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Intense negotiations were on to salvage the first-ever United Nations World Conference Against Racism after the United States and Israeli pullout, with delegates struggling to draft a new text of the declaration that may delete the harsh words against the Jewish state.
The 15-member European Union, which has decided not to follow the US and Israeli action, is engaged in drafting the new text at the request of the host South Africa.
An informal group, chaired by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, comprising the EU and a number of other countries, including African and Arab nations, has been set up to draft the new text.
Dlamini-Zuma said: "We want to come to an agreement that will be acceptable to all delegations."
The US decision to pull out of the talks has come in for sharp criticism from various countries with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan saying that Washington should have focused more on the conference's main goals.
"I consider it regrettable. The questions of racism, xenophobia and intolerance is something that all societies live in and should fight against," he said.
Annan said: "I would have preferred that the US were there to fight with others for the right solution, the right results and the right language."
Dlamini-Zuma, who went on to open the daily plenary session, said to applause: "I think it is unfortunate that the two countries (US and Israel) left, and I think in the long run they will be losers."
The main issues that have so far dominated the proceedings here are the Middle East crisis and reparations for slavery. Both issues have been determinedly rejected by the US and Israel.
Another issue that has created a great deal of debate is India's caste system. More than 300 NGO activists from India have been campaigning for the past 10 days to get it included in the WCAR declaration.
The NGO conference, which ended on Saturday, has already declared caste as a gross violation of human rights and demanded that strong affirmative action must be taken to overcome the caste system.
But India's Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah has rejected any suggestions that caste be included in the agenda of the WCAR conference.
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