UN goes too far

Vancouver - - From August 31 to September 7 the UN is holding the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa. The conference is to be attended by 6,000 representatives of 150 nations. It is a costly waste of time and money, as some $14 million US ($22 million CDN) will be devoted to attacking Israel.

The United States and Canada had expressed growing concern that Israel would be singled out for its actions and that the ‘west’ should be required to pay reparations for both slavery and colonialism. While the other big debate is whether or not the word ‘holocaust’ should be capitalized.

The UN of late has grown increasing bold in its systematic attacks upon the west and in particular the United States. Remember earlier this year when the United States was replaced on the UN human rights commission in favor of nations like the Sudan. Conferences such as this do little to address issues but are more like ‘dog and pony’ shows that create headlines and little else.

The US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley have both skipped the meeting entirely. As an aside Canada instead chose to send another Member of Parliament who accused residents of Prince George, Canada of burning crosses earlier this year-which it turned out was completely true.

Preliminary documents from the conference have described the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as "a new kind of apartheid." The meeting is going to unfairly condemn and single out Israel while allowing slavery in the Sudan, prosecution of minorities in China, and dictators and thugs from around the world who kill, murder and rape go virtually unnoticed.

Arafat and his ilk are using the conference as a continuation of terrorism by other means. Ganging up on Israel to their political benefit. Labels and blame will not lead to peace in the Middle East any more than suicide bombers and military gun-ships.

Similarly why should the west pay reparations for slavery to African nations when those nations clearly have not stopped the practice?

By not attending the US is sending a message that even Colin Powell’s presence could not convey. That the US will not be pushed around by human rights abusing nations and other do-gooders who wish to embarrass and discredit US action and foreign policy.

This conference is nothing more than an elaborate junket for ambassadors and government officials convinced that a meeting can rid the world of ills. Every nation attending had something, which they didn’t want on the table. India didn’t want to talk about the caste system, Israel didn’t want to take the entire blame, Europe didn’t want to talk about the Gypsies, and the US refuse to discuss reparations for slavery.

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