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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Short Round: The future belongs to Iran | |
| 2010-09-21 | |
| [Gulf News] The comments came in an hour-long interview with The Associated Press on the first day of his visit to the United States to attend the annual General Assembly of the United Nations that began yesterday. He insisted that his government does not want an atomic bomb -- something he has said in the past -- and that Iran is only seeking peace and a nuclear weapons-free world. He repeatedly sidestepped questions on when Iran would resume talks on its disputed nuclear programme, and he said anti-nuclear sanctions against his government would have no effect. Calm and collected Appearing calm and self-assured on his seventh trip to the United States, the Iranian president showed every sign of being in command of himself and prepared to deflect questions about his government's harsh suppression of opposition forces after last year's disputed election that returned him to a second term. "The United States' administrations... must recognise that Iran is a big power," he said. "Having said that, we consider ourselves to be a human force and a cultural power and hence a friend of other nations. We have never sought to dominate others or to violate the rights of any other country," he added. "Those who insist on having hostilities with us, kill and destroy the option of friendship with us in the future, which is unfortunate because it is clear the future belongs to Iran and that enmities will be fruitless." Ahmadinejad projected an air of innocence, saying his country's quest to process ever greater amounts of uranium is reasonable for its expanding civilian power programme, omitting that the watchdog United Nations agency involved has found Iran keeping secrets from its investigators on several occasions, including secret research sites. He also did not acknowledge that the leaders of the political opposition in Iran have been harassed and that government opponents risk violence and arrest if they try to assemble. He did allow that there have been some judicial "mistakes." Ahmadinejad argued that the opposition Green Movement, which has largely been forced underground, continues to enjoys rights in Iran but said that in the end it must respect "majority rule." Government opponents "have their activities that are ongoing and they also express their views publicly. They have several parties, as well as several newspapers, and many newspapers and publications. And so there are really no restrictions of such nature." Media crackdown He did not mention that many newspapers have been closed down and that prominent opposition figures were put in prison and then tried after tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets claiming that the election that put him back in power in 2009 was fraudulent and stolen. The public appearances of his rivals Mir Hussain Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi have been severely restricted and their offices recently were raided by police. Ahmadinejad said Iran is more free than some other countries. "I believe that when we discuss the subject of freedoms and liberty it has to be done on a comparative basis and to keep in mind that democracy at the end of the day means the rule of the majority, so the minority cannot rule," he added. Another round of international pressure in the form of sanctions would only be futile, he said. "If they were to be effective, I should not be sitting here right now." "The United States' administrations ... must recognise that Iran is a big power. Having said that, we consider ourselves to be a human force and a cultural power and hence a friend of other nations. We have never sought to dominate others or to violate the rights of any other country." | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 1960's FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE [Sophia Loren] Movie > DIVIDED/QUARRELING ROMANS-VERSUS-MASSIVE-INCOMING-PERSIAN-ARMY BATTLE SCENE = "THE PERSIANS ARE COMING, THE PERSIANS ARE COMING". Will Roman Armies sit and watch as other Romans meet death in battle agz the Persians??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-09-21 22:16 |
| #4 Thus, of course, ISLAMIST IRAN = AHMADINEJAD also warns: To wit, * TELEGRPAH.UK > IRAN WARNS US OF WAR WITH "NO LIMITS". ARTIC > MOUD in NYC > claims that the US has never ENTERED A "REAL WAR" [IMO read, US had fought a Real War = agz a Real Enemy yet, includ WWII]??? IMO Moud + Artic also read, US-ISRAEL-IRAN WAR WILL BE "TO THE DEATH", PROTRACTIVE + perhaps even MUTUALLY DESTRUCTIVE [ala Radic Mullahs]>; + that US WILL SUFFER SERIOUS MILITARY ANDOR TERROR ATTACKS [Nukes-WMDS, LR Missles] ON ITS OWN SOIL NOT SEEN OR EXPERIENCED BY ORDINARY AMERS SINCE THE CIVIL WAR + WAR OF 1912??? USA = NEW "IMPERIAL ROME/BYZANTIUM", + IRAN = PESKY, HARDFIGHTING PERSIANS = PERSIAN EMPIRE [includ OTTOMANS]??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-09-21 22:07 |
| #3 Actually, as long as Obama is President he may be on to something. |
| Posted by: Kelly 2010-09-21 20:39 |
| #2 Hey - listen to me. I'm important. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-09-21 19:48 |
| #1 Where is the new Lee Harvey Oswald? |
| Posted by: Paul2 2010-09-21 12:14 |