SOUTH AFRICA: UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVES TO HEAD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RACISM

Record ID: 222888

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVES TO HEAD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RACISM
  • Date: 28th August 2001
  • Summary: (W5) DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA (AUGUST 29, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV KOFI ANNAN WALKING AWAY FROM PLANE AND GREETING FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA AND THEN MARY ROBINSON (3 SHOTS) 0.20 2. SCU OF SECURITY AT AIRPORT 0.25 3. SLV ROBINSON AND ANNAN WALKING TOWARDS TERMINAL 0.27 4. ANNAN'S MOTORCADE LEAVING 5. WIDE OF POLICE MOTORCYCLES WAITING 0.32 6. VARIOUS, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AND UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES MARY ROBINSON TALKING (3 SHOTS) 0.54 7. WIDE OF ANNAN'S MOTORCADE LEAVING 1.03 8. WIDE OF EXTERIOR OF CONFERENCE CENTRE 1.09 9. SCU CONFERENCE LOGO ON WINDOW - WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM 1.15 10. SMV ROBINSON AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA WATCHING UNITED NATIONS AND SOUTH AFRICAN FLAGS BEING RAISED 1.21 11. WIDE OF UNITED NATIONS AND SOUTH AFRICAN FLAGS BEING RAISED (2 SHOTS) 1.33 12. SLV ONLOOKERS 1.39 13. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA SAYING: "And we are hoping that this conference will be a success. Not only for the sake of future generations but I also think we owe it to thousands of people in this country and in the rest of the world who have put it as a premium in their lives to struggle against racism." 2.04 14. SMV ONLOOKERS LISTENING TO SPEECH 2.09 15. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARY ROBINSON , UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SAYING: "It is a world conference at the beginning of the new century, and it is all about how we will relate to each other, how we will fulfil the commitment in one of the universal declaration that we are all equal in dignity and right. I believe that this conference is very much about human dignity, but also about human solidarity." 2.32 16. SMV SECURITY 2.37 17. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARY ROBINSON SAYING: "And now we have a unique opportunity for a new alliance, this time a global alliance to battle the forces that go with the conference - racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. But also to know what we are for; that we are for diversity, respect, tolerance and that spirit of solidarity that Africa can teach the world, through this conference." 3.03 18. SMV WOMEN SECURITY WATCHING 3.07 19. WIDE OF NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA PLANTING A TREE 3.12 20. WIDE OF CROWD APPLAUDING , WITH CONFERENCE CENTRE IN THE BACKGROUND 3.21 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DURBAN, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVA5LTJZM5A5GZ9ZD15R768QRJZO
  • Story Text: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has arrived
    in South Africa to head a racism conference, facing the threat
    of a U.S. boycott if Israel is singled out as a racist state.




    United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in
    South Africa on Wednesday (August 29) to head a conference on
    racism.

    Annan is scheduled to open the official World Racism
    Conference on Friday (August 31), but it was still unclear if
    Washington would send a delegation to the Indian Ocean port
    city of Durban.

    The U.S. State Department said on Monday (August 27) that
    U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell would not attend the
    meeting because of the offensive language about Israel in some
    texts, adding that the United States might boycott it
    altogether.

    Washington fears that Arab nations will use the
    conference.

    The conference takes place against a backdrop of
    escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the
    Middle East.

    Jewish delegates at a U.N. racism conference in Durban said on
    Wednesday they were being victimised by anti-Israeli pressure
    groups.

    The official U.N. conference opens on Friday, and Jewish
    groups in Durban for an earlier non-governmental race forum
    said their members had been intimidated by pro-Palestinian
    groups pressing the meetings to denounce Israel as a racist
    and modern-day apartheid state.

    Mary Robertson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said
    about the conference.

    "It is a world conference at the beginning of the new
    century, and it is all about how we will relate to each other,
    how we will fulfil the commitment in one of the universal
    declaration that we are all equal in dignity and right. I
    believe that this conference is very much about human dignity,
    but also about human solidarity."
    The United States has said it will not attend the U.N.

    conference if Arab and Islamic states insist on pressing for
    the meeting to accept "offensive language" against Israel.

    The State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Colin
    Powell would not attend the summit, and Washington has not
    announced what level of delegation, if any, it will send.

    A spokesman for the South African police said the safety
    of the 7,000 delegates attending the meeting was a high
    priority.

    More than 3,000 police and army personnel have been
    deployed at the conference, which comes amid a sharp
    escalation in violence between Israelis and the Palestinians.

    About 700 people, most of them Palestinians, have been
    killed in 11 months of protests against Israeli military
    occupation of Arab land.


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