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September 21st,
2009 - Ahmadinejad Proud of Holocaust Denial News article from the Associated
Press The
War Profiteers Blog - “The anger of the world’s professional killers ….” |
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Ahmadinejad Proud of
Holocaust Denial By Nasser Karimi Associated Press September 21, 2009 Tehran, Iran - Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he was proud his denial of the
Holocaust had enraged the West, as the controversial leader geared up for a
United Nations trip to stress what he said would be a message of "peace
and friendship." Ahmadinejad's latest comment
about the killing of millions of Jews during World War II comes as Iran is
locked in a bitter dispute with the U.S. and other Western nations over its
nuclear program. Even as that fight continues, his remarks were sure to earn
the Iranian president an even more frigid reception when he heads to New York
on Tuesday to attend the U.N. General Assembly. "The anger of the
world's professional killers is (a source of) pride for us," Ahmadinejad
was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. He was responding to a
question about criticism from the European Union following a speech on Friday
in which he questioned whether the Holocaust was a "real event."
The "killers" reference appeared to be directed primarily at Israel
and the U.S. "It's a sad day for the
Iranian people," French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages
said in an online briefing Monday in reference to Ahmadinejad's latest
Holocaust statements. She said "they unfortunately add to the long list
of hateful statements" by Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly
raised questions about the Holocaust. He has said it has been used as a
pretext for Israel's formation, and that Israel and Jewish groups are
actively muzzling any attempt to link shame over the Nazi atrocities with the
what many in the Muslim Middle East believe is the West's bias for the Jewish
state at their expense. The comments have done
little to bolster sympathy for Iran's conservative government, which the U.S.
and others believe is looking to enrich uranium with an eye to nuclear
weapons production. Iranian officials deny the charge, saying the program is
for purely peaceful purposes. The Iranian president is
slated to address the U.N. on Wednesday, said IRNA. "The most important message
of this year's visit by president to New York is peace and friendship for all
nations, fighting suppression and interaction with all nations in the
framework of justice and mutual respect," Mohammad Jafar Mohammadzadeh,
a spokesman for Ahmadinejad's office told IRNA. Ahmadinejad's last trips to
the U.N. have been marked by sharp protests. In 2007, before a planned speech
at New York's Columbia University, he sat through a scathing criticism by the
elite university's president. Mohammadzadeh said Ahmadinejad
was planning to meet extensively with the media while in the U.S., and that
the "Zionist lobby," despite its efforts, will be unable to
"stop the publication of the justice-seeking message of Iranians by
their president." Ahmadinejad is sure to face
a drubbing over the nuclear issue and questions about whether Iran will
negotiate or face the threat of even deeper sanctions. The U.S. administration has
invited Iran to start a dialogue on its nuclear program and gave a vague
September deadline for Tehran to take up the offer. The U.S. and five other
world powers accepted an offer from Iran earlier this month to hold
"comprehensive, all-encompassing and constructive" talks on a range
of security issues, including global nuclear disarmament. European Union foreign
policy chief Javier Solana will meet Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili
on Oct. 1 for talks on the nuclear issue. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ixeFBxfLzaSjs8Mb8cuFmtPOT6-wD9ARNI902 |