Ahmadinejad: Iran, US not headed for war; Lawmaker wants New Yorkers to 'make his life miserable'
Update at bottom: Ahmadinejad says Iran does not resort to terrorism, calls for referendum among all inhabitants to determine future of Palestine, insists Iran could be a good friend to the United States.
The arrival in New York City of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been met with frenzy by opponents such as New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who called on New Yorkers to "make his life miserable."
Columbia University has come under particular fire for its invitation to Ahmadinejad to speak there, with the Bush administration appearing fearful of providing him any sort of public forum in this country. According to CNN, "Ahmadinejad's public-relations push appears aimed at presenting his views directly to a U.S. audience amid rising strains and talk of war between the two nations."
Admadinejad stated in an appearance on 60 Minutes this past weekend, "It's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. are walking toward war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the offing."
John Coatsworth, dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, told CNN that it is necessary to deal with Ahmadinejad because "Iran is going to hold the key to peace in the Middle East."
"We have to be able to deal with and negotiate with leaders like this, however much we may disagree with their views," Coatsworth stated, downplaying suggestions that it was "foolish" to allow American's to hear Admadinejad's views. "We're going to ask him tough questions. If he gives terrible answers, that will be known ... by everyone in the world."
Coatsworth explained further that the issue is not one of offering Ahmadinejad a platform, because he "has a platform whenever he wishes to have one." Rather, Columbia is offering him "an opportunity not only to present his views but to defend them in the face of challenges and tough questions. ... We're going to challenge this guy as he has not been challenged in other places."
ABC News interviewed Columbia University President Lee Bollinger on the same subject, asking him, "Why court controversy?"
"The reasons for doing this really go to freedom of speech and academic freedom," explained Bollinger. "What's at stake here is really the opportunity to be able to learn about the world. ... It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are your adversaries, to watch them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason."
"I think we have to recognize that free speech does not endorse someone, does not honor the dishonarable," Bollinger added. "Our principals include listening to those whom we may despise."
Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia
As described by Newsday, "In remarks that veered between sermon and speech, Ahmadinejad quoted frequently from the Quran, warning of the corrupting influence of the material world and extolling the importance of spiritual guidance. He inveighed against governments that 'tap telephones' and decried 'their onslaught on the domestic cultures of nations.'"
Ahmadinejad stated repeatedly that the Palestinians were being made to pay for the Holocaust, an event which they had nothing to do with, and insisted there was nothing wrong with calling for further study of the facts. When he was asked during a question-and-answer session following his speech whether he or his government seek the destruction of the State of Israel, he responded that he would like to see a referendum among all those residing in Palestine -- Jewish, Muslim, and Christian -- to determine the future of the region.
When asked whether Iran supports terrorists in Iraq, Ahmadinejad referred to American support for MEK, a terrorist group which has killed many Iranians, and added, "We are a cultured nation. We don't need to resort to terrorism."
"We don't have homosexuals like in your country," Ahmadinejad said in response to another question, an answer which was met by a chorus of boos.
He insisted that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful but has been turned into "a political issue." He also stated that Iran would be glad to have far-reaching talks with the United States on a basis of "mutual respect" and that if the United States dropped its hostility towards Iran, it would find that Iran could be a good friend.
Developing ...
The following video is from CNNs CNN Newsroom, broadcast on September 22, 2007.
The following video is from ABC's Good Morning America, broadcast on September 24.
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