''We are now at the stage where we need to begin reaching agreements,'' stressed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, Tuesday.

The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance is set for Aug 31 to Sep 7 in Durban, South Africa. But there is still no agreement on the content of the final declaration or the program of action that are to be adopted by the delegates to the conference.

Irreconcilable differences revolve around questions of reparations for human rights abuses committed during slavery and colonial eras, and of attempts to equate Zionism with racism.

The final attempt to hammer out agreements on these matters will be in the hands of the preparatory committee during two weeks of deliberations in Geneva, beginning Jul 30.

Robinson acknowledged that the drafting of the conference declaration and program of action has not been a simple process.

The Group of 21, a body with the sole mission of conducting a ''technical cleanup'' of the documents - not of carrying out negotiations - will present the final Durban conference drafts Monday to the preparatory committee.

The group, presided by South Africa, is made up of Barbados, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, representing Latin America and the Caribbean. The African bloc consists of Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia, while Canada, France, Sweden and the United States are the ''Western'' bloc.

Eastern Europe is represented by the Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia and Russia. The nations from Asia participating in the talks are India, Iran, Pakistan and Iraq

The mission of the document ''cleanup'' team has been bogged down by the delicate nature of the matters to be debated at the Durban conference.

Robinson commented Tuesday before the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that the World Conference against Racism will cover ''not just matters of domestic policy and practice but, in some cases, fundamental issues of national identity.''

''While individual societies have embarked on processes of reflection and reconciliation, we as a global community have never attempted it before,'' she pointed out.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued an appeal to ''find ways to acknowledge the past without getting lost there; and to help heal old wounds without reopening them.''

In a further attempt to exert pressure on the world's governments, the High Commissioner is slated to meet in Geneva Aug 3 with a group of ''Eminent Persons'', led by former South African president, Nelson Mandela.

Among other notables, the group also includes former presidents, such as Jimmy Carter, of the United States, Mikhail Gorbachov, of the now-defunct Soviet Union, and Oscar Arias, of Costa Rica.

UN officials close to the process are confident that the arguments of these personalities, to be expressed during a round- table discussion, will influence the governmental delegates gathered in a nearby hall to discuss the final documents for Durban.

The UN sources also believe that the run-up to the Durban conference has already proven successful because it has ''engaged individuals and civil society as much as states.''

''The enormous response from NGOs (non-governmental organizations) has made it clear that Durban will not be a dry political gathering dominated by technical negotiations,'' said Robinson.

In the South African city, there will be an enriching gathering of peoples and cultures, alongside an inspiring exchange of ideas and experiences, predicted the High Commissioner.

In addition to the Conference against Racism, an NGO Forum is slated to meet in Durban Aug 28 to Sep 1, and a Youth Summit on Aug 26 and 27.

Robinson stressed that during the preparatory phase of the conference, ''the profile of racism as a global issue has been raised to an unprecedented level. The regional preparatory meetings have recognized that racism is a problem in every country and every region.''

She expressed confidence that the conference will ultimately be a success, though said she is sure that ''no country or group will walk away completely satisfied.''

''At a time when the international community is grappling with so many complex global problems, we simply cannot afford to fail to find consensus on an issue as clear-cut as racism,'' asserted the High Commissioner.

The minimum objectives of the UN for the Durban conference include a declaration that ''solemnly acknowledges the wrongs of the past, notes the current manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.''

The document must also commit governments to ''moving forward together in the fight against racism.''

A second goal is a program of action that outlines practical steps for fulfilling these commitments.

Finally, the UN intends to forge an alliance between governments and civil society ''that will enable the struggle against racism to be carried beyond Durban.''

Copyright 2001 IPS

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