World Zionist group boycotts racism conference
( 2001-08-27 09:54 ) (7 )

The World Zionist Organisation said on Sunday it would boycott a UN conference on racism due to what it said was "anti-Israel propaganda" contained in draft resolutions for the gathering.

"The draft resolutions...are replete with false, anti-Israel and anti-Zionist propaganda. As long as these resolutions will not be removed from the agenda, there is no place for participation, which would grant legitimacy to the vociferous chorus that sings Palestinian lyrics to tunes from Tehran," WZO chairman Sallai Meridor said in a statement.

The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance begins on August 31 in Durban, South Africa.

Arab states are demanding the UN conference equate Zionism -- the modern-day movement promoting the return of Jews to the biblical land of Israel -- with racism and single out Israel as a "racist" occupying power on Palestinian lands.

Israeli leaders have said the demands are politically motivated in the midst of an 11-month-old Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The WZO is a main representative body for Zionist organisations worldwide. Meridor called on the Israeli government to cancel its delegation to the conference as well.

US President George W. Bush said last week that the United States would skip the meeting if it was used as a forum to isolate Israel.