Repelled by harshly critical language focused on Israel, the Bush administration announced that Secretary of State Colin Powell would not be attending the upcoming United Nations Conference on Racism, to be held in South Africa.

Disappointed by Powell's decision, Gerald LeMelle of Amnesty International said: "There has been no serious thought as to the role the United States could play. Who is going to start leading us away from racial strife in Rwanda, Burundi, Kosovo, Cincinnati?"

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