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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit out Wednesday at western countries seeking to shut down Iran's nuclear program but offered no proposals for heading off a looming showdown. Although he did not mention the United States or its European allies by name, Ahmadinejad's target was clear as he condemned pre-emptive measures he branded a "modern manifestation of interventionism and war-mongering." The president, making his debut on the world stage, raced through his speech which ran counter to suggestions by Iranian officials that it would contain new proposals to defuse suspicion over Tehran's nuclear weapons ambitions. The United States and the European Union are hoping to use the three-day gathering of world leaders to rally support for possible UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic for resuming sensitive work on uranium conversion. Hinting that the United States was employing bullying tactics, Ahmadinejad said that greater power or wealth should not accord "extended rights" to any UN member. "The acceptance of unilateralism is exactly the negation of the United Nations and its raison d'etre," he said. "The United Nations in its entity should confront this vicious malady." Ahmadinejad also expressed annoyance at initially being refused a US visa to attend the summit. "The host country should not enjoy any rights or privileges over the rest of the membership, and the organisation and its headquarters must be easily accessible to all," he said. The US Department of Homeland Security had declined to issue the president a visa because of suspicions he was involved in the 1979 seizure of diplomats at the US embassy in Tehran. The State Department eventually intervened to allow his visit, but made it clear that "unresolved questions" remained about Ahmadinejad's militant past. All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links SpaceWar Search SpaceWar Subscribe To SpaceWar Express 
Iran Warns Of Escalation In Nuclear Crisis
Tehran (AFP) Sep 13, 2005A senior Iranian official issued yet another blunt warning to the European Union Tuesday not to refer a crisis over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council. |
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