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Iran President: Israel
Is a 'Fake Regime' Apr 24 9:54 AM
US/Eastern |
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By NASSER KARIMI
Associated
Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran
Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on Monday renewed his criticism of Israel, calling it a "fake
regime" that cannot continue to exist.
"Some 60 years have passed
since the end of World War II. Why should the people of Germany and Palestine
pay now for a war in which the current generation was not involved?"
Ahmadinejad said at a news conference.
"We say that this fake
regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live," he said.
The remarks by the hard-line
leader came a day after interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged the
international community to work against Iran's nuclear program, saying Tehran's
ambitions threaten not only Israel but all of Western civilization.
Israel has long identified Iran
as its biggest threat, and these concerns have grown amid repeated calls by
Ahmadinejad for Israel's destruction.
"From the point of view of
seriousness, this tops the state of Israel's list, it is potentially an
existential threat," a government statement quoted Olmert telling the
weekly Cabinet meeting.
"The Iranian nuclear
program should concern many countries, especially those with global
responsibility," Olmert said, adding that the international front against
Iran should include the United States, Europe and other Western countries.
Also Monday, a top Iranian
official said Tehran is prepared to freeze its uranium enrichment for a short
time, but this should not be construed as a readiness to abandon it.
"Iran would not have a
problem with a short-term suspension (of uranium enrichment). But the
difficulty is that the West and the United States would use that as an excuse
for extending" the suspension, said Hasan Rowhani, a member of the Supreme
National Security Council.
Rowhani's statement was not
immediately endorsed by other officials and it was unclear if he spoke for the
government.
The comments came four days
before Friday's expiration of a U.N. Security Council deadline for Iran to
suspend its enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear
reactors material for nuclear warheads.
"Their final aim is to
prevent Iran from completing the enrichment technology," Rowhani said.
"Our red line in Iran's nuclear case is that Iran's rights must be
guaranteed and we must be able to enrich (uranium)."
The United States says Iran is
using a civilian nuclear program as a cover for producing weapons. Iran denies
that, saying its program is designed only to generate electrical power.
Earlier this month, Iran announced that for the first time it had enriched uranium with the use of 164 centrifuges, a step toward large- scale enrichment _ which would be necessary to for making nuclear fuel or weapons.