Ahmadinejad Joins in Anti-Israel Protests

[gaijindabe]

AP -
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line president marched in the streets of Tehran on Friday alongside tens of thousands of people supporting his call for the destruction of Israel — remarks that have been condemned around the world. The rally was one of several state-organized anti-Israel demonstrations across the country that drew more than a million Iranians.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by gaijindabe
Iran's hard-line president marched in the streets of Tehran on Friday alongside tens of thousands of people supporting his call for the destruction of Israel — remarks that have been condemned around the world. The rally was one of several state-organized anti-Israel demonstrations across the country that drew more than a million Iranians.

Really, like where?...Does that mean 1 person in New York, and therefore "around the world"?...This AP reporter makes it sound like the world supports Israel. The world, at least those represented in the UN, have been notoriously hostile to Israel and friendly to Islam.

[gaijindabe]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
Really, like where?...

Tony Blair for one. He really has grown a backbone.

[coloradoporsche]

Really, like where?...

Across Europe, the reaction was equally strong.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Thursday he condemned the Iranian statement "absolutely."

"It is a completely unacceptable statement, of course. We should respect borders and respect the integrity of Israel, and we want Israel to live in peace with its neighbors," he told BBC radio.

Asked whether he believed that Iran should be expelled from the U.N., Barroso said: "I condemn absolutely that statement, but I will not make any concrete proposal now."

In Paris, Ahmadinejad's comments prompted the French foreign minister to summon the Iranian ambassador for an explanation. France, along with Germany and Britain, has been involved in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he learned about Ahmadinejad's comments from news reports.

"If these comments are correct, they are unacceptable. I greatly condemn them and have asked for the Iranian ambassador in Paris to be summoned to the Foreign Ministry to demand explanations," Douste-Blazy said.

"For France, the right for Israel to exist should not be contested. This state was created by a decision of the U.N. General Assembly. International law applies to all. The question of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be used as a pretext to put into question the fundamental right for Israel to exist."

Foreign ministries in Berlin, Madrid and Rome also made their opposition to Ahmadinejad's remarks known to Iran's representatives in their countries, AP reported.

Spain summoned the Iranian ambassador in Madrid to protest the comments, while the German Foreign Ministry summoned a representative of the Iranian Embassy to underline Berlin's opposition to the remarks.

Italy said the remarks confirmed concerns over Tehran's nuclear program, and that the Foreign Ministry had expressed "discomfort and concern to the Iranian ambassador in Rome."

"The contents and tone of such unacceptable statements confirm worries over the political positions pursued by the new Iranian leadership, especially concerning the nuclear dossier," a statement from Rome said.

Journalist Shirzad Bozorghmehr contributed to this report

Copyright 2005 CNN.