phoenix80
Banned
'He Should Be Arrested, Not Welcomed'
September 24, 2007
Sky News
Demonstrations against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are taking place in the US as the Iranian president prepares to make a controversial appearance at one of its top universities.
Mr Ahmadinejad, who will speak at Columbia University later today, has told American television that his country is neither building a nuclear weapon nor planning to go to war.
However, his visit to the US has infuriated politicians, religious groups and other organisations.
Many are angry about his call to "wipe Israel off the map" and accuse him of backing terrorists in Iraq and across the Middle East.
Elected officials and civic leaders demonstrated outside Columbia upon his arrival in New York yesterday, and more protests are planned there and at the UN, where he will speak tomorrow.
New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind said Mr Ahmadinejad "should be arrested when he comes to Columbia University, not invited to speak, for God's sake".
Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, has promised to grill Mr Ahmadinejad on subjects such as human rights, the Holocaust - which he has described as a "myth" - and nuclear weapons.
The US and its allies say Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, as well as helping Shi'ite militias in Iraq that target US troops - claims Iran denies.
"You have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" Mr Ahmadinejad told CBS.
"In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use. If it was useful it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union."
He added: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the US are walking toward war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing."
Before leaving Iran, Ahmadinejad said the American people had been denied "correct information", and his visit would give them a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported.
His request to lay a wreath at the site of the World Trade Centre was denied by officials, who said they could not guarantee his safety.
link to original article
September 24, 2007
Sky News
Demonstrations against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are taking place in the US as the Iranian president prepares to make a controversial appearance at one of its top universities.
Mr Ahmadinejad, who will speak at Columbia University later today, has told American television that his country is neither building a nuclear weapon nor planning to go to war.
However, his visit to the US has infuriated politicians, religious groups and other organisations.
Many are angry about his call to "wipe Israel off the map" and accuse him of backing terrorists in Iraq and across the Middle East.
Elected officials and civic leaders demonstrated outside Columbia upon his arrival in New York yesterday, and more protests are planned there and at the UN, where he will speak tomorrow.
New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind said Mr Ahmadinejad "should be arrested when he comes to Columbia University, not invited to speak, for God's sake".
Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, has promised to grill Mr Ahmadinejad on subjects such as human rights, the Holocaust - which he has described as a "myth" - and nuclear weapons.
The US and its allies say Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, as well as helping Shi'ite militias in Iraq that target US troops - claims Iran denies.
"You have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" Mr Ahmadinejad told CBS.
"In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use. If it was useful it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union."
He added: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the US are walking toward war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing."
Before leaving Iran, Ahmadinejad said the American people had been denied "correct information", and his visit would give them a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported.
His request to lay a wreath at the site of the World Trade Centre was denied by officials, who said they could not guarantee his safety.
link to original article
