Ahmadinejad Says Zionism Pioneer of Terrorism, Iran Calls on Interpol to Issue Arrest Warrants for 25 Israeli Leaders

Ahmadinejad Terms Zionism Pioneer of Terrorism

24 Rabi Al-Thani 1430 / Monday 20 Apr 2009 / 31 Farvardin 1388 a

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Zionism is the flag-bearer of terrorism, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said before leaving Tehran for Geneva on Sunday to attend a UN conference on antiracism.

"Wars, unjust relations, hatred and terrorism are rooted in a notion whose flag-bearer in the world is the Zionist party and school of thought," Ahmadinejad said.

"Zionists impose their will for looting nations on the world by controlling the world's power centers," he added.

The Iranian president further underlined that Zionists are controlling behavior of the western governments through propaganda and psychological warfare.

Ahmadinejad also described Durban 2 as a laud cry by humanity against inhuman activities.

Ahmadinejad left Tehran on Sunday to attend the Durban Review Conference, which is meant to take stock of progress in fighting racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

The Durban-2 conference will be held in Geneva on April 20-24 by the UN and with the support of African states and others with antiracism on its agenda.

About 4500 non-governmental organizations (NGO's), human rights activists, antiracism campaign groups are due to attend the conference.

This is while the UN conference on racism was hit by new boycotts by some governments on Sunday amid concerns that the meeting will be critical of Israel's human rights violations. Australia and Netherlands joined the United States and Canada and Israel in boycotting the Conference.

Ahmadinejad Off to Geneva to Attend Durban Conf.
TEHRAN (FNA)-

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran for Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday to attend the Durban Review Conference, hold talks with participating world officials and meet with different organizations supportive of the Palestinian cause.

The Durban-2 conference will be held in Geneva on April 20-24 by the UN and with the support of African states and others with antiracism on its agenda.

About 4500 non-governmental organizations (NGO's), human rights activists, antiracism campaign groups are due to attend the conference.

The UN conference was hit by new boycotts by some governments on Sunday amid concerns that the meeting will be critical of Israel's human rights violations. Australia and Netherlands joined the United States and Canada and Israel in boycotting the Conference.

During his two-day visit to Geneva, the Iranian president will be the first official lecturer of the conference.

The Iranian president will meet the Swiss Federal assembly speaker on the first leg of his trip and tomorrow morning he will sit with the heads of Geneva-based international organizations.

Meantime, Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz is due to meet Ahmadinejad during a dinner banquet for conference participants on Sunday ahead of its opening on Monday.

Ahmadinejad will meet the (organization of the Islamic cooperation) OIC Secretary-General Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu and will have an exclusive interview with the Swiss T.V and French Canal 5.

A Monday meeting with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon is also in the Iranian president's itinerary.

Ahmadinejad is also scheduled to attend meetings with the heads of Swiss industries among them 32 heads of the country's main companies.

He will then attend a news conference and meet Iranian and foreign NGOs supportive of Palestine.

Iran Calls on Interpol to Issue Arrest Warrants for 25 Israeli Leaders

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Tehran's Chief Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi announced on Sunday that Iran has wired a request to the Interpol for arresting 25 Israeli officials who had committed war crimes during the 22-day onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza.

"After completing investigations on the 25 Zionist regime criminals and gathering enough documents on their cases, Iran proved that these 25 people have committed war crimes," Mortazavi added in a press conference in Tehran today.

Mortazavi, who is the secretary of the International Conference of the Islamic states' Prosecutors General to be held in Tehran from April 21-22, referred to the role of the Islamic countries in pursuing the case, and said Muslim states' support for Iran's efforts to prosecute Israeli leaders would be among the agendas of the April conference.

Asked if the Interpol is a competent authority to probe into the Zionists' crimes in Gaza, he reiterated, "The Interpol is competent enough to even prosecute their military officials and chiefs."

"If the Zionist regime objects to the Interpol, the 188 members of the Interpol will vote on (the possibility for) the verification of the case," Mortazavi stressed.

He also viewed presence of some US and European Prosecutors General in the April conference as a sign of their will to try the Israeli criminals.

Earlier in march, Interpol confirmed that Iran has asked for its help in tracking down 25 senior Israeli officials involved in the recent war on Gaza.

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