is truly important about this conference is the outcome document and whether it takes us forward in the struggle against racism."

As of Friday evening there were only four heads of state officially expected to attend -- from Iran, Togo, East Timor and Montenegro - along with 32 ministers from countries including Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Norway.
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Mass walk-out
WATCH: Durban II delegates storm out en masse in protest of Ahmadinejad speech
  1.   Arab states want to criminalize defamation of Islam only 00:57  |  Conroy 18/04/09
  2.   Durban to Dustbin 01:02  |  The Teacher/Instruct 18/04/09
  3.   free speech goes out first.... 01:06  |  stork 18/04/09
  4.   You know what, instead of the "bla, bla, bla" in Geneva..... 01:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/04/09
  5.   Omit references to Israel and Zionism 01:42  |  Let`s think 18/04/09
  6.   If it walks like a Duck 02:42  |  David 18/04/09
  7.   DINO AND SWISS TOURISM 02:48  |  Brant 18/04/09
  8.   swiss dumbo,,,,it really doesn`t matter if you have a problem 03:17  |  speck of lint 18/04/09
  9.   Durban 11 text omits reference to Israel and Zionism. 03:31  |  Maureen Ann 18/04/09
  10.   If no racism discussed, why go? 03:52  |  Alaska 18/04/09
  11.   Amen 04:49  |  jjvanka 18/04/09
  12.   #8 04:55  |  Rab Burns 18/04/09
  13.   Well On The Surface Of It At Least... 05:27  |  Yosemite 18/04/09
  14.   MAUREEN ANN`s CHILDISHNESS 05:42  |  Brant 18/04/09
  15.   Alaska 06:38  |  Greg 18/04/09
  16.   Happy about the change in Durban.... 06:44  |  Wedi Asmera 18/04/09
  17.   # 12 Brant 07:19  |  Natallie Durson 18/04/09
  18.   Durban Shmurban 07:21  |  Dan 18/04/09
  19.   Equality, Respect 08:02  |  Frankie Littlehammer 18/04/09
  20.   Equality, Respect. 08:33  |  Palestinian Brit 18/04/09
  21.   Ahmadinejad`s spiel to include Baha i`s? 08:40  |  Michael J 18/04/09
  22.   Durban 2 08:52  |  HaLevi 18/04/09
  23.   #5 10:37  |  Brian 18/04/09
  24.   Agreement NOT reached. Text reaffirms Durbin I. 11:03  |  disgusted american 18/04/09
  25.   Durban, Race and Alaska 11:08  |  Dan 18/04/09
  26.   #17 Natallie Durson 11:19  |  S 18/04/09
  27.   Halevy 21 - The time of Durban 11:41  |  ChanahS 18/04/09
  28.   GOOD NEWS AT LAST ! 12:08  |  The Teacher/Instruct 18/04/09
  29.   Durban II is nothing but an anti-Semitic orgy under the cover of 12:40  |  Patric 18/04/09
  30.   #17 Natalie Drugson 13:11  |  H 18/04/09
  31.   # 25 - Here is an example to help you understand 13:32  |  Natallie Durson 18/04/09
  32.   Obama`s Catch 22 13:43  |  GullyFoyle 18/04/09
  33.   #4 Swiss(Dino) 13:45  |  Moshe 18/04/09
  34.   Treating Palstinians 15:05  |  Hilda 18/04/09
  35.   DURSON AND 1948 15:20  |  Brant 18/04/09
  36.   Treat all people the same 15:41  |  Tcherkessi 18/04/09
  37.   Swiss (Dino) #33 Yes lets make a blacklist 16:19  |  Gil 18/04/09
  38.   Free Arab and Muslim People from the bigott Muslim Leaders 16:31  |  NoTo Stupid Leaders 18/04/09
  39.   Nattallie 16:34  |  Mark M 18/04/09
  40.   Scattily battily Natalie 16:38  |  The Prophet 18/04/09
  41.   What "Israel" do you recognize Brant? 16:58  |  BBSNews 18/04/09
  42.   Dear Natallie (#31) 17:26  |  Gil 18/04/09
  43.   Swiss (Dino): "Let`s blacklist" - I AGREE 18:01  |  Christopher 18/04/09
  44.   # 4 Swiss...participating in racism 18:35  |  Lynn 18/04/09
  45.   BBS: My Answer to your question 18:42  |  Brant 18/04/09
  46.   GIL...not to worry, the UNHRC has called them on that issue 18:43  |  Lynn 18/04/09
  47.   BBS: before you go off the Deep End... 18:59  |  Brant 18/04/09
  48.   #24 disfusted american....that is also the problem 19:02  |  Lynn 18/04/09
  49.   Among the things not said 19:34  |  Forrest Schmidt 18/04/09
  50.   Maureen Anne 19:37  |  Zelkha 18/04/09
  51.   # 45 Brant....well said, 20:07  |  Lynn 18/04/09
  52.   Frankie Littlehammer: you`re missing the interesting bits. 21:19  |  AT 18/04/09
  53.   The Israel you describe does not exist Brant... 21:23  |  BBSNews 18/04/09
  54.   BBS AND DIRE STRAITS 23:37  |  Brant 18/04/09
  55.   Well said, BBSNews 00:18  |  WHG 19/04/09
  56.   Palestinians who fled during 1947-49 21:24  |  Barukh 21/04/09
  57.   Arab citizens of Israel according to Hilda and others 21:35  |  Barukh 21/04/09
  58.   Judaism 21:45  |  Barukh 21/04/09
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