DUSHANBE, September 27, 2012, Asia-Plus – CNN reports European delegates got an unusual reprieve at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday when the Iranian President offered them no reason to get up and walk out, a move that has become a bit of tradition for western delegations.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly has a history of controversial statements, but in his eighth and final appearance in front of the assembly”s iconic green marble podium his tone seemed to shift from blustery to almost conciliatory.
He said Iran was committed to peace, though he also accused world powers of double standards in pursuing an arms race.
Ahmadinejad then told delegates that Iran has a “global vision and welcomes any effort intended to provide and promote peace, stability and tranquility” in the world.
The world is at a “historic juncture” now that Marxist systems are virtually gone and “capitalism is bogged down in a self-made quagmire,” he said, which could allow for other nations to “play a more active role” in global decision making.
Earlier this week, the Iranian leader stoked controversy at the session when he declared that Israel has “no roots” in the Middle East.
But on Wednesday he offered a more subdued discourse, after being widely expected to serve up a rebuttal to a series of sharp jabs from Western leaders, who accused him of fostering instability in the region by backing international militants, supporting Syria”s embattled president and forging ahead with its nuclear program.
Though Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, Western leaders believe Tehran wants to build a nuclear weapon. U.N. inspectors have also expressed doubts about the program”s aims.
Iranian president also told delegates that the body should be restructured, noting that many global issues are the result of poor management, and that “self-proclaimed centers of power … have entrusted themselves to the devil.”
An “arms race and intimidation by nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction by the hegemonic powers have become prevalent,” he added, noting that Iran has now found itself under threat.
“Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality,” he said. “A state of mistrust has cast its shadow on the international relations, while there is no trusted or just authority to help resolve world conflicts.”
