London - Amnesty International Monday condemned the decision by leading nations to boycott the Durban Review Conference on racism in Geneva and urged governments not to "politicize" the meeting.

In a public statement on the conference issued in London, Amnesty said it was "dismayed" that Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland had decided to "disengage from" the conference.

The human rights organization said it also "regrets that Italy and the United States have confirmed their decisions to stay outside the Review Conference."

The withdrawal of Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland and the refusal of Italy and the US to join the conference was "very disappointing in light of the long and difficult negotiations" required to reach agreement, said Amnesty.

"True conviction in combating racism requires governments to be there to stand up for what is right and to reject forcefully what is objectionable," said the statement.

Amnesty International urged all governments participating in the Durban Review Conference to remain engaged.

"Governments committed to combating racism and a successful Review Conference must strenuously resist and respond to any renewed efforts to politicize the Conference or to detract from the over-riding objective of addressing all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia or related intolerance in all parts of the world," it said. (dpa)