Ahmadinejad's call to destroy Israel draws French condemnation
By The Associated Press
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday the solution to the Middle East crisis was to destroy Israel, Iranian state media reported. In a speech during an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Malaysia, Ahmadinejad also called for an immediate cease-fire to end the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
"Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented," Ahmadinejad said, according to state-run television in a report posted on its Web site.
France's foreign minister condemned Ahmadinehjad's comments Thursday, saying Iran is ruining its chances to play a positive and stabilizing role in the Middle East.
"I totally condemn these words," Philippe Douste-Blazy said on France-Inter radio, saying they were "absolutely unacceptable on anyone's part, especially from a head of state.
"The crisis had presented an opportunity for Iran to "show that it can play a positive and stabilizing role in the region," Douste-Blazy said, adding that Ahmadinejad's statement "confirmed that this is not the case.
"In a meeting with Iranian Ambassador Gholamreza Ansari, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov "emphasized the need for all interested parties to take efforts to find a solution that would allow to put an end to fighting and violence in the region and stage the ground for establishing a stable peace."
"Iran could also contribute to the efforts," the Foreign Ministry quoted Saltanov as saying.
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