100 countries approve anti-racism declaration

GENEVA. April 22. KAZINFORM Over 100 countries agreed yesterday on a declaration to combat racism and related forms of intolerance worldwide. The United States was not among them, prompting sharp criticism from African-American groups participating in the UN?s second global conference on racism; Kazinform refers to the Arab News.

The 143-point declaration was a broad call to fight racism and discrimination against minorities. It also warns against stereotyping people because of their religion, a key demand of Islamic states who say Muslims have been unfairly targeted for their beliefs since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. The declaration reaffirms principles agreed at the UN?s first global racism meeting eight years ago in Durban, South Africa, when the United States and Israel walked out because many participants had taken the Jewish state to task over its treatment of Palestinians. The US boycott did not sit well with the executive director of the Atlanta-based US Human Rights Network. ?We believe that the issue of Israel was always a pretext,? said Ajamu Baraka, whose group has in the past said the US is ignoring persistent racial disparities at home. He said issues such as possible reparations for the effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade appear to have contributed to the US decision to stay away; Kazinform cites the Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version