E/CN.4/1997/71 page 5 13. As indicated in his report to the General Assembly, it was the Special Rapporteur's intention to make observations on the detailed comments submitted to him by the Government of the United States of America concerning his mission to the country in 1994. He had taken care to consult non-governmental organizations and people he met during the mission, who provided him with information for his report. He would like to express his gratitude to the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, Admiral Family Circle Islamic Community, University of San Francisco Law Clinic, Human Rights Advocates and the sociologist Mrs. Loretta Williams, who sent him detailed accounts confirming the substance of the matters related in his mission report. 14. The Government of the United States gave him to understand, however, that since it had not expressly asked him to publicize its comments, it would not be standard practice for him to do so. In any event, the reactions of the United States and the various comments made can be consulted at the Secretariat. 15. It remains true that racism and racial discrimination persist, structurally, economically, socially and culturally, in the United States, as demonstrated in the report Affirmative Action Review by Mr. George Stephanopoulos, Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy, dated 19 July 1995: “There has been undeniable progress in many areas. Nevertheless, the evidence is overwhelming that the problems affirmative action seeks to address - widespread discrimination and exclusion and their ripple effects - continue to exist ...” 6 16. Mention also needs to be made of the recent Texaco affair, 7 the fires in black community churches, police brutality in New York, 8 the discriminatory application of the death penalty in the State of Georgia 9 and incitements to racial hatred and anti-Semitism appearing on the Internet. 10 The ratification by the United States of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination is clearly a signal advance in the campaign against racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism; but resistance is being put up in some quarters and there remains much to do to ensure that human dignity is respected. II. CONTEMPORARY MANIFESTATIONS OF RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND XENOPHOBIA 17. The various forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia identified by the Special Rapporteur and considered by the Commission continued to manifest themselves in 1996. The salient facts are set out below.