Fini urges global backing of Israel, condemns Iran

[[MakkabI]]

ROME - Italy's foreign minister said the international community must help guarantee Israel's security and condemned Iran's president for saying the Jewish state should be "wiped off the map," according to a newspaper interview published Saturday.

Gianfranco Fini also was quoted as saying that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad merely said what many others think "but have not always dared speak with such brutality."

"Not recognizing Israel's right to exist is an incentive for terrorism because the moment you don't recognize a state's right to exist you don't recognize a people's right to exist," Fini was quoted as saying by Milan daily Corriere della Sera.

"Ahmadinejad's words help those who are working to make sure the Middle East never stabilizes, and fuels ... the fire that fuels terrorism.?

Fini also urged Iran to be transparent about its nuclear aspirations, saying it was not in the interest of the international community to isolate Iran.

"No one is thinking about an armed conflict with Iran," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Fini opted not to participate in a rally in Rome on Thursday, in which Italians from all political factions marched with Israeli flags and torches toward the Iranian embassy in Rome to protest Ahmadinejad?s statement.

Fini said he would not participate the rally, despite a promise to Israel that he would do so, in order to avoid damaging Italian national interests.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is scheduled to hold a meeting later this month to decide whether to refer Iran to the Security Council. Iran says its nuclear program is exclusively for generating electricity.

Annan cancels trip to Iran
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday canceled his forthcoming trip to Tehran after the Iranian president's call to "wipe Israel off the map," the UN said.

Annan had planned to visit the Iranian capital in mid-November, presumably to talk about Iran's nuclear policy, during a swing through the Middle East beginning next week.

But since the trip was arranged, Ahmadinejad made the comment on October 26, drawing international condemnation.

"The secretary-general and the Iranian government have mutually agreed that this is not an appropriate time for him to travel to Iran," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"In light of the ongoing controversy, it would have been difficult to advance the agenda that he had wanted to discuss with the Iranian leadership," Dujarric said.

Annan, who had previously rebuked the Iranian president, told reporters on Thursday that "no one in the international community defended what the Iranian president said and the Security Council itself issued a statement."

He was answering questions on why he had not called off the trip and also hinted at a change saying, "My itinerary is still being refined and I will announce it later."

At the same time, Annan, in keeping with the organization's policy of communicating with all member states, said, "Obviously, we need to engage people and governments."

The news was first disclosed by California Representative Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee.

Lantos praised Annan "for postponing a trip to Iran in the wake of outrageous comments made late last week by the Iranian president that included a call to wipe another UN member-state 'off the map.'"

The congressman has been a long-time friend of Annan and his wife, Nane, the niece of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who rescued Lantos, among tens of thousands of others Jews, from the Nazis in Hungary.

Annan had rebuked the Iranian president earlier for his comments, as did the European Union, the United States, Russia, Canada and many other nations.

Annan plans to visit Paris on Monday and then go on to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Pakistan, Dujarric said.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said Annan made the right move.

"This is not a time for business as usual with the regime in Tehran," said spokesman Mark Regev. He added that Israel "welcomes the international outrage" over Ahmadinejad's remarks.

Israel accuses Iran of backing armed Palestinian groups as well as the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

Since the 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars, Israel has come under attack in the UN from a coalition of countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

In 1975, the General Assembly voted to equate Zionism with racism, a move that was repealed in the 1990s. But Annan has said "deep and painful scars remain" for both sides. He has made a priority of reaching out to Jews during his tenure.

The Iranian president first threatened to "wipe Israel off the map" to a conservative student conference in Tehran, at which time he also said that Islamic nations "will not let its historic enemy live in its heartland."

After international protests, Ahmadinejad reconfirmed his remarks and his foreign ministry announced it was recalling more than 40 ambassadors and senior diplomats, who are perceived as moderates favoring better ties with the West.

[prsn41ife]

like the international community hasnt already been helping israel.

[Kappa21]

Originally Posted by prsn41ife

like the international community hasnt already been helping israel.

No they haven't....
But this is a really critcal time to say such words against another foe and in this case, historyically speaking a "made up" foe that Iran decided to declare since 1980ish....

Iran is in hot water with its Uranium Enrichment and the world is at odds with them as they are with N. Korea devoloping Uranium..
To call for destruction of one country, would easily mean that the nuclear technology, weather it would be used against Israel or not....would be a great danger to the World Community if Iran developed them....

[prsn41ife]

o man, here we go again!

israel has been getting support from the only countries in the world that really matter, and that includes european countries, canada, and the US.

secondly, iran wont do anything with its nukes if it gets them, ahmadinejad is a dumbass who is already getting critiscised within the government. and the regime has been saying this stuff for 30 years! so far, the only recent attack on israel came from saddam not iran. and you know what, if pakistan, india, russia, the US, israel, britain all have nukes (and they all happening to be surrounding iran) then i think iran has the right to nukes. i personally believe that its only for energy and not nukes because if iran did get nukes than it would be sanctioned like crazy and be another isolated poor country like north korea, thats the last thing the mullahs want.

and hey, guess what, saudi arabia has a nuclear program too, i dont see anyone getting crazy about them, infact, the UN openly let them off easy when they found out and didnt require anything of the saudis! maybe it is time for iran to break the double standard.

[ZOHAR]

Maccabi when u will understand NO POLITIC?????/