signatory
12-15-2005, 01:06 PM
MOSCOW (*******) - Russia on Thursday condemned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust happened, saying his remarks were unacceptable and ran counter to the principles of the United Nations.
Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the Holocaust -- the systematic killing of six million Jews by the Nazis in World War Two -- was a myth, reiterating comments that drew international condemnation last week.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, employing language it has used before in reacting to anti-Israel statements by Ahmadinejad, said: "We consider attempts to revise generally known historical facts about the Second World War, including those facts connected with the Holocaust, as unacceptable."
"Speculation on these topics runs counter to the Charter of the United Nations and the views of the international community," it said in a statement.
Russia, which has sought to shield Iran from European and U.S. pressure over its nuclear programme, has said such remarks only add to pressure for Iran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
"Russia sees Israel as a sovereign state with the right to live in peace and security side by side with her neighbours, including with the independent Palestinian state," the Foreign Ministry said.
Ahmadinejad's latest remarks -- broadcast on Iranian state television -- provoked a fresh wave of international condemnation with European countries saying the comments could undermine talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Copyright © 2005 *******
...business as usual.
Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the Holocaust -- the systematic killing of six million Jews by the Nazis in World War Two -- was a myth, reiterating comments that drew international condemnation last week.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, employing language it has used before in reacting to anti-Israel statements by Ahmadinejad, said: "We consider attempts to revise generally known historical facts about the Second World War, including those facts connected with the Holocaust, as unacceptable."
"Speculation on these topics runs counter to the Charter of the United Nations and the views of the international community," it said in a statement.
Russia, which has sought to shield Iran from European and U.S. pressure over its nuclear programme, has said such remarks only add to pressure for Iran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
"Russia sees Israel as a sovereign state with the right to live in peace and security side by side with her neighbours, including with the independent Palestinian state," the Foreign Ministry said.
Ahmadinejad's latest remarks -- broadcast on Iranian state television -- provoked a fresh wave of international condemnation with European countries saying the comments could undermine talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Copyright © 2005 *******
...business as usual.