New York tabloids anger at Amhadinejad's visit
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is set to arrive in New York and has already caused controversy after asking permission to visit the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks. His request was rejected by New York officials, something the President says he will abide by [CNN]. Speaking exclusively to CBS News, the President spoke of why he wanted to attend the scene. “Many innocent people were killed there. Some of those people were American citizens obviously. We obviously are very much against any terrorist action and any killing. And also we are very much against any plots to sow the seeds of discord among nations. Usually you go to these sites to pay your respects. And-- also to perhaps to air your views about the root causes of such incidents. I think that when I do that, I will be paying, as I said earlier, my respect to the American nation” he said. However, the visit has drawn criticism from many and prompted strongly worded headlines in New York tabloids. President Bush said he understood the rejection of allowing the Iranian president to visit Ground Zero calling the leader a “State sponsor of terrorism”. Mr Ahmadinejad is set to speak at Columbia University later in the week. Iran has seen continued criticism for its nuclear policy with one French minister, Bernard Kouchner, saying, “we must prepare for the worst and the worst is war”. The French leader President Nicolas Sarkosy was more measured saying he wanted stronger sanctions if current talks and sanctions failed [Guardian].
No comments:
Post a Comment