Kenneth R. Timmerman is right on the money about Iran's Thug-In-Chief in "Unwelcome mat," a Washington Times opinion piece (thanks to Gabrielle Goldwater):
Tomorrow, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly should order his men to escort the new hard-line president of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Kennedy International Airport, the minute he finishes speaking to the U.N. General Assembly at 3:10 p.m.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took office in August after disputed elections, is not just any head of state. He has a terrorist pedigree that should make him an unwelcome guest in any civilized country, if having a terrorist "watch list" serves any purpose. But perhaps "civilized" is not an adjective that applies to the United Nations, which has standards all its own.
The State Department found Aug. 31 that the Iranian president was "excludable" by law from entering the United States, since he met the definition of an "international terrorist." Nevertheless, the wise heads at Foggy Bottom decided to waive the law.
The U.S. was bound by the Host Treaty agreement to allow anyone -- absolutely anyone -- to address the U.N. if they represented a sovereign state, the State Department lawyers argued. Besides, Mr. Ahmadinejad would not be allowed to travel more than 25 miles outside New York.
But that restriction has not dampened Mr. Ahmadinejad's plans to gather Iranian-Americans for a series of private meetings in Manhattan, where he plans to encourage them to lobby the U.S. government against the policies of the Bush administration, according to individuals who have been contacted by the Islamic Republic's U.N. delegation to attend the meetings.
Specifically, Mr. Ahmadinejad wants their support in discouraging the United States from referring Iran's violations of its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions. He also wants pro-regime Iranians in the United States to lobby Congress and the White House to lift the U.S. trade embargo on Iran.
If Mr. Kelly and the New York Police Department feel they cannot prevent Mr. Ahmadinejad from addressing the U.N. General Assembly, they should escort him directly to Kennedy airport after his 5-minute speech so he can't turn the visit into a lobbying tour. There is nothing in the U.S. treaty with the U.N. that says we have to sponsor international terrorists who have come to the United States on a lobbying mission.
Read it all.
According to the IRNA site, he is to be here 5 days!
President Ahmadinejad sets off for New York
President Ahmadinejad sets off for New York
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran for New York on an official five-day visit on Tuesday to attend the 60th regular session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Ahmadinejad, heading a high-ranking delegation, was officially seen off by Head of the Supreme Leader's Office Mahmoud Mohammadi Golpayegani, First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi, Presidential Chief of Staff Gholam-Hossein Elham and a number of ministers, president's advisors and Majlis deputies.
The three-day General Assembly session is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday in presence of leaders and senior officials from 191 states.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani and a number of president's advisors are accompanying Ahmadinejad in his visit.
In his speech on the first day of the session, the president is to outline Iran's stance on key international developments.
He is also scheduled to hold talks with leaders and senior officials of certain countries and meet with Iranian nationals and elites residing in the United States.
World leaders and senior officials will discuss important issues including poverty eradication in the world, disarmament and fight against weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), human rights, campaign against terrorism and reform in the UN structure.
On the sidelines of the session, six working groups will exchange views on the said topics and a document will be then signed by world leaders.
Meanwhile, the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly will be held for two weeks in presence of foreign ministers and 70 world leaders at the end of the 60th session. President Ahmadinejad is also scheduled to deliver a 15-minute speech at this meeting.
He should be arrested for the part he played in the hostage affair! End of story! To jail with him!
...but what sort of precedent might this establish when Mahmoud Abbas wants to come calling? As the mastermind behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich games, how welcome should he be?
our leaders are all nuts. oh and by the way, islamophobia means an irrational fear of islam. whats irrational about it. anyone who isnt islamophobic hasnt done their homework.
The iranian terrorist should be seized as soon as he deboards, held in a dungeon for 444 days, interrogated and brutalized, and then sent back from whence he came.
Has anyone done an unbiased/non-partisan study on what would happen to the world if we decided not to play anymore?
kojak:
Such an interesting concept I've pondered many times. I wish I knew where to find a study of this. All the implications explored would be interesting to read.
Wouldn't bother me if the CIA arranged an "accident" for Ahmadinejad. Fight "fire with
fire" ie: terror for terror!
The Israelis do it all the time!