America has pulled out of the Durban review conference on combating racism to be held in Geneva next month – but Britain will still participate.
The US State Department announced its decision after a high-powered delegation spent several days locked in talks about the draft final document but ultimately admitted defeat, saying it had gone “from bad to worse”.
The original Durban conference in 2001 turned into a diatribe against Israel and the delegation’s aim was to try to swing the review’s final document away from a repeat of that position.
In a statement, state department spokesman Robert Wood said that “the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable”.
Britain, however, has decided so far that it will take part in the review. The Foreign office said that it “welcomed US interest in the Durban Review Conference and has expressed similar concerns with the draft outcome document.
“We hope the broader UN membership will respond to the US assessment by seeking to return the focus of preparations to combating racism in the world today thus enhancing the prospect of a consensus outcome.”
Two weeks ago at the London Conference on Antisemitism Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown said Britain’s participation depended on certain “red lines” not being crossed.
The Jewish Human Rights Coalition has reminded him of that in a letter signed by Board of Deputies’ president Henry Grunwald, who said that in informal sessions in January and February “it is clear that that (the crossing of red lines) has already happened.
“In the light of this and the recent US government decision we are seeking clarification on the current opposition of the UK government.”