Iranian president asks why he can’t deny the Holocaust
Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Fars Provincial TV, Shiraz, in Persian 0803 gmt 29 Apr 09, translated by BBC Monitoring Middle East, April 29, 2009
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad has spoken about the recent UN anti-racism conference in Geneva, known as Durban II, saying that there were attempts by America and Israel to change an earlier approval equalling the Israeli government with “racism”.
Speaking in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, on 29 April 2009, Ahmadinejad said:
“Allow me to make a brief reference to certain discussions that the Zionists are promoting in the world. Today, the Zionists and their masters know that they are the most detested group among the nations of the world… In the Geneva meeting, there were attempts to wipe out from the UN documents the previous approval which said that the Zionist regime was equal to racism. They wanted to hold a quiet meeting, without the participation of senior leaders, to make a decision, close the file, and convey the decision to all countries as a law. The same as what they did about the Holocaust. They sat quietly at a meeting at the UN without the participation of leaders of other countries. Without proper information dissemination, they raised the issue of the Holocaust and said that the Holocaust was true, everyone had to accept it, no-one should be allowed to speak against it, no-one should be allowed to question it, no-one should even be allowed to ask a question about it. Then, they ordered governments to include the issue of the Holocaust in the high-school and university curriculum and teach their young people. They wanted to do the same in Geneva. When the government of the Islamic Republic, on behalf of the Iranian nation, decided to participate in that meeting, they began worrying. They started a ballyhoo, saying that it [the Geneva meeting] was not an important one. Why do you want to attend? None of the presidents will be attending, why do you want to attend? It would be bad if you went there, you lose respect. They were saying that the meeting was not at that level, it is an insignificant meeting. One message followed another. Every message that arrived made us realize that there was a plot being hatched behind the scenes, and that made us more determined to take part in that session.”
Ahmadinejad said: “I had a meeting with the [UN] secretary-general about a number of issues. Finally, he asked me; what are you going to say the next day? I asked him; what do you think I should say? What do you mean by that? He said; I mean the Zionist regime and the Zionists. What are you going to say about them? I asked him; what do you think I should say? He said; as you know, in our preliminary sessions we dropped the sentence saying that the Zionist regime was equal to racism. It might be also a good idea for you to speak in a mild language and avoid tension. I told him; Mr Ban Ki-moon, you are the secretary-general of the UN. You must show that you are the secretary-general of the UN and not of a particular group or the Zionists. Are you telling me not to speak about Gaza and the crimes committed by the Zionists? He said; yes, you can speak about that. I said; should I not speak about the assassination of the officials and people of Palestine? He said; yes, you can speak about that. I said; should I not speak about the attack on Lebanon? He said; yes you can speak about it. I said; should I not speak about the fact that that regime [Israel] always threatens regional nations? He said; yes, speak about it. I said; should I not speak about the fact that five million Palestinians have been made homeless? He said; yes speak about that too. I said; that is exactly what we want to say. We want to say that these are racists and that racism must be uprooted in the world.”
Ahmadinejad’s speech was broadcast live by Fars Province TV.
Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Fars Provincial TV, Shiraz, in Persian 0803 gmt 29 Apr 09