New York City (AsiaNews / Agencies) - In his last speech before the UN General Assembly, delivered yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not miss the opportunity to launch accusations against the United States, Western countries and Israel and reaffirm the will of Iran to continue its nuclear program. However, the tone of his speech was different from that of the fiery monologues of past editions. The United States and Israel still left the Assembly hall, emphasizing their unwillingness to listen to streams accusations of Iranian leader.
According to analysts, the resigned behavior of Ahmadinejad is due to infighting within the Iranian regime, which might have prompted the leader to abandon the harsh tones of the past, to find more support among UN countries. Signs of this power struggle that sees the religious authority of the ayatollahs opposing the entourage of the president is the recent arrest of Ali-Akbar Javanfekr, head of Iran's official IRNA newsagency and information advisor to Ahmadinejad. He is accused of publishing immoral articles contrary to Islamic law.
In his speech lasting 35 minutes, Ahmadinejad pointed the finger at the West that threatens the weaker countries with their own form of hegemony. Referring to the absent representatives, he spoke out against the monopoly of the richest nations on the United Nations and the UN Security Council.
"The arms race - he said - and the intimidation of those who possess weapons of mass destruction are prevalent." In his only reference to Israel, the president said that " Continued threats by the uncivilised Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation are a clear example of this bitter reality." "States that control the Security Council of the United Nations - he added - use force to terrorize the rest of the world." According to the leader, "there is no longer any confidence in the authority of the United Nations."
The Iranian president also lashed out against the global economic crisis caused by the West through the "creation of worthless paper assets by using influence and control over the world's economic centres, and is considered a major contributor to global economic crisis."
While condemning the positions of the leaders of the Islamic Republic, the representatives of Great Britain, France and Germany found the terrible threats of previous years absent from the content of the speech. Except for the initial part, Ahmadinejad has focused its intervention son praising Iranian culture and the Shiite religion. In an interview held at the end of the conference, the leader said he was willing to "hold talks with the United States in future."
A calm Ahmadinejad accuses the West and Israel of hegemony over UN
The UN General Assembly speech was boycotted by the United States and Israel. The Iranian leader reaffirms the right of Iran to continue its nuclear program and denounces the continued threat of attack from Israel.
