Iran denies wanting to "wipe Israel off the map" (Reuters) Updated: 2006-02-21 14:18
Iran's foreign minister denied on Monday that Tehran wanted to see Israel
"wiped off the map," saying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been
misunderstood.
"Nobody can remove a country from the map. This is a misunderstanding in
Europe of what our president mentioned," Manouchehr Mottaki told a news
conference, speaking in English, after addressing the European Parliament.
Iran's Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki addresses a news conference in Brussels
February 20, 2006. [Reuters] |
"How is it possible to remove a country from the map? He is talking about the
regime. We do not recognize legally this regime," he said.
Ahmadinejad caused a storm of condemnation last October after Iran's official
IRNA news agency quoted him as telling a conference: "Israel must be wiped off
the map."
Mottaki's comments came as he sought to assure EU lawmakers and institutions
that Tehran had no ambitions to make nuclear weapons, despite widespread
mistrust in Europe and the United States of the reasons behind Iran's nuclear
program.
Iran says it is for energy production only.
Mottaki also acknowledged the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were
killed by Nazi Germany, despite Ahmadinejad saying in December that it was a
myth.
He told the parliament's foreign affairs committee, speaking through an
interpreter: "Our friends in Europe stress that such a crime has taken place and
they have stated certain figures that were actually suffered. We have no
argument about that, but what we are saying here is to put right such a horrific
event, why should the Muslims pay a price?"
The political leader of militant group Hamas, which won Palestinian
legislative elections last month, was in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iran's
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mottaki said it was natural such talks should take place, while making clear
he rejected the West's labeling of Hamas, which is committed to Israel's
destruction, as a terrorist group.
"We believe that those people who make efforts to free their countries should
not be regarded as terrorists," he said.
"The leaders in that government and parliament have been invited by many Arab
countries such as Egypt, and other Islamic countries, even Russia, so it is
natural they should also visit Iran."
He declined to speculate on how ties between a Hamas-led Palestinian
government and Tehran would develop.
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