WOMEN: Zionism Not Attacked : Women End Parley, Omit Zionism Attack

The U.N. Decade for Women conference passed an important milestone Friday by agreeing to remove a reference to Zionism as a form of racism from the meeting’s final document.

The compromise language, accepted by consensus, averted a possible walkout by the U.S. and Israeli delegations and paved the way for achievement of the meeting’s objective--adoption of a document called the Forward Looking Strategies, which sets the agenda for action to advance the status of women between 1986 and 2000.

The conference adjourned early today after that document was adopted by a consensus vote.

Maureen Reagan, head of the U.S. delegation, declared afterward: “I said when I came here that we would go home with a document and that it would not have Zionism in it. No American delegation has done that before.”

Reagan, the President’s daughter, gestured toward the other members of the American delegation and added, “This delegation deserves the credit for it.”

In the final hours of the conference, which eventually extended long past the Friday midnight deadline for adjournment, a deadlock over language involving Zionism was ended when Julia Ojiambo, leader of the Kenya delegation, proposed a compromise paragraph on the issue of “obstacles to an effective integration of women in the process of development.”

Ojiambo’s text substituted the words “all other forms of racism and racial discrimination” for a direct reference to Zionism as racism that was contained in the original draft.

Thus, the women from 157 countries represented at the conference will be able to sign a far-reaching final document that includes hundreds of resolutions focusing on women’s rights in employment, family life and the governing of nations. Several other areas of disagreement--the question of a Palestinian homeland, of economic sanctions against South Africa and charges of unfair trade practices by the rich nations--were papered over.

The compromise text was a result of hours of hard negotiating. A fragile consensus among the Soviet Bloc nations and members of the Group of 77, an alliance of Arab, African, Muslim and Third World countries, kept breaking down as negotiating groups rose to express their views in the full session at the Kenyatta Conference Center here.

Finally, the Iranians were the sole holdouts, and the Palestine Liberation Organization delegation was sent to persuade Iran not to interfere with the developing consensus. The Soviet delegates were among the toughest negotiators during the bargaining.

Earlier in the day, U.S. and Israeli delegates were openly planning a walkout. Representatives of European nations and of several other countries--Kenya, Canada, the Ivory Coast and Mexico--indicated that any reference to Zionism would keep them from accepting the final document.

Then, Zehdi Labib Terzi, the PLO’s permanent observer at the United Nations, who has attended the Nairobi women’s sessions, offered his support for the compromise. Expressing his preference for the original paragraph, Terzi conceded, “When we agreed to join here, we had every motive to ensure the success of the conference for women.” With that in mind, he added, “we are willing to accept” the compromise language.

Other nations followed suit. Pakistani delegate Munir Akram called the PLO representative’s action “an act of corrective statesmanship.”

Joy Among Israelis

The Israelis were jubilant, and Sara Doron, leader of the delegation, said: “We have proved that common sense prevails. And it was done by women and for women everywhere. There is some hope, and this was the road to take. I’m very grateful to the Kenyan people, who really showed great concern that this conference will be seen as a success.”

Naomi Chazan, also of the Israeli delegation, said the crucial omission was the first time such a thing had happened in a U.N. meeting since 1975, when Zionism was first referred to as racism in the General Assembly. U.N. women’s conferences in Mexico City in 1975 and in Copenhagen in 1980 had snagged on the issue and related controversies.

“And now on 26 July, 1985, it was removed after a long time coming,” Chazan said. “Hopefully, it won’t appear in U.N. documents again.”

Later in the session, Alan Keyes, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council delivered a strongly worded statement, declaring that the text, as approved, could in no way be construed to mean Zionism--as some nations were saying.