LONDON (Reuters):

A black rights organisation said yesterday Prime Minister Tony Blair's declaration of "deep sorrow" for Britain's role in the slave trade did not go far enough and failed to address the issue of compensation.

Blair said the bicentenary of the trade's abolition next year offered the opportunity to condemn Britain's past involvement in slavery.

But his statement in black community newspaper New Nation stopped short of a full apology, in what activists said was an attempt to stave off demands for reparations.

"Blair's article is taking a backward step from Britain's official position in 1807 when it abolished the trade and expressed regret for what had happened," said Kofi Mawuli Klu of rights group Rendezvous of Victory.

"This has heightened feelings among people in the African community. We want an apology of substance that addresses the demands for African reparations," he added.

In his statement, Blair said: "I believe the bicentenary offers us a chance not just to say how profoundly shameful the slave trade was - how we condemn its existence utterly and praise those who fought for its abolition - but also to express our deep sorrow that it ever could have happened."

He also acknowledged that Britain's rise to global pre-eminence was partially dependent on colonial slave labour.

Mawuli Klu said Blair should back up his words with measures, such as tackling the alienation of black youth in Britain's education system and slammed government initiatives to eradicate poverty in Africa for failing to deliver.

Rendezvous of Victory has also demanded a government commission to address the legacy of the slave trade and colonialism for black people.

Step in the right direction

Beth Herzfeld of Anti-Slavery Interna-tional said Blair had taken a step in the right direction but still needed to come up with concrete action.

"The government needs to address the legacies of the slave trade and move to address ending slavery across the world once and for all," she said.

Anti-Slavery International's position on reparations recommends compulsory education on the history of the trade in United Kingdom schools.

Commemorations are planned for March next year to mark the 1807 Slave Trade Act when Britain was the first major slave trafficking nation to outlaw the trade.

Between 10 million and 28 million Africans were shipped in appalling conditions to the Americas and sold into slavery between 1450 and the early 19th century.