I say STICK IT, BABY!"
Iranian president takes on U.S., Israel at U.N.
POSTED: 8:43 p.m. EDT, September 19, 2006
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(CNN) -- With the U.N. Security Council meeting this week to consider whether to impose sanctions on Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took aim at the body Tuesday, saying the United States' permanent inclusion on the council undermines its effectiveness and credibility.
Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, Ahmadinejad had particularly harsh words for what he called the council's inaction in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
"It does not matter if people are murdered in Palestine," he said of the conflicts in which Israel has been engaged in Gaza and the West Bank. "That apparently does not violate human rights."
He also criticized the "blanketed and unwarranted support" for Israel during conflicts in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. In Lebanon, he said, the Security Council was "incapacitated by certain powers" from enforcing a cease-fire between guerilla fighters and Israel.
Referring to Israel, he said, "That regime has been a constant source of threat and insecurity in the Middle East region."
On Iraq, Ahmadinejad said the United States -- whom he called "the occupiers" -- is "incapable of establishing security," and scores die daily as a result.
"Where can the people of Iraq seek refuge, and from whom can the people of Iraq seek justice?" he asked. How can the Security Council act "when the occupiers themselves are permanent members of the council?"
He added, "Apparently, the Security Council can only be trusted to secure the rights and security of certain big powers."
He called on the General Assembly "to rescue the Security Council from its current state" by including envoys from Africa, the Middle East and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Regularly invoking Allah, Ahmadinejad spoke amid an ongoing dispute with the U.S. and other Western nations over the Islamic republic's uranium-enrichment program.
Addressing allegations that Iran wants nuclear weaponry, Ahmadinejad said his country's program was conducted "under the watchful eye of [International Atomic Energy Agency] inspectors," while the Iranian program is opposed by "governments that themselves benefit from nuclear energy."
He also took issue with the United States' claim that Iran wants nuclear missiles, saying the U.S. has "a bleak record of using them against humanity."
"What do they need these weapons for?" he asked. "How long should the people of the world live with the nightmare of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons?"
The United States suspects Iran's nuclear program is bent on developing weapons, but Tehran has repeatedly insisted that its program is solely for energy purposes. (Watch why a U.S. ambassador believes Iran will keep enriching uranium -- 8:09)
Diplomats from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Germany, are scheduled to meet during this week's General Assembly session to discuss possible sanctions.
The Security Council demanded that Iran suspend all uranium enrichment by August 31 or face the possibility of economic sanctions. Iran missed the deadline but said it would consider temporarily suspending its program as a condition for talks with the U.S.
The U.S., which has not ruled out military action against Iran, said last week it was doubtful Tehran's offer was serious.
The Security Council is now divided over the possibility of sanctions, and French President Jacques Chirac said in a Monday interview that he believes "there is a lot more potential to dialogue and I would like us to go to the end of that particular road before we decide to go any further in any other direction."
Chirac, however, expressed concern over the Iranian president's denial that the Holocaust happened and his assertion that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
After meeting with Chirac on Tuesday morning, Bush said "time is of the essence" for Iran to dodge sanctions by suspending its enrichment activities.
Asked by Time magazine if he would suspend enrichment "as a confidence-building measure," the Iranian president scoffed. (Read the Time article)
"Whose confidence should be built?" Ahmadinejad asked. "The world? Who is the world? The United States? The U.S. administration is not the entire world."
Speaking to the U.N. on Tuesday, Bush directed a portion of his remarks to the Iranian people, saying, "Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran's pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program."
"The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons," he said.
Ahmadinejad skipped the public scolding, and despite speculation that the two leaders would cross paths, a top U.N. official said that wasn't likely. Bush announced after his speech that he would not attend Ahmadinejad's address.
Ahmadinejad has challenged Bush to participate in a televised debate, an offer the White House has declined to accept. On Friday, Bush said of the invitation, "I have made it clear to the Iranian regime that we will sit down with the Iranians once they verifiably suspend their enrichment program, and I meant what I said."
