Leader prompts western walkout

Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, Iran's president, dominated the opening yesterday of a United Nations anti-racism conference, prompting a walkout by some delegates when he referred to Zionist rule in Israel as racist.

Eight governments in the west, including the US, had already pulled out of the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, and Israel yesterday withdrew its ambassador to Switzerland in protest at a weekend meeting between the Swiss and Iranian presidents.

Israel said the conference was “hosting a Holocaust- denying racist who openly declared his intention to wipe Israel off the map”.

The speech by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad was designed to provoke western delegates, but in a separate forum he gave a positive response to moves by Barack Obama to renew a dialogue.

Mr Ahmadi-Nejad told the Swiss chamber of commerce: “We welcome US change of policy provided these changes are fundamental and essential.

在昨天召開的聯合國反種族主義大會上，伊朗總統馬哈茂德·艾哈邁迪－內賈德 (Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad)成為了主角。他在開幕詞中稱以色列猶太復國主義統治為種族主義政權，引發部分代表退場抗議。

包括美國在內，已有八個西方國家的政府拒絕出席這次在日內瓦舉行的會議。此次大會是德班 （Durban）峰會的審議會議。為抗議瑞士與伊朗總統在周末的會晤，以色列昨天召回了駐瑞士大使。

以色列表示，這次的反種族主義大會 “接待了一個否認大屠殺，而且公開揚言要把以色列從地圖上抹掉的種族主義者”。

被過濾廣告艾哈邁迪－內賈德 （Ahmadi-Nejad）有意在講話中激怒西方代表，但在另一場合他對于美國總統奧巴馬對于美伊進行對話的努力給予了正面評價。

艾哈邁迪－內賈德 （Ahmadi-Nejad）在對瑞士商會（the Swiss Chamber of Commerce）的講話中表示： “只要美國的政策進行根本和必要的改變，我們會歡迎這種改變的。”