New york: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday attacked Western powers for misusing their UN veto power in their nuclear showdown with his country and for allowing “sacrilege” against Islam.
Ahmadinejad launched his virulent attack at a United Nations debate on the rule of law at which he said the United States, Britain and France “violate the basic rights and freedoms of other nations.”
“The discriminatory privilege of the veto right enjoyed by some members of the Security Council lacks legitimacy,” he declared, speaking at UN headquarters in New York on the eve of the main UN General Assembly debate.
“And that is why the Security Council has failed to establish justice and ensure sustainable peace and security in the world,” he said.
“Some members of the Security Council with veto rights have chosen silence with regard to the nuclear warheads of a fake regime while at the same time they impede scientific progress of other nations,” he said.
This was an implicit reference to Iran’s regional foe Israel, which has an undeclared nuclear weapons programme of its own.
Western powers believe Iran is enriching uranium with a view to building a nuclear weapon, and have imposed tough economic sanctions on the Islamic regime, but Ahmadinejad accused them of abusing their UN powers.
He also attacked the West for allowing filmmakers and cartoonists to lampoon Islam, blaming them for the recent violent protests in the Muslim world.
“They themselves wrongly invoke the UN charter and misuse freedom of speech to justify their silence towards offending the sanctity of human communities and to divine prophets,” he said.
“They support these offenders, infringe upon others’ freedom and allow sacrilege to peoples’ beliefs and sanctities while they criminalize posing questions,” he added.
Ahmadinejad was to return to the charge tomorrow, with another speech in front of the main UN General Assembly.
Iranian leader said his country does not take seriously Israeli threats of attack, but is prepared to defend itself. “Israel has no roots in the history of the Middle East and would be eliminated,” he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted Israel could strike Iran’s nuclear sites and has criticised US President Barack Obama’s position that sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.AFP/reuters
