"Unfortunately, this is the behavior of some governments who claim to be defending human rights and democracy, but in reality they outrageously violate the human rights in their own countries," Salehi added.
He noted that the supporters of the apartheid Zionist regime have boycotted this conference, because they are fearful that the participants of the conference might support Palestinians who are victims of the Zionist regime's racist policies in the occupied territories.
After many humiliating years living in an unjust world as a result of slavery, new colonialism and systematic racism in the form of apartheid in South Africa and the occupied Palestinian territories, the international community became determined to hold a high-level conference and the international community distanced itself from apartheid in Durban.
Durban declaration is one of the greatest human achievements vis-a-vis racism, Iran`s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday.
Speaking at the high-caliber United Nations General Assembly meeting which marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of The Durban Declaration and Program of Action, Iranian foreign minister expressed Islamic Republic of Iran's stance on issues related to racism.
"The 2001 World Conference against Racism (Durban I) was a turning point in the world today because of its peculiar characteristics," he stated.
Durban III was mandated in 2009 by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 64/148 to commemorate the World Conference against Racism 2001 (also known as Durban I), and given additional form and visibility by a UNGA Third Committee draft resolution adopted on November 24, 2010. It follows the Durban Review Conference, the official name of the 2009 United Nations World Conference against Racism (WCAR), also known as Durban II.
The theme of the conference was `Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: recognition, justice and development,` and most of the 193 member-states of the UN attended the conference.
IRNA/OANA/H-AK
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
