We are not trying to devalue what happened. No one is doubting the barbarism of the slave trade. But the legal analysis is that you can't apply it retrospectively and it must be tested against the legal standards of the time. Customary international law at the time did not oppose slavery. The Europeans are prepared to say slavery is a crime but only when applied to present- day trafficking in humans in countries such as Sudan.
British officials deny that the UK is leading opposition to recognising slavery as a crime.
Mr Pityana accused Britain and its European allies of hypocrisy over what constitutes a crime against humanity. The United States is prepared to recognise all slavery as a crime against humanity, but wants to shift the focus from the transatlantic trade and match it with the centuries-long traffic in humans from east and central Africa by Arab slave dealers. A British official said compensation for slavery or colonialism was out of the question.