| This boy's really good at saying all the wrong things in a grating voice... |
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the UN General Assembly yesterday his country had the inalienable right to produce nuclear fuel and accused the United States of violating global nuclear treaties. Saying that real sustainable order âcan only be realized on the two pillars of justice and spirituality,â Ahmadinejad said the world âis rife with discrimination and poverty... which produces hatred, war and terrorism.â Noting âterrorism and weapons of mass destruction are two major threats to world peace,â Iranâs president said his country was the âsymbol of true democracyâ and pledged to actively promote âpeace and stability in the region.âTurning to what he called âthe nuclear issueâ, he slammed the signatories to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty who had âtransferred to the Zionist regimeâ the âmaterial, technology and equipment for nuclear weaponsâ, making it impossible for the Middle East to be a nuclear-free zone. He said it was necessary to ârevitalize the NPT and create an ad hoc committee so that it can combat nuclear weapons and abolish the apartheid in peaceful nuclear technology.â To provide âthe greatest degree of transparency,â Ahmadinejad said, Iran âis prepared to engage in serious partnership with private and public sectors of other countries in the implementation of uranium enrichment program in Iran.â
Speaking to CNNâs Christiane Amanpour hours before his UN speech, Ahmadinejad lashed out against ânuclear apartheidâ and suggested his nation might consider taking action to hike oil prices in order to scare off further action from the United States and parts of Europe. Asked about remarks by some Iranian officials that Iran may provoke a rise in oil prices, he responded, âI think any intelligent, healthy, smart human being should use every resource in order to maintain his or her freedom and independence.â