Ahmadinejad: How Is WTC Visit Insulting?

(CBS/AP)  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not press his plan -- just denied by New York City police for security reasons -- to visit ground zero in New York City, he tells 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley in an exclusive interview conducted Thursday in Iran.

The Iranian leader says he's skeptical that most Americans view his visit there as insulting as his intention was only to show respect. The interview will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

His request to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site in New York City next week was turned down by police Thursday and blasted by U.S. diplomats as an attempt to turn ground zero into a "photo op."

Ahmadinejad, who is to arrive Sunday to address the U.N.'s General Assembly, asked the city and the U.S. Secret Service earlier this month for permission to visit the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The request to enter the fenced-in site was rejected because of ongoing construction there and due to security concerns, police spokesman Paul Browne said Wednesday.

Asked if he intends to press his request to visit the site, Ahmadinejad tells Pelley, "Well, it was included in my program. If we have the time and the conditions are conducive, I will try to do that."

"But the New York Police Department and others do not appear to want you there. Do you intend to go there anyway?" Pelley asks.

"Well, over there, local officials need to make the necessary coordinations. If they can't do that, I won't insist," the president replies.

"Sir, what were you thinking? The World Trade Center site is the most sensitive place in the American heart, and you must have known that visiting there would be insulting to many, many Americans," Pelley says.

"Why should it be insulting?" Ahmadinejad asks.

"Well, sir, you're the head of government of an Islamist state that the United States government says is a major exporter of terrorism around the world," Pelley replies.

Ahmadinejad says: "Well, I wouldn't say that what American government says is a-- is the prerequisite here. Something happened there which led to other events. Many innocent people were killed there. Some of those people were American citizens obviously. We obviously are very much against any terrorist action and any killing. And also we are very much against any plots to sow the seeds of discord among nations. Usually you go to these sites to pay your respects. And-- also to perhaps to air your views about the root causes of such incidents. I think that when I do that, I will be paying, as I said earlier, my respect to the American nation."

"But the American people, sir, believe that your country is a terrorist nation, exporting terrorism in the world," Pelley says. "You must have known that visiting the World Trade Center site would infuriate many Americans."

"Well, I'm amazed. How can you speak for the whole of the American nation?" Ahmadinejad says. "You are representing a media and you're a reporter. The American nation is made up of 300 million people. There are different points of view over there."

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[mkrique72]

How insulting the reporter was. Provoke or report? He needs to go back to school. Being arrogant and angry is not a noble trait for a reporter. What is HIS hidden agenda? CBS can do better. Frankly, I am embarrassed.

[flyleaf7]

What is wrong with him laying a wreath? You see no harm or problem with Ahmadinejad laying a wreath at the site of your murdered countrymen...you would condone a visit from a man whose personal belief, culture, religion and centuries of hate toward anything that is other than Islamic to stand in this land and declare his hate for you, your society, your government, culture and to the destruction of your civilization? It IS insulting. Not only that, CBS has made yet another error in judgment by initiating an interview with this man. CBS is giving a voice for him to lull over the American people. It''s as if saying, that he is no threat to us and only wishes America well. Well, we the people of America, have not always been perfect. No country or group has, but we are in a constant struggle to better ourselves and our country and the life that we offer for our children and others. Americans should be outraged that so many of our own citizens and some media are willing accomplices to self destruction...."a house divided will not stand."

[whispyseas]

'' ... to keep their fathers safe, the girls banned naked get well feed world men at the trail crossings, and replaced them instead with dressed get sick tax world girls ... now they refuse to send their fathers to the trail crossings because they are not safe though, statistically, the men have better odds with the 90,000 at the area trail crossings than with the 300 in the girls own traveling troupes ... ''

'' ... hundreds millions sick beds, small bunches with hundreds and tens thousands folk rallied round fertilizing and watering museums of molecules and microbes that web together the swimming drifting dirts and trees and folk and such ... ''

'' ... the greatist generation gave way to the ******* ***********, investing trillions in votes and dollars to play biological chemical nightmare as they wage wars in the schools and offices of their own ''illegitmate'' war babies ... ''

'' ... china and india are so massive they have but to crank out a low cost knick knack each per day to sap every dollar from every economy in the world, non charity and taxation are finished ... ''

[davelibori]

The questions of the interviewer and some of the comments made here show, how far the average American has already been brainwashed into believing anything an "Israel First" media has been feeding them. The person in the article that spoke with reason is the Iranian president. If such hostile questions would be asked of an American president, he the interviewer probably would be tasered.
President Ahmanidejad, Governor Bush welcomes you to Israel''s North American colonies, formerly also known as the United States of America.

[ladyjaneg]

Forgive the typos-- I am at work, and my boss is near....for instance, I meant Rian as Iran. Don''t make fun of me.

[ladyjaneg]

Let''s just remember, Iran had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. And where is the actual proof the Rian has major nukes and WMDs? A memo can say anything. I can type that I''m a 36-24-36 blonde babe, or a huge 45 year old balding guy, and you would never know the difference. Just the same as with aerial images taken of "nuke facilities" who can tell the difference between that and a school with large water tanks outside?
Let''s give our heads a shake and not succumb to paranoia and hate, okay?
And pelase, I''m giving a respectful opinon, so pelase nobody kill me or call me crass names. I acutally am really senistive, I will cry.

[gunnerv1]

Well Capt. Tom, it''s insulting because your a R*A*G*H*E*A*D and on top of that your a nutjob.

[ajmarine1]

The questions will be tough the answers even tougher.

Posted by lewiston14

Ahmadineja is known to take 30 minutes to answer one question and he just rambles on without saying anything; kinda like some of our politictions

[arnoldbowers]

I just wonder who the momorial wreath would be for, the ones flying the planes the ones who aused the devastion or the ones that worked at the sites. too me it really would not matter I am just curious. the best of good byes frank bowers of austin, tx

[munitun]

I think he should be allowed to lay a wreath. After all Iran was never linked to 9/11 and if ground zero is about 9/11 I donot see why he should not visit ground zero. Ahmedinejad is representing a country and I donot think that the United States has already labeled all Iranians as Terrorist or Terror sponsors. By refusing Ahmedinejad a visit to ground zero we are telling an entire nation that they are all Terrorist. Relationship between the United States and Iran have been rocky for decades which were followed by sequence of events that some of us are too agrieved by 9/11 to understand. Iran can be called sponsor of terrorism(some disputed evidences so far) but it is not a secret that American weapons and Money were used to kill thousands of Iranians during the Iran- Iraq war of the 80s. I am confident that for many of us it was justified and we owe no appologies for that but calling a spade a spade non of the 9/11 terrorist were from Iran. Irans Nuclear weapons program, its relationship with Isreal and its role in Iraq are all very complex that we would be rendering disservice to our intellect if we should hastily use them as a yard stick to make a decision on this specific subject of laying wreath at ground zero. We might be over reacting!!!