MEDIA REACTION U. N. RACE CONFERENCE; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 002620 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION U. N. RACE CONFERENCE; HARARE ¶1. THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY NEWS" DEDICATED ITS SEPTEMBER 5 EDITORIAL TO THE U. N. CONFERENCE ON RACISM IN DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA. UNDER HEADLINE "DURBAN CONFERENCE: VICTORY FOR RACISM WOULD BE GHASTLY," THE EDITORIAL COMMENTS: ¶2. "MANY PEOPLE WOULD NOT HELP SYMPATHIZING WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, THABO MBEKI, IF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON RACISM. . .ENDS UP WITHOUT A SINGLE AND SINCERELY UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION ON HOW TO TACKLE THE SCOURGE WORLDWIDE. RADICALS ON THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE OF ZIONISM BEING EQUATED WITH RACISM AND THE EQUALLY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE OF REPARATIONS FOR SLAVERY MAY NOT HAVE HIJACKED THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE, BUT THEY CERTAINLY HAVE MUDDIED THE WATERS, ENOUGH TO REDUCE VERY SERIOUSLY THE CHANCES OF A CONSENSUS ON BOTH ISSUES AT THE END OF THE CONFERENCE LATER THIS WEEK. THE WALKOUT BY THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAELI DELEGATIONS IS TO BE DEEPLY REGRETTED, BUT THE CONFERENCE MUST SLOG ON, DETERMINED TO END ON AN OPTIMISTIC NOTE, HOWEVER PROBLEMATICAL THAT MAY BE. A VICTORY FOR RACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND INTOLERANCE, WHICH THE ABSENCE OF CONSENSUS WOULD DEFINITELY SIGNAL TO THE WORLD, IS TOO GHASTLY TO CONTEMPLATE. ALL THE HOPES FOR A RELATIVELY UNITED, HATE- FREE GLOBAL VILLAGE AS WE BEGIN THIS THIRD MILLENNIUM, WOULD BE SHATTERED FOR A LONG TIME TO COME IF THE DELEGATES FAILED TO ENDORSE UNANIMOUSLY A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RACISM AND ITS ALLIED CURSES. . .IT WOULD BE TRAGIC IF THE AFRICANS AND THEIR ALLIES, DEMANDING REPARATIONS FOR SLAVERY, BECAME SO OBDURATE THEY REFUSED TO LISTEN TO THE MODERATE VOICE OF NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT, OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, WHO HAS SAID AN APOLOGY WOULD BE ENOUGH. . .REPARATIONS CANNOT BE ULTIMATE PANACEA FOR THE CONTINENT'S POVERTY. ALL SELF-RESPECTING AFRICAN LEADERS MUST KNOW THAT ONLY THEY AND THEY ALONE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT ON UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 02620 051458Z ENDING POVERTY. . . ." ROTH UNCLASSIFIED >