US Secretary of State Colin Powell will not attend the UN conference on racism opening in South Africa this week because of language critical of Israel, the State Department said today.
"It is clear to us now that the secretary (Powell) will not go to this conference. The secretary will not attend this conference. The exact nature and level of our representation, if any, is not clear," State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher told a news briefing.
Mr Boucher said all along, the United States had stated its opposition to several elements of the conference, including offensive language about Israel that singles it out as a racist occupying power.
It was possible the United States would boycott the conference altogether and not send a delegation at all, Mr Boucher said.
"We'll have to look at the situation, about how this might evolve or change based on the efforts that various people are making, and ... decide on the nature and level of our participation, if any," he said.
Mr Boucher said Mr Powell had spoken on several occasions with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan over the weekend to tell him of his decision about the conference, set to start on Friday.