Peres Speaks to the UN
Following his private meeting with the UN Secretary General, President Shimon
Peres also spoke in the United Nations General Assembly one day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad addressed the same body and called Israel "murderers," "deceitful," and in control of international financial centers. Peres responded firmly, saying that the Iranian leader, whom he did not mention by name, "is a danger to his people, the region and the world. He is a disgrace to the ancient Iranian people. He is a disgrace to the values of Islam. He is a disgrace to this very house, the United Nations, its basic principles and values. His appearance here is already shame."
Peres said that the Iranian people "are not our enemies," but castigated their leadership for standing "at the center of this violence and fanaticism" and for having "built a danger to the entire world. Its quest for religious hegemony and regional dominance divides the Middle East and holds back chances for peace, while undermining human rights. Their despicable denial of the Holocaust is a mockery of indisputable evidence, a cynical offense to survivors of the horror [and is] contradictory to the resolutions adopted by this assembly."
"Tehran combines long-range missiles and short-range minds," Peres summed up.
Peres also noted that Israel's peace overtures have been met with Moslem terrorism: "In Lebanon, we implemented resolution 425. Yet Hezbollah paralyzed the country and cut the road to peace. From Gaza, we withdrew completely and dismantled our settlements. Hamas responded with a bloody takeover and turned the strip into a basis of rocket fire... They added kidnapping to bombings, bringing strife for innocent families. From this important stage, I call for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, the son of Aviva and Noam, a peace-loving family."
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