New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed a decision by the United States to send a delegation to a Geneva conference on racism, which has been strongly criticized for its anti-Israel stance.

The Durban Review Conference, scheduled for 20-24 April in Geneva, continues from meetings that took place in Durban, South Africa, several years ago. That conference ended with condemnation of Israeli actions against the Palestinian people.

Preparatory discussions in Geneva on drafting an outcome document have also been denounced as anti-Israel.

Ban urged United Nations members to "engage constructively on all the outstanding issues of the outcome document to ensure a successful outcome of the conference."

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) this week expressed concern that the US delegation would have no chance to make significant changes in the draft outcome.

"The Durban Review process is deeply biased against Israel and there is no likelihood of a good outcome," Abraham H Foxman, ADL national director, said.

ADL urged governments, including the US, to boycott the Geneva conference. "The US entry into the process at this time risks extending the negotiations and delaying the withdrawal of those countries," the group said. (dpa)