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[NOTE:  The United Nations scheduled Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on Yom Kippur, a Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.]

[Each world leader is unofficially limited to a 15 minute speech.  President Ahmadinejad spoke for 35 minutes.]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the UN General Assembly yesterday.

(by Ashish Kumar Sen, The Washington Times) UNITED NATIONS – Iran’s president on Wednesday largely ignored Western concerns about his country’s suspected nuclear weapons program and support for Syria’s embattled regime, as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s remarks [did not include] his usual provocative remarks [including from] earlier this week when he predicted the elimination of Israel. …

In what was his last address to the United Nations as president of Iran, Mr. Ahmadinejad failed to explain his nation’s nuclear ambitions.

While he did not refer to Israel by name, he resorted to a pejorative [belittling; insulting] term he commonly uses to describe the Jewish nation, which he claims has no right to exist.

“Continued threats by the ‘uncivilized Zionists’ to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said. … [He was referring to the fact that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities to destroy them, rather than allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, which it would use to destroy Israel.]

“Unilateralism, application of double standards and imposition of wars, instability and occupations to ensure economic interests and expand dominance over sensitive centers of the world have turned out to be the order of the day,” he said in his rambling remarks.

“A state of mistrust has cast its shadow on the international relations, whilst there is no trusted or just authority to help resolve world conflicts,” the president said.

“No one feels secure or safe, even those who have stockpiled thousands of atomic bombs and other arms in their arsenals.”

Iran claims its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, but [the world knows] the Iranians are trying to build nuclear weapons.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has brushed aside concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions since his arrival in New York.

President Obama told the United Nations on Tuesday that he is committed to resolving the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy, but he warned that “time is not unlimited.”

Mr. Obama warned that a nuclear-armed Iran “would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations and the stability of the global economy.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing Mr. Obama to lay down clear lines on Iran’s nuclear program, which, if Iran crossed, would precipitate military action. Mr. Netanyahu will address the world body [today, at approximately 12:30].

U.S. officials are alarmed by Israeli threats to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Obama administration, while not specifically discussing a military strike, has said that all options are on the table.  [The President turned down a request by Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet this week, saying his schedule was full. Netanyahu had said he would go to Washington to meet with Mr. Obama if the President was not able to meet in New York.  President Obama did have time to appear on the talk show The View this week.] …

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s address coincided with Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish religion.

At one point in his address, Mr. Ahmadinejad referred to the Israeli government as a “fake” one.  On Monday, the Iranian leader blustered that Israel has no roots in the Middle East and threatened it with elimination.

Presidential elections in Iran are scheduled for June of next year. Mr. Ahmadinejad cannot run for office because of the two-term limit imposed by Iran’s Constitution.

Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi, also addressed the world body later in the day on Wednesday.  Mr. Morsi has promised to honor a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, despite recent calls by members of his Muslim Brotherhood-led government to renegotiate the treaty. [A number of groups and figures who espouse terrorist tactics were taught or influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, including Hamas, the Palestinian group that began as a branch of the Muslim Brothers.]

Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC.  Reprinted from the Washington Times for educational purposes only.  Visit the website at washingtontimes.com.

Questions

1.  Why was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech this week to the U.N. General Assembly his last?
 
2.  How does Iranian President Ahmadinejad view the state of Israel?
 
3.  a) Under the United Nations’ NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) countries are not allowed to make nuclear weapons (except for the 5 that had nuclear weapons prior to the treaty: the U.S., Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom).  How does U.N. member Iran explain its nuclear program?
b)  Read the “Background” below the questions.  Why do you think Iran won’t admit that they are working to build nuclear weapons?
 
4.  Define diplomacy.
 
5.  What did President Ahmadinejad say in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly that would lead you to think President Obama’s policy of resolving the nuclear crisis through diplomacy with Iran might not work?
 
6.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking to the General Assembly today.  What do you think he should say about Iran’s nuclear program?  
 
CHALLENGE:  Watch Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech.  Do you think it was an effective speech?  Explain your answer.

Background

IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM:

  • Iran’s 20 year secret nuclear program was discovered in 2002. Iran says its program is for fuel purposes only, but it has been working on uranium enrichment which is used to make nuclear bombs.
  • Under the United Nations’ NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) countries are not allowed to make nuclear weapons (except for the 5 that had nuclear weapons prior to the treaty – the U.S., Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom).
  • Safeguards are used to verify compliance with the Treaty through inspections conducted by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
  • The IAEA issued a report on Sept. 15, 2008 that said Iran has repeatedly blocked an investigation into its nuclear program and the probe is now deadlocked.
  • The U.N. Security Council has already imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear defiance. Despite the sanctions, Iran has refused to end its nuclear program.
  • A group of U.S. and Russian scientists said in a report issued in May 2009 that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that. The study, published by the nonpartisan EastWest Institute, also said Iran is making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 2,200-pound nuclear warhead up to 1,200 miles “in perhaps six to eight years.”
  • The Iranian government has called for the destruction of Israel on numerous occasions. It is believed that once obtained, Iranian President Ahmadinejad would use nuclear weapons against Israel.

Resources

Watch a live stream of the speeches today at:  webtv.un.org/ 

Watch speeches from earlier this weeks at the U.N. webpage here (scroll down to select the date and speaker):  gadebate.un.org/ 

Read this week’s commentary “Israel Must Be ‘Eliminated’”  at: studentnewsdaily.com/commentary/israel-must-be-eliminated

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