Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Points from Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad's first interview during his visit to New York:

a) Responding to questions from journalists on his wiping-Israel-off-the-map statements, Ahmadi-Nejad said Iran had a clear position on the Palestinian issue and spoke of the need for a free referendum to determine the fate of Palestine. "It is illogical to recognize the false regime that was created in that land and turned millions of people into refugees," he said. "Who are these Zionists? Where did they come from? Assuming even that some things happened during the course of World War II; where did these events take place? In Europe. What does that have to do with Palestine? Why do the Palestinian people have to pay the price for it? Why does the false regime have to be seated on Palestinian land?
"I ask you," Ahmadi-Nejad said to the journalists, "Where is the Soviet Union today? Hasn't it been wiped off the map?"

b) According to the Iranian president, Iran's nuclear activities are being carried out under the complete supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has conducted thousands of inspections of the nuclear facilities. Ahmadi-Nejad added that Iran had made a counter-proposal at the talks in Geneva and that a consensus among the parties on the common points would pave the way to a resolution of the crisis.

c) Commenting on the Israel-Syria peace talks, Ahmadi-Nejad said that Iran's ties with Damascus were very good and stable. "We will support the liberation of any part of the occupied territories," he said. "But I do not believe that the Zionists will forgo the Golan [Heights]. The Zionist regime has no sway over the relations between Iran and Syria; it is a regime that today resembles an airplane that has lost its engines and no one can help it."

d) According to Ahmadi-Nejad, the U.S. government must show respect for other countries and maintain relations with them based on mutual respect and decency. "Under such circumstances," he said, "we would be willing to maintain friendly ties with the United States."

e) Ahmadi-Nejad believes that the war in Iraq is one of the main reasons behind the economic crisis in the United States. "It saddens us to see the economic suffering of the American people; we are saddened by the suffering of any nation," he said.

f) Responding to a question on the similarities between him and U.S. President George Bush, and their shared belief that they are emissaries of God, Ahmadi-Nejad said: "I make no claims about being an emissary of God; if Bush thinks he is, you should ask him."
Thanks Iran Early Bird

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