Hopes have been raised that a UN conference against racism could be saved from failure after the damaging walkout of the US and Israel over the issue of the Middle East conflict.
Discussions got under way last night on a compromise conference document on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, which continues to overshadow the global gathering.
The document, produced by the South African government, was a basis for negotiations and "gave grounds for optimism", official sources said.
Israel and the US withdrew late on Monday in protest at "hateful" references in draft conference documents to Israel's racist treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The withdrawal of the delegations halfway through the event is a significant blow to the UN goal of securing agreement by next Friday on a new global charter to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, said yesterday she was saddened and dismayed by the development. She insisted, however, the conference would continue to strive towards producing "a ringing endorsement of respect for human dignity".
"There is a very good sense that we are significantly back on course. We are very serious," said Mrs Robinson.
Despite the public withdrawal of the US delegation on Monday, some American representatives including a local diplomat, Mr Craig Kuehl, have retained their credentials for the event.
The US withdrawal in particular places increased pressure on remaining Western states to salvage the event and overcome ongoing divisions over other outstanding issues, including calls for an apology and reparations for slavery.
African Americans at the conference venue yesterday accused the US administration of using the Middle East issue to quit the event to avoid tackling issues such as reparations for slavery.
Many Jewish organisations also withdrew from the conference yesterday and said the hate language they had experienced on the grounds of a UN forum called into question the future of the organisation. The talks aimed at salvaging the conference were based on a document drawn up by the conference's president, South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who chaired the meeting.
Dr Dlamini-Zuma produced the working draft after informal consultations with countries, which began shortly after the sudden departure of the US and Israel. The document is a completely new text, as references to the Middle East in the draft conference texts have been completely purged.
Earlier drafts had included references to "a new kind of apartheid" practised by Israel, accusing it of "a crime against humanity" and mentioning "racist practices of Zionism".
Dr Dlamini-Zuma presented the document shortly after 6 p.m. local time to members of the drafting group, including officials from the Arab League, Norway and Namibia. The EU was represented by Mr Louis Michel, Belgium's Foreign Minister, which currently holds the EU presidency. The negotiators gave themselves a 24-hour deadline but the talks may continue until late this evening.
As the EU position on the Middle East issue is close to that of the US, a significant shift will have to take place in order to accommodate that bloc.
Official sources last night said Mr Michel was "encouraged by the document, which would seem to be a good basis for negotiations".
Meanwhile, agreement on the remaining language for the conference's final declaration and programme of action continued at a painstakingly slow pace yesterday. There were indications, however, that what officials termed "serious negotiations" on text dealing with issues of slavery and colonialism were finally taking place.
In a separate development, Mrs Robinson said she could not recommend to conference delegates a declaration from a parallel forum of about 6,000 NGOs that ended in Durban last weekend. She said she was "distressed and disturbed" by the document, which includes calls for an end to Israeli "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing".
Meanwhile, 21 Irish NGOs in Durban said yesterday they were committed to working with the Irish delegation to ensure a successful outcome to the conference.
They said they would continue to lobby for the strengthening of measures to address the racism experienced by refugees and asylum-seekers, Roma, Gypsies and Travellers, migrants and groups facing multiple discrimination.
The Irish NGOs said they would examine the paper from the NGO forum before deciding whether or not to endorse it. It is understood 58 NGOs from 28 countries have rejected the document, which has not been backed by many human rights groups, including Amnesty International. Representatives of the Irish NGOs met with Mrs Robinson yesterday on the fringes of the conference.