Post by Demona on Sept 24, 2007 13:11:58 GMT -5
Ok, it's a huge one, but here's the first page. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20942057/ There's the link.
NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Iran would not launch an attack on Israel or any other country, and he does not believe the U.S. is preparing for war against Iran.
“Iran will not attack any country,” Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press. Iran has always maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, he said, and has “never sought to expand its territory.”
Asked whether he beleved the U.S. is preparing for war, he responded: “That is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq.”
In a 30-minute interview at a hotel near the United Nations, where he will address then General Assembly on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad struck a soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on humanitarian concerns and seeking justice.
He reiterated his call for a debate at the United Nations on world issues with President Bush.
Referring to fears of a military campaign against Iran, he said: “We don’t think you can compensate for one mistake by committing more mistakes.”
The Iranian president, in what is believed to be his first comments on a reported attack Sept. 6 by Israeli bombers inside Syria, said the attack stemmed from Israeli expansionism and “it had nothing to with Iran.”
Defends human rights record
Ahmadinejad also defended his nation’s human rights record, as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the U.N. and Columbia University to protest appearances by the hard-line leader.
“People in Iran are very joyous, happy people,” he told a National Press Club audience that questioned him about the arrests of students, journalists and women. “They’re very free in expressing what they think.”
He said women in Iran were “the freest women in the world ... They’re active in every level of society.”
Human rights activists inside and outside Iran have decried a recent wave of arrests of people calling for political and legal reforms of the Iranian theocratic system. Ahmadinejad said those complaints were baseless, and denied knowing about any detention or harsh punishments of reformists.
“The people who give this information should see what is the truth and disseminate what is correct,” he said. “I invite everyone in this session to come and visit Iran for themselves.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered for a noon rally against Ahmadinejad at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations, where Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he deserves a right to even be here in the United States,” said Sam Morris, a senior at Yeshiva University High School, one of at least 500 students from Jewish day schools.
Scores of evangelical Christians of all ages also protested, holding blue-and-white signs that said, “Christians United for Israel” and “Israel is on the map to stay.”
Ahmadinejad's visit to New York drew tabloid headlines calling him "evil" and a "madman," and stirred debate about free speech ahead of his appearance at Columbia University.
Protesters also assembled at Columbia, where President Lee Bollinger has promised to grill Ahmadinejad on subjects such as human rights, the Holocaust and Iran’s disputed nuclear program. The Iranian leader previously has called the Holocaust “a myth” and called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”
Bollinger said Monday it was a question of free speech and academic freedom.
"It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are your adversaries. To watch them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason. To see whether they're fanatical, or to see whether they are sly," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."
The New York Daily News' front page on Monday read: "THE EVIL HAS LANDED." The New York Post called Ahmadinejad the "Madman Iran Prez" and a "guest of dishonor."
Tensions are high between Washington and Tehran over U.S. accusations that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, as well as helping Shiite militias in Iraq that target U.S. troops — claims Iran denies.
"Well, you have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" Ahmadinejad said in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, taped earlier in Iran. "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 also said that: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. 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 have been denied "correct information," and his visit will give them a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Ahmadinejad has appealed to the American people before, distinguishing between the population and their government. Recently, he told a television show that Iran wants peace and friendship with America. Since coming to power in 2005, Ahmadinejad also has sent letters to the American people criticizing President Bush's policies in the Middle East.
NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Iran would not launch an attack on Israel or any other country, and he does not believe the U.S. is preparing for war against Iran.
“Iran will not attack any country,” Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press. Iran has always maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, he said, and has “never sought to expand its territory.”
Asked whether he beleved the U.S. is preparing for war, he responded: “That is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq.”
In a 30-minute interview at a hotel near the United Nations, where he will address then General Assembly on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad struck a soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on humanitarian concerns and seeking justice.
He reiterated his call for a debate at the United Nations on world issues with President Bush.
Referring to fears of a military campaign against Iran, he said: “We don’t think you can compensate for one mistake by committing more mistakes.”
The Iranian president, in what is believed to be his first comments on a reported attack Sept. 6 by Israeli bombers inside Syria, said the attack stemmed from Israeli expansionism and “it had nothing to with Iran.”
Defends human rights record
Ahmadinejad also defended his nation’s human rights record, as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the U.N. and Columbia University to protest appearances by the hard-line leader.
“People in Iran are very joyous, happy people,” he told a National Press Club audience that questioned him about the arrests of students, journalists and women. “They’re very free in expressing what they think.”
He said women in Iran were “the freest women in the world ... They’re active in every level of society.”
Human rights activists inside and outside Iran have decried a recent wave of arrests of people calling for political and legal reforms of the Iranian theocratic system. Ahmadinejad said those complaints were baseless, and denied knowing about any detention or harsh punishments of reformists.
“The people who give this information should see what is the truth and disseminate what is correct,” he said. “I invite everyone in this session to come and visit Iran for themselves.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered for a noon rally against Ahmadinejad at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations, where Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he deserves a right to even be here in the United States,” said Sam Morris, a senior at Yeshiva University High School, one of at least 500 students from Jewish day schools.
Scores of evangelical Christians of all ages also protested, holding blue-and-white signs that said, “Christians United for Israel” and “Israel is on the map to stay.”
Ahmadinejad's visit to New York drew tabloid headlines calling him "evil" and a "madman," and stirred debate about free speech ahead of his appearance at Columbia University.
Protesters also assembled at Columbia, where President Lee Bollinger has promised to grill Ahmadinejad on subjects such as human rights, the Holocaust and Iran’s disputed nuclear program. The Iranian leader previously has called the Holocaust “a myth” and called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”
Bollinger said Monday it was a question of free speech and academic freedom.
"It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are your adversaries. To watch them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason. To see whether they're fanatical, or to see whether they are sly," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."
The New York Daily News' front page on Monday read: "THE EVIL HAS LANDED." The New York Post called Ahmadinejad the "Madman Iran Prez" and a "guest of dishonor."
Tensions are high between Washington and Tehran over U.S. accusations that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, as well as helping Shiite militias in Iraq that target U.S. troops — claims Iran denies.
"Well, you have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't need that. What need do we have for a bomb?" Ahmadinejad said in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, taped earlier in Iran. "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 also said that: "It's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. 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 have been denied "correct information," and his visit will give them a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Ahmadinejad has appealed to the American people before, distinguishing between the population and their government. Recently, he told a television show that Iran wants peace and friendship with America. Since coming to power in 2005, Ahmadinejad also has sent letters to the American people criticizing President Bush's policies in the Middle East.
