DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran's president led a raucous anti-American rally on Sunday in this tightly controlled U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, a day after a low-key visit by Vice President Dick Cheney aimed at countering Tehran's influence in the region.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a cheering crowd that America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth. ``We are telling you to leave the region. This is for your benefit and the benefit of your nation,'' Ahmadinejad shouted to the crowd of thousands at a soccer stadium. ``The nations of the region can no longer take you forcing yourself on them. The nations of the region know better how to create peace and security.''
Ahmadinejad's visit was the first by an Iranian head of state to this Sunni-led Arab country since its independence in 1971 and his rally was remarkable in a country where political parties are banned and power is held solely by tribal families.
The crowd, many of them expatriate Iranians, cheered Ahmadinejad and waved Iranian flags. One group carried a black banner bearing a yellow symbol seen on nuclear fallout shelters. Chants of ``Down with the USA!'' and ``Nuclear energy is our right!'' frequently interrupted the speech.
| So he got the local rubes to rally for him, did he? Guess the 'tribal families' with the political power now know who their enemies are, that is, if they didn't already. |