AFP: French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Tuesday condemned a claim by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel would “soon disappear” as shocking and unacceptable.
PARIS, Dec 12, 2006 (AFP) – French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Tuesday condemned a claim by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel would “soon disappear” as shocking and unacceptable.
“These comments are not only shocking but quite simply unacceptable,” Douste-Blazy told french radio RTL. “There is not a single person in the world who can accept such statements.”
Ahmadinejad — who has previously called for Israel to be wiped of the map — predicted the Jewish state would suffer the same fate as the Soviet Union, as Iran faced a barrage of condemnation for hosting a conference casting doubt on the Holocaust.
Douste-Blazy said his comments would be taken into account in ongoing dicussions between UN Security Council members on a package of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
“In such a context, one can only want the Security Council to adopt a resolution as quickly as possible,” he said.