WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell will not attend the U.N. conference on racism opening in South Africa this week because of language critical of Israel, the State Department said on Monday.
"It is clear to us now that the secretary (Powell) will not go to this conference. The secretary will not attend this conference. The exact nature and level of our representation, if any, is not clear," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing.
Boucher said all along, the United States had stated its opposition to several elements of the conference, including "offensive" language about Israel that singles it out as a "racist" occupying power.
It was possible the United States would boycott the conference altogether and not send a delegation at all, Boucher said.
"We'll have to look at the situation, about how this might evolve or change based on the efforts that various people are making, and ... decide on the nature and level of our participation, if any," he said.
Boucher said Powell had spoken on several occasions with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan over the weekend to tell him of his decision about the conference, set to start on Friday.
The United States repeatedly threatened to skip the U.N. conference unless Arab states drop demands that the conference texts single out Israel.
President Bush said on Friday the United States would not go to the conference in Durban at all if the participants "picked on" or denigrated Israel.
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"It is clear to us now that the secretary (Powell) will not go to this conference. The secretary will not attend this conference. The exact nature and level of our representation, if any, is not clear," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing.
Boucher said all along, the United States had stated its opposition to several elements of the conference, including "offensive" language about Israel that singles it out as a "racist" occupying power.
It was possible the United States would boycott the conference altogether and not send a delegation at all, Boucher said.
"We'll have to look at the situation, about how this might evolve or change based on the efforts that various people are making, and ... decide on the nature and level of our participation, if any," he said.
Boucher said Powell had spoken on several occasions with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan over the weekend to tell him of his decision about the conference, set to start on Friday.
The United States repeatedly threatened to skip the U.N. conference unless Arab states drop demands that the conference texts single out Israel.
President Bush said on Friday the United States would not go to the conference in Durban at all if the participants "picked on" or denigrated Israel.
Want to learn more? http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=Z1MIYIFTX1YPMCRBAEZSFFAKEEATGIWD?type=topnews&StoryID=182898