[NYTr] Iran's Pres Lambasts US at UN General Assembly

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[He is "defying" only the US Bush Reich, of course, since he says the
whole issue is now in the hands of the UN body, the IAEA. But the BBC
calls his speech "defiant." -NYTr]

Video of Ahmadinejad's Address to the UN General Assembly is
available at the BBC in a variety of formats:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7010000/newsid_7013400?redirect=7013426.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&asb=1

OR: http://tinyurl.com/yoxynd

There's also a clip at C-span 2nd item in center, at 
http://www.c-span.org/


BBC - Sep 25, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7011938.stm

Iran leader defiant in UN speech 

Iran's president has criticised "illegal" UN Security Council sanctions
against his country, in a speech to the General Assembly in New York.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said debate over Tehran's nuclear programme was
"closed" and the issue was now in the hands of the UN's nuclear
watchdog.

Earlier, France's president said a nuclear Iran could threaten the
world.

Other issues raised by world leaders included Darfur, climate change,
protests in Burma and human rights.

'Transparent' programme

During a wide-ranging speech, Mr Ahmadinejad reiterated his assertions
that all of his country's nuclear activities had been "peaceful and
transparent".

Iran's nuclear work would be monitored by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), its "appropriate legal path", he added.

He denounced the "arrogant" and "bullying" permanent members of the
UN's Security Council, which has imposed sanctions on Iran over its
uranium enrichment programme.

And he offered educational programmes to help other UN member states
with their own nuclear work.

Representatives of the US and Israel were absent for Mr Ahmadinejad's
speech, in which he also repeated his verbal attacks on Israel as an
"illegal Zionist regime".

Earlier on Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that while
Iran had the right to nuclear energy, allowing Tehran to develop
nuclear weapons would mean an "unacceptable risk" for regional and
world stability.

There would be no world peace if the international community showed
"weakness in the face of the proliferation of nuclear weapons", Mr
Sarkozy added.

But there were dissenting views, among them Nicaraguan President Daniel
Ortega, who asked how the US - the only country to have used nuclear
weapons - could challenge the rights of Iran and North Korea to a
peaceful nuclear programme.

US sanctions

US President George W Bush used his 15 minutes at the podium to
highlight human rights violations around the world, highlighting
Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Iran.

The central theme of the US president's speech was the struggle against
extremism.

He focused on the themes that have dominated much of his presidency:
the need to spread freedom, to reward advocates of democracy and to
isolate regimes whose policies run counter to what he sees as the tide
of history.

Mr Bush contrasted those who were seeking the path of democracy:
Lebanon, Iraq and those he dubbed moderate or mainstream Palestinian
leaders, as opposed to the leadership of North Korea, Syria and Iran.

'Climate of change'

UN chief Ban Ki-moon told global leaders the world faces "daunting
challenges" from tackling climate change to ending conflict in Darfur.

Addressing the general assembly for the first time as UN chief, Mr Ban
called for "an internal climate of change" at the international body to
deal with a "fractured world". He said the UN needed to adapt and focus
not on rhetoric but on results.

He stressed that peace in the Middle East was vital to regional and
world stability, and insisted that "no stone would be left unturned to
end the tragedy in Darfur".

"I expect the year ahead to be among the most challenging in our
history. And I am sure that, together, we can make it one of the most
successful," he said.

He also called on Burma's military leaders to show restraint in the
face of continued pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks.

This line was echoed by Mr Bush, who said Americans were "outraged by
the situation in Burma".

He announced "tighter" economic sanctions against the junta and urged
other nations to apply pressure.

The ritual of the general assembly allows each country's head of state
or government - though some are represented by their foreign minister -
to speak for 15 minutes.

The will be nearly 200 speeches over several days. Each country
determines the issues that it wants to raise.

There is no agenda as such, but the speeches of key countries are
closely watched for any evidence of an inflection or shift in their
foreign policies.

                            ***

AFP via ABC News - Australia - Sep 26, 2007
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/26/2043433.htm?section=world

Ahmadinejad lambasts US at UN

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used his address to the United
Nations General Assembly to launch a broad assault on the United
States, accusing Washington of violating human rights.

In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Ahmadinejad laid into the administration
of US President George W Bush, who had addressed the General Assembly
earlier in the day.

"Unfortunately human rights are being extensively violated by certain
powers, especially by those who pretend to be their exclusive
advocates," Mr Ahmadinejad said, without mentioning the United States
by name.

"Setting up secret prisons, abducting persons, trials and secret
punishments without any regard to due process, extensive tapping of
telephone conversations intercepting private mail... have become
commonplace and prevalent," he added.

The US and Israeli delegates walked out before Mr Ahmadinejad's speech.

He continued by criticising the US-led invasion of Iraq, which he said
was "occupied under the pretext of overthrowing the dictator and the
existence of weapons of mass destruction."

"Unfortunately, we are witnessing the bitter truth that some powers do
not value some nations or human beings and the only things that matter
to them are themselves, their political parties and their groups."-AFP