Richard Tafoya
Apr 20th, 2009, 02:12 PM
Reuters:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE53J59J20090420
A speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling Israel a racist state was vile and fed racial hatred but did not preclude U.S.-Iranian diplomatic contacts, the United States said on Monday.
Ahmadinejad prompted a walkout of a number of delegations during his speech earlier in the day at a U.N. conference on racism in Geneva when he accused Israel of establishing a "cruel and repressive racist regime" over Palestinians.
"I can't think of any other word than shameful," U.S. Deputy Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said, adding that it was a "vile and hateful speech."
"It does a grave injustice to the Iranian nation and the Iranian people, and we call on the Iranian leadership to show much more measured, moderate, honest and constructive rhetoric when dealing with issues in the region," he said.
The Geneva summit had already been badly undermined by a boycott by the United States and some of its major allies over concerns that it would be used as a platform for attacks against Israel.
"The comments that he made ... frankly feed racial hatred," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington. "If Iran ... wants a different relationship with the international community, it's got to change its behaviour and stop this horrible rhetoric."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE53J59J20090420
A speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling Israel a racist state was vile and fed racial hatred but did not preclude U.S.-Iranian diplomatic contacts, the United States said on Monday.
Ahmadinejad prompted a walkout of a number of delegations during his speech earlier in the day at a U.N. conference on racism in Geneva when he accused Israel of establishing a "cruel and repressive racist regime" over Palestinians.
"I can't think of any other word than shameful," U.S. Deputy Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said, adding that it was a "vile and hateful speech."
"It does a grave injustice to the Iranian nation and the Iranian people, and we call on the Iranian leadership to show much more measured, moderate, honest and constructive rhetoric when dealing with issues in the region," he said.
The Geneva summit had already been badly undermined by a boycott by the United States and some of its major allies over concerns that it would be used as a platform for attacks against Israel.
"The comments that he made ... frankly feed racial hatred," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington. "If Iran ... wants a different relationship with the international community, it's got to change its behaviour and stop this horrible rhetoric."