Israel needs to be "wiped of the map" - Ahmadinejad (Iran president)

[Gabryel Karolin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4378948.stm

I dont understand what hes hoping to ackomplish with such comments.

Iran leader's comments condemned

Mr Ahmadinejad warned Muslim leaders not to recognise Israel
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map" has drawn widespread condemnation from Israel, Europe and North America.
The UK, France, Spain and Canada are summoning Iranian diplomats to demand an explanation for the remark.

Israel's Vice-Prime Minister Shimon Peres called for Iran to be expelled from the United Nations.

The White House said the comment showed the US was right to be concerned about Iran's nuclear programme.

Washington suspects Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Anyone who signs a treaty which recognises the entity of Israel means he has signed the surrender of the Muslim world

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad


Profile: Mr Ahmadinejad

Mr Ahmadinejad made his comments at a conference in Tehran entitled The World without Zionism, the official Irna news agency reported.

Western governments are bound to see it as further proof that Iran's hardline president is disinclined to curb his country's controversial nuclear programme, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says.

They may hope that a co-ordinated diplomatic protest will help step up the pressure, she says.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report last month said questions about Iran's nuclear programme remained unanswered, despite an intensive investigation.

The UK, France, Germany and the US are pressing Iran to provide more access to its nuclear plans.

'Sickening'

The UK's Foreign Office described the comments as "deeply disturbing and sickening".

"We have seen in Israel today the horrible reality of the violence he (Mr Ahmadinejad) is praising," a spokesman said, referring to a Palestinian suicide attack on Wednesday in the Israeli town of Hadera that killed five people and injured up to 30 others.

Mr Peres said the remark "contravenes the United Nations charter and is tantamount to a crime against humanity.

We must submit a clear-cut request to... obtain Iran's expulsion from the United Nations

Shimon Peres
Israeli Vice-Prime Minister

"We must submit a clear-cut request to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council to obtain Iran's expulsion from the United Nations," he said in an open letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom his country regarded Iran as "a clear and present danger".

"If these comments are true, they are unacceptable. I condemn them with the greatest firmness," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Mr Ahmadinejad's opinion "underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear operations".

Spain, Canada and Germany also condemned Mr Ahmadihejad's comments.

'World oppressor'

Mr Ahmadinejad told some 3,000 students in Tehran that Israel's establishment was "a move by the world oppressor (the West) against the Islamic world".

Referring to Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

This is not believed to be the first time a senior Iranian leader has made such comments. In 2001, former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani called for a Muslim state to annihilate Israel with a nuclear strike.

Such calls are regular slogans at anti-Israeli or anti-US rallies.

Mr Ahmadinejad warned leaders of Muslim nations who recognised the state of Israel that they "face the wrath of their own people".

He added: "Anyone who signs a treaty which recognises the entity of Israel means he has signed the surrender of the Muslim world."

Mr Ahmadinejad came to power earlier this year, replacing Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who attempted to improve Iran's relations with the West.

 

[Rambuchan]

Well he doesn't mince his words this guy, that's for sure. A quality treasured in GWB no less.

 

[silver 2039]

Russia launched an Iranian sattalite tody.

 

[HannibalBarka]

Mr Ahmadinejad needs to be "wiped of the map"

 

[Che Guava]

He added: "Anyone who signs a treaty which recognises the entity of Israel means he has signed the surrender of the Muslim world."

How many countries don't recognize Isreal yet?

 

[Kayak]

How many countries don't recognize Isreal yet?

I caught that bit too. What does this mean for Jordan and Egypt?

 

[Stapel]

How many countries don't recognize Isreal yet?

None to my knowledge. I even had the impression Israel was recognised by Iran, but apparently I'm wrong with that? Maybe not. It is possible Iran has recognised Israel as a state, but that its current president thinks that is wrong.

I do know Jerusalem is not widely recognised as Israel's capitol, but that's merely a technical diplomacy issue, I guess.

I'm curious how long this Ahmadinejad-dude will stay in power in Iran. The nation seems ripe for a revolution.


A silly question:
Is CFC accessable from Iran?

 

[Stapel]

I caught that bit too. What does this mean for Jordan and Egypt?

I'm pretty sure Egypt and Jordan have recognised Israel. I think after the Yom Kippur war (not sure).

 

[Che Guava]

A far as I can tell, the (muslim) countries that recognize Isreal are:

Egypt
Jordan
Tunesia
Qatar
Indonesia
Afghanistan

Not a big list, but growing slowly.

 

[Kayak]

I'm pretty sure Egypt and Jordan have recognised Israel. I think after the Yom Kippur war (not sure).

I know. So much for a unified arab/molsem front. I don't think either country is likely to un-recognize them.

 

[aneeshm]

The guy is a conservative Muslim . He has to hate Jews and Israel .

 

[Stapel]

A far as I can tell, the (muslim) countries that recognize Isreal are:

Egypt
Jordan
Tunesia
Qatar
Indonesia
Afghanistan

Not a big list, but growing slowly.

I really doubt Israel has not been recognised by Syria, Morocco, Algeria or Pakistan. I'm sure about Turkey!

A list of not-having-recognised-Israel based on facts would be nice .

 

[Che Guava]

Ah, he doesn't have to do anything of the sort! An ignorant question: does Isreal occupy any particular land that is holy to Shia muslims? Or do tools like Ahmadinejad just beleive that a state of jews is just a sign of the coming apocolypse?

 

[silver 2039]

I really doubt Israel has not been recognised by Syria, Morocco, Algeria or Pakistan. I'm sure about Turkey!

A list of not-having-recognised-Israel based on facts would be nice .

Pakistan recognizes Israel it did buisness with it a little while ago. India has a significant Muslim pouplation (150-300 mil???) and it recognizes it alos. And yes Turkey MUST reconize Israel no doubt about that.

 

[Rambuchan]

Who gives a damn about a list of muslim countries? What I found interesting about this is that we haven't heard of a world leader issue such boldly hateful words in recent times. Even Kim Jong Il and Mugabe don't say things like this. Putin doesn't talk about Chechnya like this. China doesn't use such language when talking about Taiwan. Either this President is an unskilled diplomatic or he doesn't give a fu**.

 

[Comraddict]

he's on way to have Iran wiped of the map.

 

[Jawz II]

thats crazy, man

im guessing he is feeling cocky since iraq turned out to be a disaster for US

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

So should Iran. According to the President of Me.

 

[carlosMM]

Mr Ahmadinejad needs to be "wiped of the map"

as much as usually advocate caution, here, this guy has gone too far.

Let's face it, there's not much difference between him, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hussein. I'd say, assassination ASAP. After all, this guy is developing nukes, and adding a direct threat to that is a totally new ballgame. Now he should learn to play by the ground rules. He chose the ground, now the umpires should react

 

[newfangle]

Meh, nothing 10 000 cruise missiles can't fix.