Obama: Ahmadinejad Should Answer To Victims' Kin

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Iran

(AP)

President Obama today dismissed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for him to apologize for criticizing the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protesters allied with reformist politician Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

"I don't take Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran," he said.

"I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people.," Mr. Obama continued. "And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who've been beaten or shot or detained. And, you know, that's where I think Mr. Ahmadinejad and others need to answer their questions."

In a press conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday afternoon, Mr. Obama continued to offer stronger rhetoric concerning government violence against protesters in Iran, referencing the government's "ruthlessness" and saying "the violence perpetrated against [protestors] is outrageous."

"And despite the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it," he said. "As I've said before, the Iranian people will be the ultimate judge of their government's actions. But if the Iranian government desires the respect of the international community, then it must respect the rights and heed the will of its people."

The president also said that there is "no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks." He said he doesn't know how that dialogue will be affected since the situation has not yet played out.

Mr. Obama criticized an Iranian government "that cannot deal with peaceful protesters who are trying to have their voices heard in an equally peaceful way," saying it "has moved outside of universal norms, international norms that are important to uphold."

"Chancellor Merkel and I share the belief that what's happened in Iran is unacceptable when it comes to violence against its own citizens," said the president.

Merkel said "we have to work to it that the Iranian nuclear program is stopped, that Iran does not get possession of a nuclear weapon."

"Over the past few weeks, we have seen horrifying scenes, looking at how, for example, the security forces there dealt with demonstrators," she added. "We will not forget those. And let me say that we shall do everything in order to identify the exact number of victims, who those victims were, how they've dealt with those demonstrators."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by connunism June 26, 2009 7:19 PM EDT: The Confederates, the roots of the Republican Party fought and died for nothing when they tried to secede from the Union. I know that my forefathers that fought in the US Civil War were superior in every way to the inbred southern vermin enemy. These southern traitors offspring now make up the backbone of the Republican Evangelical Freaks Party.; Reply to this comment


by pepperwood2 June 26, 2009 6:44 PM EDT: President Obama today dismissed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for him to apologize for criticizing the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protesters allied with reformist politician Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

What is it with this Bo & our smart SOS? In less than 6 months our SOS goes to Mettle East, N. Korea, Afghanistan to make it known to the people that the Savior has come. In that short space of time N.Korea has set off atomic bombs an taken control of that region. The Taliban has taken over Pakistan & Afghanistan & terrorized the people. The Somali Pirates & Muslim Militants of Kenya have beheaded the witches & burned them at the stake alive. Cut off hands & legs of innocent people in Mogadishu. China is threatening to take the World off the Dollar Standard. On top of all this Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, & Farrah Fawcett are no longer with us. I'm Appalled & outraged! But then I hear BO in the background Calling cheer up things are going to get worse. So Sad!; Reply to this comment


by pepperwood2 June 26, 2009 6:00 PM EDT: Ahmadinejad Proposes Debate With Obama - Iranian President Wants Face-To-Face Debate On Floor Of United Nations

* Escorted by his bodyguards, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, concludes a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 25, 2009. Ahmadinejad called for a face-to-face debate with his American counterpart Barack Obama at the United Nations. Photo

(AP) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed on Monday a face-to-face debate with President Barack Obama at the United Nations if he is re-elected next month as Iran's president.

Maybe its time for BO & SOS to take him up on that. In the meantime impose a Cap & Trade Emission Plan on Businesses in Iran, Like he's doing to the Businesses here at home. The Rest of The World Is Watching!
BO with the help of our smart SOS will walk all over him in a debate. cackle cackle cackle; Reply to this comment


by libtoad June 26, 2009 4:52 PM EDT: Newsflash Obungler: Ahmadinejad is INSANE - cannot reason with an INSANE person - see Pyongyang for more clarification and another example of an INSANE dictator! Kumbyah and "HOPE"/"CHANGE" does NOT apply in these circumstances...!; Reply to this comment


by Questionews June 26, 2009 4:46 PM EDT: Not to be too flippant, but Ahmadinejad could come back and tell Obama to "Answer To Victims' Kin" of the civilians being killed by the bombs from the unmanned drones in Pakistan. Just looking at the Devil's advocate point of view.; Reply to this comment


by libtoad June 26, 2009 4:10 PM EDT: Newsflash Democrats - Iran hates Obummer just as much as any other Prez that came before him...as does, Pyongyang, as does Hugo, as does alQaida, as does ALL other sworn enemies of the USA...!

"HOPE" and "CHANGE" - !Viva Rev Wright and Gdamn America!; Reply to this comment


by curiously1 June 26, 2009 3:33 PM EDT: Good for you, Obama. Now, finally, I am feeling proud of our president. Stand up to the incest thugs in Iran !...BRAVO !!!; Reply to this comment


by lloydbest1 June 26, 2009 3:28 PM EDT: So far we have an American president calling out an obviously corrupt and brutal regime. At this stage of the game, given our own recent history of governmental corruption and brutality, our only legitimate response is to cry "shame".

In fact the Iranian vote for change and subsequent (reasonable) uprising against an obviously manipulated count is an offshoot of our own (hopefully) successful regime change. The Iranian protestors are at least standing against their government's derailing of the "democratic" process. In 2000 we sat on our hands while the Supremes bought off Bush's even more blatantly obvious election theft.

A reminder to those bloodthirsty cons who are throwing darts at the "O" man because he isn't assertive enough.....
NONE of the candidates are pro-West. The Iranian populace is not about to abandon their "Islamic Revolution". The union between mosque and state is still very much a part of the Iranian constitution; no one is about to mess with that. And in the eyes of all of the candidates and about 90% of the people, Israel is still an outlaw state.

The only matter of consequence is that the will of the majority of Iranians prevail. Even if Ahmadinejad DID get a majority of the vote, he still got far less than the 50% needed to avoid a runoff no matter what any media mouthpiece claims. Our support of the protest movement must be based on our desire that the peoples' voice be heard and not - repeat NOT - on any possible political or economic points we may score, now or later, in the Middle East.; Reply to this comment


by r9119111 June 26, 2009 3:25 PM EDT: Perhaps it would be enlightening to consider the moral values of the right wingers commenting on this article.; Reply to this comment


by biger-e June 26, 2009 3:17 PM EDT: That's a little better P BO but you still got a couple of raisins down there and Ahmadinejad knows it along with a lot of us. you messed up when you said you were going to sit down with this guy. now his is punking you. nice work; Reply to this comment