Leader prompts western walkout

Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, Iran's president, dominated the opening yesterday of a United Nations anti-racism conference, prompting a walkout by some delegates when he referred to Zionist rule in Israel as racist.

Eight governments in the west, including the US, had already pulled out of the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, and Israel yesterday withdrew its ambassador to Switzerland in protest at a weekend meeting between the Swiss and Iranian presidents.

Israel said the conference was “hosting a Holocaust- denying racist who openly declared his intention to wipe Israel off the map”.

The speech by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad was designed to provoke western delegates, but in a separate forum he gave a positive response to moves by Barack Obama to renew a dialogue.

Mr Ahmadi-Nejad told the Swiss chamber of commerce: “We welcome US change of policy provided these changes are fundamental and essential.

在昨天召开的联合国反种族主义大会上，伊朗总统马哈茂德·艾哈迈迪－内贾德 (Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad)成为了主角。他在开幕词中称以色列犹太复国主义统治为种族主义政权，引发部分代表退场抗议。

包括美国在内，已有八个西方国家的政府拒绝出席这次在日内瓦举行的会议。此次大会是德班 （Durban）峰会的审议会议。为抗议瑞士与伊朗总统在周末的会晤，以色列昨天召回了驻瑞士大使。

以色列表示，这次的反种族主义大会 “接待了一个否认大屠杀，而且公开扬言要把以色列从地图上抹掉的种族主义者”。

被过滤广告艾哈迈迪－内贾德 （Ahmadi-Nejad）有意在讲话中激怒西方代表，但在另一场合他对于美国总统奥巴马对于美伊进行对话的努力给予了正面评价。

艾哈迈迪－内贾德 （Ahmadi-Nejad）在对瑞士商会（the Swiss Chamber of Commerce）的讲话中表示： “只要美国的政策进行根本和必要的改变，我们会欢迎这种改变的。”