Ahmadinejad vs World: Denounces capitalism, 9-11, UN (Roundup)

By Anindita Ramaswamy Sep 23, 2010, 22:30 GMT

New York - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday used the UN General Assembly forum to rant about the ills of capitalism, the weakness of the United Nations and spin conspiracy theories about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

As Ahmadinejad claimed that some 'segments' of the US government 'orchestrated' 9-11 to 'reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order also to save the Zionist regime,' delegates from the United States and several European countries walked past him and out of the room.

He said a propaganda machine kicked in after the terrorist attacks, in which more than 2,700 people were killed in New York alone as the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed.

'It was implied that the whole world was exposed to a huge danger, namely terrorism, and that the only way to save the world would be to deploy forces into Afghanistan. Eventually Afghanistan ... and Iraq were occupied.'

While he was saddened by the deaths in the 2001 attacks, 'in Afghanistan and Iraq hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions wounded and displaced and the conflict is still going on,' Ahmadinejad said.

Next year Iran would host a conference to study terrorism and the means to confront it, he said.

Ahmadinejad took up the cause of the Palestinians, claiming that the Israelis enjoy the support of Western nations and threaten other countries in the region.

'Palestinian defenders and those opposing this regime are pressured, labelled as terrorists and anti-Semites,' he said. 'All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism.'

The Iranian president was also critical of the permanent members of the UN Security Council for equating nuclear energy with the nuclear bomb, and by doing so 'they have distanced this energy from the reach of most nations by establishing monopolies and pressuring the IAEA (UN nuclear watchdog).'

He proposed that 2011 be named the year of nuclear disarmament and 'nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapons for none.'

Many countries, including the US, are concerned about a possible secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme, but Tehran's leaders say they have no such aim.

Ahmadinejad also railed against the 'ineptitude' of the United Nations, citing the main reason for this to be its 'unjust structure.'

Iran was stung by sanctions passed by the UN Security Council earlier this year aimed at getting it to shut down its nuclear enrichment programme. Russia on Wednesday formally cancelled a major arms deal with Iran that involved tanks, artillery, war ships, helicopters and missile defence systems for Iran.

'Major power is monopolized in the Security Council due to the veto privilege, and the main pillar of the organization, namely the General Assembly, is marginalized,' he said.

'Had Iran enjoyed veto privilege, would the Security Council and the IAEA director general have taken the same position in the nuclear issue?' he asked.

On the evils of capitalism, Ahmadinejad said that after about 'one hundred years of domination, the system of capitalism and the existing world order has proved to be unable to provide appropriate solutions to the problems of societies.'

Much of the Iranian president's address flitted haphazardly from philosophy and divinity to colonialism and slavery, swerving from centuries ago to recent times.