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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: May 29, 2006 |
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said European countries risked losing influence in the Middle East by lining up with the United States against Iran's nuclear program.
In an interview in Sunday's edition of the German magazine Der Spiegel, Ahmadinejad claimed that European governments know that Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful.
"The Europeans are in the process of losing entirely their role in the Middle East, and in other regions of the world they are losing their reputation," he was quoted as saying.
The United States, Britain and France have called for a U.N. resolution that would threaten sanctions and be enforceable by military action if Iran does not give up enriching uranium, but have run into opposition from Russia and China.
Foreign ministers from those five countries -- veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council -- and Germany meet this week to discuss incentives for Iran to stop enrichment.
Ahmadinejad appealed to Europe to take Iran's side.
"But if they oppose us, they will only suffer as a result. For our people are strong and determined," he was quoted as saying.
Tehran insists it is enriching uranium only with the aim of producing fuel for future nuclear power generation. However, highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear warheads and the United States and some of its allies accuse Iran of pursuing a secret weapons program.
Ahmadinejad has also come in for sharp criticism in Europe for repeatedly casting doubt on the Holocaust and calling for Israel to de destroyed or shifted to Europe.
During the Spiegel interview, conducted on Tuesday, he was quoted as saying that he doubted the magazine would write "the truth" about the Nazi genocide against Europe's Jews.
He also played up the credentials of Western Holocaust deniers such as the British historian David Irving and echoed some of their views.
"There are two opinions. One group of scientists or people who are mainly politically motivated say that the Holocaust happened. Then there is the group of scientists who have the opposite view and are therefore mostly in jail," Ahmadinejad he was quoted as saying.
"We want to know whether this crime really happened or not. If so, then those responsible should be punished and not the Palestinians ... If it didn't happen, then the Jews have to go back where they came from," he was quoted as saying. |
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