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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2001

As organizers of the World Conference Against Racism struggled to get the meeting back on track after the departure of the United States and Israel, indigenous activists and leaders on Tuesday held their own walkout in Durban, South Africa.

But unlike the two countries, representatives from tribes and indigenous groups throughout the world aren't leaving the international gathering. They instead held a protest to call attention to their struggle, which has been largely overshadowed by the conflict over language condemning Israel for treatment of Arabs.

American Indian activists attending the conference in particular said the exit of the United States was telling of the battles indigenous people face at home and at the gathering. During a call-in session on the nationally broadcast radio program Native America Calling, they criticized their own government for walking out on them.

"Our country shows up late, leaves early and doesn't take any stands for us," said Pamela Kingfisher , director of Indigenous Women's Network. "This is a real step backward for indigenous peoples."

Beyond the walkout, however, the activists said negotiations on the conference's declaration, or statement, on racism were daunting. While the U.S. and Israeli delegations found Zionism language "hateful" and "offensive," the activists said indigenous rights are being excluded altogether.

"There is a superpower negotiation going on" over the language, said Juana Majel, a member of the executive committee of the National Congress of American Indians. "We are the step-child that's been invited to dinner."

Drafts of the declaration do not recognize the collective rights of indigenous people under international law, they said. And when indigenous rights are mentioned, they are qualified as existing under domestic law -- which, in the case of the United States, is troubling for Native peoples, they said.

"We have rights under international laws that they are trying to undermine constantly," said Kingfisher of the world powers.

The White House yesterday defended the departure of the mid-level delegation from the talks. Press secretary Ari Fleischer said the United States and Israel "had no choice but to leave the conference."

"This has been a lost opportunity for America and for people throughout the world who are concerned about racism," he said.

As the gathering heads into its final days, Mary Robinson, the United Nations human rights chief and secretary general of the conference, has appealed to the remaining nations to come to an agreement. Language condemning Israel has been removed, at least temporarily, from a draft of the declaration.

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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