US RETHINKS BOYCOTT OF DURBAN II

[People's Forum]

Keep the pressure on the Obama administration - as the US continues
to make attempts to dilute the language and impact of this important
conference.http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
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US rethinking boycott of UN meeting on racism
By MATTHEW LEE – 3 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is reconsidering its
planned boycott of a controversial U.N. racism conference that is
deeply opposed by Israel and Jewish groups and will be attended by
Iran's president, the State Department said late Monday.
In a move likely to upset its staunchest Mideast ally and its
supporters, the department said the administration was pleased by a
diplomatic push to revise an objectionable document that the meeting
will adopt and suggested it could attend the meeting if the efforts
succeed.
"We hope that these remaining concerns will be addressed so that the
United States can re-engage the conference process with the hope of
arriving at a conference document that we can support," spokesman
Robert Wood said in a statement.
The announcement came as the administration reviews its policy on Iran
with an eye toward engaging the Islamic government and as Iran's
official news agency reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will
attend the April 20-25 World Conference Against Racism in Geneva.
In February, the Obama administration said it would not attend the
U.N. meeting unless its final document was changed to drop all
references to Israel and the defamation of religion.
Although specific references to Israel subsequently were deleted, the
document retained language affirming the findings of the first World
Conference Against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa, that many
believed were anti-Semitic.
The United States and Israel walked out of the 2001 conference in
Durban over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism
and likened Zionism — the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish
state — to racism.
In February, after attending preparatory meetings for the follow-up
conference, the Obama administration said it would not attend "Durban
II" unless the meeting's final document was changed to drop references
to Israel, defamation of religion and demands for reparations for
slavery.
Wood said Monday that there had been "substantial improvements" to the
draft but that there were elements that "continue to pose significant
concerns," including the affirmation of the Durban declaration and a
portion on incitement to religious hatred that the U.S. sees as
"suggested support for restrictions on freedom of expression."
Israel and Canada already have announced they will boycott the
meeting.
Israel, which was deeply concerned when the administration sent a
delegation to the preparatory meeting, has lobbied hard for the U.S.
to stay away from the conference.
On the Net:
U.N. racism conference: http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/