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Iran Leader Sparks Western Walkout at U.N. Meeting
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Nobel peace laureate Elie
Wiesel, left, stands among Jewish sympathizers and
demonstators at the entrance of the press room after
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered his
speech during the opening of the U.N. conference Monday
in Geneva. |
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GENEVA (AP) April 20, 2009 —
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being the "most cruel
and racist regime," sparking a walkout Monday by angry Western diplomats at a
U.N. racism conference.
The hardline leader's appearance overshadowed the substance of the week-long
United Nations attempt to stamp out intolerance worldwide. The United States and
eight other Western countries, expressing concerns about its fairness, were
already boycotting the event.
Protesters dressed with clown wigs and holding placards repeatedly interrupted
Ahmadinejad's speech with shouts of "Shame! shame!" and "Racist! racist!"
throwing soft red objects on the podium. Later, about 100 members of mainly
pro-Israel and Jewish groups blocked Ahmadinejad's entrance to a scheduled news
conference.
Ahmadinejad, in a rambling speech, accused Israel of being the "most cruel and
racist regime" and pointed the finger at the United States and Europe for
helping to establish the country after World War II "under the pretext of Jewish
suffering."
That prompted a walkout by some 40 diplomats from European countries such as
Britain and France, which had threatened to leave the conference if it descended
into anti-Semitic or other rhetoric harshly critical of Israel, which marred the
U.N.'s last racism gathering.
The boycotting countries expressed concern that Muslim countries would drown out
many issues with calls for a denunciation of Israel and a global ban on
criticizing aspects of the Islamic faith.
"As soon as he started to address the question of the Jewish people and Israel,
we had no reason to stay in the room," said French Ambassador Jean-Baptiste
Mattei.
Speaking directly after Ahmadinejad, Norway's foreign minister said the Iranian
leader's comments "run counter to the very spirit of dignity of the conference."
Ahmadinejad "has made Iran the odd man out," Jonas Gahr Store said.
Even before his speech, Ahmadinejad polarized the meeting, which is intended to
examine all forms of intolerance around the world.
Israel recalled its ambassador to Switzerland earlier Monday to protest Swiss
President Hans-Rudolf Merz's meeting with Ahmadinejad late Sunday during which
Merz pressed the case of a jailed American journalist in Tehran.
"The meeting between the president of a democratic country with an infamous
Holocaust-denier such as the president of Iran, who calls for Israel's
destruction, does not mesh with the values that Switzerland represents and that
are supposed to be represented at the U.N. conference on racism," the Israeli
Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
President Obama said Sunday that the United States would communicate with Iran
about journalist Roxana Saberi through its Swiss intermediaries, which have
officially represented U.S. interests in Iran since the American hostage crisis
that began in 1979. The Swiss government said it also took up other "unresolved
cases" of U.S.-Iranian relations.
Ahmadinejad's attendance has provoked outrage from Jewish groups and Israel, as
he has in the past questioned the Holocaust and called for Israel's destruction.
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