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18 July 2006
TEHRAN – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday once again expressed doubts over the true extent of the Holocaust and called it a pretext by the West to get domination over the Middle East.
“Some of the Western countries had for centuries followed the aim to dominate the region (Middle East) and used the pretext of the Holocaust for preparing the grounds to realise this aim,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
“Why do you claim that six million were killed in the Holocaust? Let us make a research – maybe ten million were killed,” he said sarcastically during a meeting with high school students.
“Not allowing any research proves that there is a problem and something is fishy,” added the president.
Ahmadinejad last year called for the elimination of Israel from the Islamic world map and its relocation to Europe or America. He also termed the Holocaust a “fairytale” and a pretext by the West to confront the Islamic world through what he called “the fake Zionist regime (Israel).”
On Saturday he compared the Israeli administration to German dictator Adolf Hitler and said that “just like Hitler, the Zionist regime (Israel) is just looking for a pretext for launching military attacks.”
“This regime (Israel), which claims that Hitler has committed huge crimes, is now acting just like him,” he said, referring to Israel’s offensive against Lebanon.
Ahmadinejad also called Tuesday on the United States to stop interfering in Iran’s negotiations with Europe over the nuclear dispute.
“The Americans should not try making problems,” he said. “We will talk to the Europeans and pursue the negotiations without US interference,” the Iranian president was quoted by state television as saying.
The president reiterated that having a nuclear fuel cycle is the undeniable right of Iran, but said that Tehran was ready to remove any Western concern over its nuclear projects through negotiations.
“Our policy is pursuing a peaceful nuclear technology based upon the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and through cooperation with the IAEA,” Ahmadinejad said.
DPA
Subject: German news