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TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2001

African-American and civil rights leaders on Monday criticized Secretary of State Colin Powell for deciding not to attend an upcoming international conference on racism.

The leaders said the mere appearance of Powell could have showed the Bush administration cares about racism. Powell is the highest-ranking African-American in the history of the United States government.

Powell will not attend the United Nations' World Conference Against Racism because Zionism as racism is still on the agenda. The issue equates the formation of the state of Israel as a racist act.

Jewish groups praised Powell's decision not to attend. Condoleeza Rice, who is President Bush's national security adviser and is also African-American, also opposed sending Powell.

A lower level State Department delegate may still attend the conference, which begins later this week in Durban, South Africa.

Get the Story:
Decision to Skip U.N. Meeting Lamented (The Washington Post 8/28)
Hot issues at racism conference overshadowing hate speech and affirmative action (AP 8/27)
Powell Will Not Attend Racism Conference in South Africa (The New York Times 8/28)
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Relevant Links:
Human Rights Issues, State Department - http://www.state.gov/g/drl/hr
World Conference Against Racism, UN - http://www.un.org/WCAR

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