EUROPEANS preserve their tradition of appeasing dictators, tyrants, terrorists, slavers, communists, and racial supremacists:

EU Agrees to Apology for Slavery

The Associated Press | September 7, 2001

DURBAN, South Africa - The European Union agreed to an apology for slavery and colonialism in the final declaration of the World Conference Against Racism, resolving one of the issues deadlocking the U.N. meeting, a spokesman for the EU said Friday.

The apology is expected to be adopted officially later Friday.

"There was a breakthrough on the notion of an apology," said Koen Vervaeke, spokesman for Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, who is leading the EU delegation.

The debate over an apology for slavery and colonialism, along with language regarding the Middle East, have been the conference's chief stumbling blocks.

The agreement, however, did not completely solve the issues still in contention on the last day of the meeting.

African countries still were pushing for slavery and colonialism to be labelled "crimes against humanity" and for Western countries to pay reparations. The EU rejected both calls, Vervaeke said.

The issue of how to deal with the Middle East conflict in conference documents also remained in limbo.

The European Union had been unwilling to issue an apology because it felt that would leave it open to potential lawsuits.

However, the agreed to text had resolved that issue, Vervaeke told The Associated Press.

"In the way it's drafted now there can't be any legal consequences," he said.

The agreed to text read: "The World Conference Against Racism further notes that some have taken the initiative of regretting, or expressing remorse, or presenting apologies, and calls on all those who have not yet contributed to restoring the dignity of the victims to find appropriate ways to do so, and to this end we appreciate those countries that have done so."

As closing meetings at the 8-day conference were hastily delayed, diplomats engaged in a frenzy of last-minute negotiations.

European Union delegates outside the main hall frantically scribbled on copies of a South African proposal on slavery and colonialism.

© 2001 The Associated Press