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Ahmadinejad rejects criticism, justifies anti-Israel comments
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad on Friday rejected widespread condemnation of his remarks Wednesday calling to "wipe Israel off the map". According to Ahmandinejad, the comments were both justified and correct, Israel Radio reported. "They reflect the words of the Iranian people," he said. The hard-line leader added, "Israel and the United States believe that the entire world must abide by their rules although they are the ones that are responsible for destroying Palestinian families." The Iranian embassy in Moscow, however, tried Friday to soften the impact of Ahmadinejad's remarks. "Mr. Ahmadinejad did not have any intention to speak in sharp terms and engage in a conflict," the Iranian embassy in Moscow said in a statement following a wave of international criticism. It added that Ahmadinejad "underlined the key position of Iran, based on the necessity to hold free elections on the occupied territories." Israel's Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman, meanwhile, began trying to build a coalition Thursday in favor of expelling Iran from the UN, as governments around the globe condemned Iran for Ahmadinejad's comments. UN mathematics indicate that no such coalition could possibly prevail, but Israel is understood to be pursuing the effort nonetheless - both out of a sense of obligation and in the faint hope that the almost impossible might somehow happen. Posted by: Captain America 2005-10-28 |
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