Iranian foreign minister says Israel, U.S. pose main threats to Mideast security

[Purveyor]

March 13, 2007

GENEVA – Iran's foreign minister accused Israel and the United States of posing the main threats to the security of the Middle East. The U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out during the speech Tuesday.

---

Mottaki told the world's top disarmament forum that Israel was the only country in the region that refuses to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last year acknowledged that his country had nuclear weapons – which Olmert denies doing.

A nuclear-armed Israel poses “a uniquely grave threat to regional and international peace and security and requires to be seriously dealt with by the international community taking practical measures,” Mottaki told the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament.

Mottaki did not use the word Israel, but referred to the country as “the Zionist regime,” which he said had “a long and dark record of crimes and atrocities such as occupation, aggression, militarism, state terrorism, crimes against humanity and apartheid.”

---

Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon said his delegation found the speech insulting and decided to leave: “Everybody noticed that we left because we made a small noise, showing everybody that we disagree with his remarks.”

---end of excerpt---

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070313-0622-un-iran.html

[liberal N proud]

1. TRUE!

[Heidi]

2. Kick.

:kick:

[oberliner]

3. Iran says Israel, U.S. threaten Mideast

GENEVA -Iran's foreign minister accused Israel and the United States of posing the main threats to the security of the Middle East. The U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out during the speech Tuesday.

The comments from Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki come as Iran — under sanctions for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment — faces increasing pressure to open its nuclear program to greater scrutiny. The United States and some allies accuse Iran of using the atomic program as a pretext to build weapons; Iran says its intentions are peaceful.

Mottaki told the world's top disarmament forum that Israel was the only country in the region that refuses to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last year acknowledged that his country had nuclear weapons — which Olmert denies doing.

A nuclear-armed Israel poses "a uniquely grave threat to regional and international peace and security and requires to be seriously dealt with by the international community taking practical measures," Mottaki told the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament.

Mottaki referred to Israel as "the Zionist regime," which he said had "a long and dark record of crimes and atrocities such as occupation, aggression, militarism, state terrorism, crimes against humanity and apartheid."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070313/ap_on_re_eu/un_iran_5

[Prophet 451]

4. *sigh*

This is one of those times I want to say "get off my side, you're making us look bad". First, he maintains that the US and Israel are a threat to peace in teh MidEast, which they are (as is Iran but that's another discussion) but then he starts in with the anti-Zionist nonsense.

[LeftishBrit]

9. I fully agree with you on all points here!

[Redstone]

5. What an asshole.

Redstone

[TomClash]

6. Interestingly, he named the two powers

occupying the land of others, harboring large quantities of nuclear weapons and possessing the reion's strongest militaries.

[HuffleClaw]

7. "The U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out..."

i guess they don't like hearing the truth?

[robcon]

8. The Palestinians are the only obstacle to peace.

It is only the Palestinians that don't recognize the need for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. As long as they try to maintain the fiction that Israel has no right to exist (to their own constituencies - what they say to the West is nonsense) the Palestinmians are the only obstacle to peace in the region.