Iran Focus and agencies: London, Oct. 27 The international community reacted with swift condemnation of the comments Wednesday by Irans hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Iran Focus and agencies
London, Oct. 27 The international community reacted with swift condemnation of the comments Wednesday by Irans hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
By days end, several European capitals along with the United States, Canada, and Israel had all denounced Ahmadinejads threat.
Paris summoned the Iranian ambassador in France to explain the hard-line Presidents comments, while London and Madrid have said that they plan to do the same on Thursday.
Canada strongly condemned the Iranian presidents remarks, saying they were particularly worrying because of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. “This is the 21st century. We cannot tolerate comments of such hatred, such anti-Semitism, such intolerance”, Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told reporters.
“And these comments are all the more troubling (given) that we know of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. So I think it is very important that all countries do stand up together to make sure that we do not accept that Iran continues a nuclear program”.
Spains Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has expressed his rejection in the most emphatic terms and has decided to urgently call in the Iranian ambassador to ask him for an explanation” the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that Iran’s ambassador to Madrid would be summoned to explain the remarks.
The United Kingdom Foreign Office will also summon Iran’s chargé d’affaires in London to protest against his president’s comments about destroying Israel. It described the Iranian Presidents comments as “deeply disturbing and sickening”.
Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi strongly condemned what she described as Ahmadinejads incitement to war of religions and civilisations and called his statement repulsive and unacceptable. She said Ahmadinejads comments on the destruction of the U.S. and Israel as a goal that could be realised showed once again that the Iranian regime posed a serious threat to regional and global peace and tranquillity.
Both France and Germany separately denounced the comments.
In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the remarks underscore the Bush administration’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions.
Israel, meanwhile, called for the expulsion of the Islamic Republic from the United Nations. Making the call, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said the statement from Tehran went against the principles of the United Nations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear program and called for Tehrans nuclear dossier to be referred to the UN Security Council.
