Iran leader slams Israel in UN speech text
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of "inhuman policies" in the Palestinian territories and of dominating world political and economic affairs in his prepared remarks to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.
Ahmadinejad did not mention Tehran's stand-off with Western powers over its nuclear ambitions in the text of his closely watched speech, which was released before he took the podium.
But he accused foreign forces of spreading "war, bloodshed, aggression, terror and intimidation" in the Middle East, citing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Israel -- a frequent target of Ahmadinejad's fury -- the Iranian leader said, "The awakening of nations and the expansion of freedom worldwide will no longer allow them to continue their hypocrisy and vicious attitudes."
"How can one imagine that the inhuman policies in Palestine may continue?" Ahmadinejad said.
"How can crimes of the occupiers against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by certain governments?"
The Iranian leader said it was time for the world to respond.
"It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the U.S., to attain its racist ambitions," he said.
Ahmadinejad, who earlier on Wednesday was the target of a protest outside the Iranian mission to the United Nations, appeared to brush off opposition accusations that his re-election in June was a fraud.
"Our nation has gone through a glorious and fully democratic election, opening a new chapter for our country in the march toward national progress and enhanced international interactions," he said, adding that Iranian voters "entrusted me once more with a large majority."
(Writing by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Source: Reuters
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