Peres makes special mention of India's role in Durban

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (Bahrain), SEPT. 10. Israel's Foreign Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres, made a special mention of India's role in the production of the Durban Conference resolution that Israel considers a major diplomatic victory. He bracketed India with the U.S., the European Union and Australia in presenting a picture of a concert of democratic states acting together to strike down anti-Israel clauses that were sought to be inserted in the final communique. These words of praise from the Israeli Foreign Minister are likely to prove very awkward for India in a situation in which the Arab and Muslim world is quite embittered by the outcome of the conference.

In comments to the Israeli media, Mr. Peres said, ``The key to the success of the conference was the help of the U.S., which showed everyone the way. After the U.S. said stop, it came to a stop. The fact that the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada and India all stood on the side of justice tipped the scales. We have not seen such a strong front for a long time, after having been used to the support of only

Micronesia.'' The success-which Mr. Peres sought to present as a general success but was in fact a particular success for Israel- was the defeat of attempts to insert clauses specifically critical of Israel in its dealings with the Palestinians. At the outset of the conference there had been an attempt to produce language that would equate Zionism with racism and even towards the end Syria and Pakistan had sought to insert words specifically critical of Israel.

Mr. Peres' words of praise can cause several complications for India's diplomacy. In describing the outcome of the conference as ``One of the greatest achievements ever at an international organization'' and ``a stinging defeat for the Arab League'', Mr. Peres has drawn attention to a crucial shift in geo-political alignments. Israel has usually been at the receiving end at international fora with the Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement representing an ever-widening numerical majority of countries that usually lined up against Israel. In the context no observer in the Middle-East will fail to note the Israel Foreign Minister's words of praise for a founding member of NAM which had for a long time been a key element of this numerical majority. India, according to Mr. Peres, is now to be counted among nations such as the U.S., Australia and Canada that had always been among the minority supporting Israel. Israel's Foreign Minister sought to present the final line-up at the World Conference on Racism as a case of democracies lining up successfully against non-democratic countries. In drawing up harsh language against a democratic country such as Israel, or so Mr. Peres sought to put it, these non-democratic states were following an absurd path hoping that their own non-democratic reputations would be over-looked.

From these comments it is possible to infer that the ``Concert of democracies'' that the U.S. has been trying to sponsor, and which Israel is quite interested in, does have certain other political aspects to it which have to be carefully considered. Both U.S. and Israel are deeply interested in having India as a key member of this concert. But if the concert is to be more of an instrument to promote a particular geo-political, rather than be a vehicle for the promotion of a more nebulous democratic spirit world-wide, India will have to carefully consider the implications.

Mr. Peres' words of praise for India have to be juxtaposed against the reservations expressed by the Arab world at the lack of a direct condemnation of Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians. India had taken the position, prior to the conference, that too specific a reference to the Israel-Palestine dispute would divert attention from the primary purpose of an important world event. To an extent the Arab attempt to foist anti-Israel clauses into the final communique were also not just misguided but also a cop-out. Such condemnatory statements were the staple of international conferences in the past and they failed to have any impact on the situation on the ground. The Arab states have, with the sole exception of Iraq, failed to extend any sort of practical assistance to the Palestinians in their on-going struggle and harsh statements against Israel in a international document is a poor substitute.

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Section  : International
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