Ahmadinejad: "We do not take seriously the threats" of Israel
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses a high-level meeting on the rule of law at the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters Sept. 24, 2012. / AP Photo
Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET
(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday dismissed threats of military action against Iran's nuclear program, asserting that his country's project to enrich uranium is only for peaceful purposes and disputing that the country worries at all about an Israeli attack to destroy Iran's nuclear capacity.
"Fundamentally, we do not take seriously threats of the Zionists," Ahmadinejad said. "We believe the Zionists see themselves at a dead end and they want to find an adventure to get out of this dead end. While we are fully ready to defend ourselves, we do not take these threats seriously."
"We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves," Ahmadinejad also told reporters, the Reuters news agency reports.
Speaking to a group of editorial leaders, the first full day of his visit to New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said it was not too late for dialogue with the United States to resolve differences.
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Ahmadinejad also said Monday that Israel was a disturbance for Iran for a "historical phase," noting the nation has only existed for about 60 years, and "they are then eliminated," Reuters reports.
He also sought to delegitimize Israel's historic ties to the Middle East and their political and military power in the region and the world, saying that Israelis "do not even enter the equation for Iran."
"They have no roots there in history," Ahmadinejad said.
On the other hand, he said the argument over Iran's nuclear program was a political rather than a legal matter and needs to be resolved politically.
"We are not expecting that a 33-year-old problem between America and Iran to be resolved in speedy discussions, but we do believe in dialogue."
He also said that Iran is neutral in the Syrian civil war, and denied that Tehran is providing weapons or training to the government of President Bashar Assad. "We like and love both sides, and we see both sides as brothers," he said. He referred to the conflict in Syria as "tribal" fighting and said that international "meddling from the outside has made the situation even harder." He refused to say whether Iran would accept a government not led by the Assad regime, which for years has been Iran's closest ally in the Middle East.
It was Ahmadinejad's eighth visit to the U.N. gathering held each September, which he cited as proof that he is open to understanding other countries' views.
In spite of his assertions on the importance of dialogue and respect for others, Ahmadinejad presented a hard line in many areas. He refused to speak of the state of Israel by name and instead referred only to the "Zionists," and when asked about author Salman Rushdie he made no attempt to distance himself from recent renewed threats on the author's life emanating from an Iranian semi-official religious foundation. "If he is in the U.S., you should not broadcast it for his own safety," Ahmadinejad said.
He said this would be his last trip to New York as president of Iran, because his term is ending and he is barred from seeking a third consecutive term. But he did not rule out staying active in Iranian politics and said he might return as part of future Iranian delegations to New York.
White House press secretary Jay Carney responded to Ahmadinejad's remarks, telling a midday news briefing, "Well, President Ahmadinejad says foolish, offensive and sometimes unintelligible things with great regularity. What he should focus on is the failure of his government of Iran to abide by its international obligations, to abide by United Nations Security Council resolutions."
Said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council: "President Ahmadinejad's comments are characteristically disgusting, offensive, and outrageous. They underscore again why America's commitment to the security of Israel must be unshakeable, and why the world must hold Iran accountable for its utter failure to meet its obligations."
Ahmadinejad later took aim at the United States and Israel while addressing a high-level U.N. meeting promoting the rule of law, accusing Washington of shielding what he called a nuclear-armed "fake regime."
He also alluded to the amateur anti-Islam video made in the U.S. that has caused protests across the Muslim world, accusing the United States and others of misusing freedom of speech and failing to speak out against the defamation of people's beliefs and "divine prophets."
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Hope you're well, my friend - it's been too long!
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No need to.
Obama already told Netanyahu that if he starts something, he's going to have to finish it.
And rightly so.
Oh, and as my shadow...you have been made me look good for years.
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Mort, the only guy who could make you look good was a fool Named SingingRick who disappeared a couple of years back...probably hauled of by the guys in white coats....
So when Reuters says: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday disregarded a U.N. warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric and declared ahead of the annual General Assembly session that Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be 'eliminated.'" it is hard to conclude he is being misunderstood.
When IRNA says: "Ahmadinejad: Qods Day to liberate Palestine, solve entire world problems
Ahmadinejad added, "It has now been some 400 years that a horrendous Zionist clan has been ruling the major world affairs, and behind the scenes of the major power circles, in political, media, monetary, and banking organizations in the world, they have been the decision makers, to an extent that a big power with a huge economy and over 300 million population, the presidential election hopefuls must go kiss the feet of the Zionists to ensure their victory in the elections."
...
The president pointed out that in order to evolutionize the status of the world decision making is needed, the forces must get united, and their ultimate objective must be the annihilation of the Zionist regime, emphasizing, "The Zionist regime is both the symbol of the hegemony of the Zionism over the world and the means in the hand of the oppressor powers for expansion of their hegemony in the region and in the world."
...
He referred to the late Imam Khomeini's initiative of naming the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as the International Qods Day, arguing, "The Qods Day is not merely a strategic solution for the Palestinian problem, as it is to be viewed as a key for solving the world problems; any freedom lover and justice seeker in the world must do its best for the annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the path for the establishment of justice and freedom in the world."
http://www.irna.ir/News/Politic/Ahmadinejad,-Qods-Day-to-liberate-Palestine,-solve-entire-world-problems/80257558", they probably have him right.
And when his personal website (www.ahmadinejad.ir) says: "
On the last day when I was speaking before the [UN General] assembly, one of a country's group told me that when I started to say "In the name of God the almighty and merciful," he saw a light around me, and I was placed inside this aura. I felt it myself.
I felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't bat an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating because I was looking at them. And they were rapt.
It seemed as if a hand was holding them there and had opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic republic.[24]" you can understand how Former CIA officer Robert Baer would say, in the context of evaluating a nuclear strike on Iran, that Ahmadinejad and others in the Iranian government are "apocalyptic Shiites." He continues, "If you're sitting in Tel Aviv and you believe they've got nukes and missiles — you've got to take them out. These guys are nuts and there's no reason to back off."[25]
Again, we dont care.
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What's this "we" crap, Mort?
YOU don't care.
And that's understandable you're being an Islamophobe.
It makes no matter.
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To the sane Mort, it does matter.
Israel's nukes are illegal which leaves them no moral authority to protest anyone else's nukes - real or suspected.
It would also be nice if Israel would sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Of course, neither will ever happen.
.... Israel's possessing nuclear weapons, if in fact it does, is entirely legal.
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You obviously have no clue as to the definition of "legal" nukes.
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Nor should he.
Israel hasn't the means to inflict serious damage on Iran's program.
And we presently have a POTUS who's too intelligent to let Israel start a war thinking that we'll finish it for them.
Now if Mitt should get elected, get ready for more massive debt accumulation from ANOTHER needless repub war fought on credit....