[Reader-list] Iranian President Mammoud Ahmadnejad's speech at Durban Review Conference

[anupam chakravartty]

Ahmadinejad speech: full text

*This is the full text of the speech Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
gave at the Durban Review Conference, a UN conference on racism, in Geneva,
Switzerland, on Tuesday, 20th April 2009.*

*Protesters interrupted the conference before Mr Ahmadinejad could start his
speech. He refers to the incident in his opening sentence.*

I would like to ask all honourable participants to forgive them. They are
ignorant.


In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Thanks to God, the Lord
of the worlds, and peace and praise be upon our master and prophet, Muhammad
and his immaculate progeny and true followers. O God, hasten the
reappearance of the Hidden Imam and grant him health and victory and make us
his true companions and believers and those who testify to His rightfulness.


Praise belongs to the just, merciful, and compassionate God. May God's
blessing be upon the prophets, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the
last prophet His Holiness Muhammad Mustafa, who called for monotheism,
fraternity, kindness, human dignity, and justice.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Secretary-General of the UN, Honourable High
Commissariat for Human Rights, Ladies and Gentlemen, following the Durban
anti-racism and discrimination conference, we have gathered here to examine
the current situation and to find practical solutions for this humane and
sacred campaign. In the past centuries, great injustice was inflicted on
mankind.

In the Middle Ages scholars and scientists were sentenced to death. And
later on slavery and the hunting down of innocent people, separating them
from their families and taking them in millions to Europe and America in the
worst conditions, was popular. These were dark ages where lands were
occupied and their sources were looted, and innocent people were killed and
made homeless. Years passed until people rose. They paid a high price in
order to drive occupiers out and establish independent and national
governments; millions of people were killed. Those in power imposed two
major wars in short periods of time on Europe and parts of Africa and Asia.
These were wars which took about 100 million lives and resulted in
destruction of a lot of countries and regions. Those who won these wars
considered themselves conquerors of the world and considered other nations
defeated. And by the imposition of oppressive laws and arrangements they
ignored and violated other nations rights.

Ladies and gentlemen, look at the Security Council which is the legacy of
World War I and II. Based on what logic have they been given the right to
veto? With which human and divine value is this logic compatible? Justice,
equality in the eye of law and human dignity or discrimination, injustice,
violation of human rights and belittling the majority of nations and
countries? This Council is the most supreme decision-making centre for
maintaining peace and security in the world.

When there is legal discrimination and the law-making centre is a source of
bullying and force instead of justice and fairness, how can one expect to
achieve justice and peace? Seeking power and selfishness is the source of
racism, discrimination, aggression and tyranny. Today many racists condemn
racism in their slogans and speeches but when some powerful countries give
themselves the right to make decisions for other countries, using their
discretion, and based on their own interests, they can easily trample on all
rules and human values. As they have already proven.

After the Second World War, by exploiting the holocaust and under the
pretext of protecting the Jews they made a nation homeless with military
expeditions and invasion. They transferred various groups of people from
America, Europe and other countries to this land. They established a
completely racist government in the occupied Palestinian territories. And in
fact, under the pretext of making up for damages resulting from racism in
Europe, they established the most aggressive, racist country in another
territory, i.e. Palestine.

The Security Council endorsed this usurper regime and for 60 years
constantly defended it and let it commit any kind of crime.

Worse than this is that some Western governments and America are committed
to support genocidal racists while others condemn the bombardment of
innocent human beings, the occupation of their land and the disasters that
took place in Gaza. Even before they kept silent, not responding to all the
crimes of that regime, and supported it. Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
what has been the source of recent wars such as the Americans' attack on
Iraq or the wide military expedition in Afghanistan? Has it been anything
else than the selfishness of the American government of the time and the
pressures by those in possession of wealth and power to expand influence and
hegemony, support weapon manufacturers, destroy a great culture that is
thousands of years old, destroying possible and potentials risks by the
countries of the region against the occupying Quds regime, and looting the
energy resources of the Iraqi people?

In fact why were one million people dead and injured and a few million
people forced to leave their homeland? Why were hundreds of billions of
dollars worth of damage inflicted on the Iraqi people and hundreds of
billions of dollars of costs for the military invasion imposed on the
American people and America's allies? Was attacking Iraq not orchestrated by
the Zionists and their allies in the previous ruling government of America
which was on the one hand in power and on the other the owner of arms
manufacturing companies?

Did peace, security and prosperity return to Afghanistan by military
intervention? America and its allies were not even able to stop the
production of narcotics and during their presence it increased several fold.
The main question is this: What was the role of the previous ruling system
in America and its allies? Were they the representatives of the world
nations? Were they elected by the world nations? Do they have representation
by the world nations to interfere in the affairs of all parts of the world
and especially our region? Don't these actions, the occupation of Iraq and
Afghanistan, count as examples of selfishness, racism, discrimination and
violating the dignity and independence of other nations?

Ladies and gentlemen, who are the people in charge of the crisis-hit economy
of the world? Where did the crisis start? Did it start in Africa and Asia or
American and then Europe and their allies?

For a long time, using their political influence, they [West] imposed unfair
economic laws on international economic transactions. They set up financial
and monetary systems without provisions of international supervision and
imposed those systems on countries that did not have the smallest role to
play in the processes and policies adopted.

They do not even allow their own nations to supervise. By taking away
morality from their actions, they have established laws in a way that they
serve the interests of certain powerful people and capitalists. By giving a
specific definition of free market and competition, they took away many
opportunities from others and imposed their problems on others.

Today, with dozens of thousands of billions of dollars of debt and thousands
of billions of dollars of budget deficit, those waves of crisis have come
back to them.

Even today in order to improve the situation, they have started injecting
hundred billions of dollars of unsupported money from the pockets of their
citizens and other nations into banks and companies and financial markets
which were close to bankruptcy and they have made their people even more
indebted and they have made the problem more complicated.

They are thinking of maintaining their power and wealth. And the people of
the world and even their own people are of no value to them. Mr President,
ladies and gentlemen, the true root of racism is the lack of human
understanding as God's chosen creatures and deviation from the true path of
human life and human missions in creation. Due to negligence in worshipping
God with awareness and pondering on the philosophy of life and the path
towards human perfection - which leads to the natural outcome of being
committed to divine values and mankind - the horizon of human insight has
declined. And limited and temporary interests became the criteria of
evaluation and actions by human beings. Therefore, the seeds of evil power
took their shape and by neglecting fair chances for others' growth, it added
to the boundaries of its development.

In such a way that it changed to an ugly and uncontrollable racism that
today it is threatening the global peace as the most dangerous factor. And
it is an obstacle on the way of achieving peaceful life in the world.
Undoubtedly, racism should be recognised as the symbol of ignorance of the
depth of history and a sign of dogmatism against mankind's general growth.
Therefore, we should look for the signs of racism under conditions and
situations in a society where poverty of knowledge and lack of understanding
would be spread. Therefore, the main means of fighting such symptoms is to
promote general awareness and deepening public understanding towards the
philosophy of mankind's existence and the truth about the human-oriented
world. Its requirement or outcome is a return to spiritual and ethical
values and human virtues and finally the belief in God. The global society
should start a united cultural movement for enlightening certain suffering
and undeveloped societies as much as possible and uproot this hideous and
evil phenomenon.

But dear friends, today the human society is facing a kind of racism which
has an ugliness that has completely distorted the honour of mankind at the
verge of the third millennium and it has made the global society shameful.
The global Zionism is the complete symbol of racism, which with unreal
reliance on religion has tried to misuse the religious beliefs of some
unaware people and hide its ugly face. But what should be seriously
considered are the goals of certain superpowers and those in possession of
major interests in the world; those who try their best through economic
power and political influence and wide media means, to lessen the crimes and
ugliness of the nature of the Zionist regime. Here, the main issue is not
ignorance and therefore, cultural movements on their own, are not sufficient
to fight this evil phenomenon. But we should try to put an end to the misuse
of international means by the Zionists and their supporters. And by
respecting nations' demands, we should motivate the united governments to
eliminate this clear racism and step on the path of reforming international
relations 0and mechanisms with courage.

Undoubtedly, you are all aware of the extensive efforts by the institutes of
global power towards creating a deviation on the path of the real mission of
this important conference. Unfortunately in the literature supporting the
Zionists, a clear participation and cooperation in their crimes can be
noticed. And this adds to the responsibilities of the respectful
representatives of nations in revealing this antihuman issue and improving
relations and behaviours. We should be aware that to keep a huge global
capacity, such as this conference, away from its real intentions, means
helping to continue the most hideous sense of racism. Today the necessity of
defending human rights is firstly, to defend the rights of a nation to be
free to make decisions regarding important global affairs without the
influence of certain powers; secondly, to take action to improve
international structures and relations. Therefore, this conference is the
arena of a major test and we will be judged by the world's public opinion
today and tomorrow.

Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, the world's general condition is rapidly
moving towards basic changes. Power based equations have become very weak.
The sound of the pillars of global tyranny breaking can be heard. Political
and macro economic structures are falling. Political and security crisis are
growing. And the growing global economic crisis, for the resolution of which
there is no bright horizon, makes all sorts of quantitative and quality
aspects of change on the way very impressive. I have emphasised the
necessity of getting back from the wrong path that today's absolute global
management is following and I have warned about the critical outcomes of
delaying to do so.

Also now, in this valued conference, addressing you managers, thinkers and
all the world nations who are thirsty for peace, freedom, progress and
prosperity, I would like to say that the unjust ruling of the world is
reaching its end. This deadlock was inevitable since the logic behind this
imposed management is tyrannical. This is because the logic of the mass
movement of the world is divine, purposeful, humane and God-centred. It is a
movement which opposes any policy or plan which is not in line with the
interests of nations. Victory of truth over vice and the bright future of
humanity and the establishment of a just global system is the promise of God
and all prophets, and a common hope of all communities and generations.
Achieving such a future justifies the reason behind creation, is the belief
of all those faithful to God and the very high status of the human beings.

Formation of a global community, the practical possibility of a common
global system materialising and finally involving thinkers, managers and
people of the world to actively and justly participate in the macro and
principle decision makings is the main path to this great destination.

At the moment, scientific and technical capabilities as well as information
and communication technology have created a mutual and comprehensive
understanding of the global community and have created the necessary ground
for a common system to materialise. .

Now, this is a grave responsibility that the world's scientists, elites and
officials across the world should shoulder by playing a historic role
through faith in this definite path.

Now I want to stress on this fact that western capitalism like communism has
reached the end of its path because it does not see the world and humanity
as they are. It has tried to impose a self-constructed path and destination
and instead of paying attention to human and divine values, justice,
freedom, compassion and brotherhood it has set fierce competition for
gaining individual and collective materialistic interests as a basis for
life.

Now we should collectively try to learn lessons from the past and understand
the necessity for correcting this path by considering today's conditions.
And on the same note and as the final word I would like to draw your
attention to two important points.

First point: The improvement of the current international condition is
hundred per cent possible. But we should know that this cannot be achieved
without the cooperation of all the governments and nations. Therefore, we
should benefit from the capacities of international cooperation to the
maximum. My presence in this conference indicates my respect for this
important issue, and the essential issue of human rights and support for
nations' rights against the evil phenomenon of racism and cooperation with
you, the thinkers.

Second: Considering the lack of efficiency of systems and international
political, economic, security and cultural relations is necessary. In view
of divine and humanitarian values and the true and real definition of human
beings and based on justice and respect for the rights of all human beings
across the world, confessing to the wrong management in the past and
changing the views and performances, measures should be taken to reform the
current structures. Therefore, a speedy change in the structure of the
United Nations and the elimination of the discriminatory right to veto and a
change in the financial and monetary system of the world must be on the
agenda. Obviously, the lack of understanding for the urgency of this change
will result in heavier costs due to any delay.

My dear friends, you should know that moving in line with justice and human
dignity is like moving quickly on a stream of water. Let's not forget the
valuable elixir of love and compassion. The guarantee for a clear future for
human beings is a great asset that can keep us more aware and more hopeful
than ever before. It can enable us to create a world full of love and
blessing and can be free from poverty and hatred. We will also be able to
profit from the blessings of God and have the advantage of having a decent
management of a complete human being.

Let us all have a share in this important issue, and hope for that bright
and beautiful day. I would like to sincerely thank the President and the UN
Secretary-General and all of you for your patience, wishing you dignity and
success.”

*This is a BBC translation from a speech transcript supplied by the Islamic
Republic of Iran News Network, Tehran, in Persian.*

*The speech Mr Ahmadinejad gave was different in some respects from the
draft submitted previously by the Iranians to the UN. That can be accessed
here*