Wednesday
Feb112009
US Engagement with Iran: Transcript of President Ahmadinejad's Speech
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 8:18
Related Post: Extract from Ahmadinejad Speech, Delegate Walkout at Durban Conference
Related Post: Obama Press Conference: Thumbs-Up for Iran and Russia, Slapdowns for Petraeus and Pakistan
Update: During a trip to Iraq on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, ""We look positively on the slogan that Obama raised in the elections. The world has really changed. If the American administration wants to keep up with the changes, this will be happy news."
This is the transcript of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech on Tuesday at Tehran's Freedom Square, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The translation is provided by the US Government's Open Source Center via Juan Cole:
In the name of God, the Compassionate the Merciful. 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. . .
The new US government has announced that it wants to create change and follow the path of talks. It's very clear that true change should be fundamental and not tactical. It's clear that the Iranian nation will welcome genuine changes.
The Iranian nation is prepared to talk. However, these talks should be held in a fair atmosphere in which there is mutual respect.
They have said that they want to fight terrorism. The Iranian nation has been fighting terrorism for the past 30 years. If you truly want to fight terrorism come and cooperate with the Iranian nation, which is the main victim of terrorism, so that terrorism is uprooted. We can give you the addresses of terrorist dens in some European countries, the lands occupied by the Al-Quds occupying regime (Israel) and some other countries which in fact have good relations with you. Of course, we think that it's very unlikely that you don't have this information. If you want to dry the roots of aggression and murder, let's put those behind the recent wars in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, on trial and sentence them together. Everyone knows that Saddam (Husayn) was not the only person who caused the wars. Since the attack by Mr Bush's government some one million people have been killed and a few million people have been displaced. In order to uproot insecurity, those behind these killings including Mr Bush, his allies and government, have to be put on trial and sentenced. (Chants of indistinct slogans from the masses in support of the president's comments)
If you want to uproot crime, join the Iranian nation and other nations and let's put the criminal leaders of the Zionist regime on trial and sentence them together (chants of indistinct slogans from the masses).
If you want to genuinely fight against the proliferation of atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction, you have to join Iran and help it so that it can show you the right way. Yes, atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction are a serious threat. They have to be destroyed. The Iranian nation is the victim of chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
However, the only way (to counter them) is to implement justice and suitable planning. It's clear that the measures which have been taken up until now to destroy atomic weapons have been ineffective. If they are interested in destroying these weapons and if they genuinely want the world to become a peaceful place, they must resort to rational and just methods.
We told them that their behavior in Iraq was wrong but they didn't listen. As a result, these atrocities occurred and Mr Bush's government was humiliated. If they truly want to establish genuine security, let's reform the fundamentals of the UN's structure, which is the source of oppression and discrimination and is incapable of establishing security, together and establish justice there.
If you genuinely intend to uproot drugs, you should ask the Iranian nation, which has sacrificed more than 3,300 martyrs in its fight against drug smuggling. Of course, this development is in need of fundamental changes to their approach and behavior.
We hope that this happens. The world is not interested in the repetition of the dark ages created by Mr Bush. We don't even want the American nation to be humiliated and have a bad reputation. I believe that the fate of Mr Bush, who has the worst reputation in our contemporary history, should be a lesson to all of those who wish to dominate the world and impose themselves on other nations. Of course, some try to repeat that experience but in another shape, they must know that a fate worse than that of Mr Bush awaits them (chants of indistinct slogans).
The Iranian nation is the friend of regional nations and governments. Even though Iran is a great power, it is the brother of other nations, especially those in the region. Praise be to God, today the Iranian nation has brotherly and friendly relations with other regional nations.
The enemies don't like us to have such relations. They are determined to put some of the region's governments against other nations by imposing certain measures and behavior and humiliate and belittle them in the minds of other nations and make them an accomplice in their crimes. I would like to give them this friendly and brotherly advice and that is that some of them made the same mistake during the first decade of the revolution when Saddam was carrying out atrocities against the Iranian nation.
Then they regretted it. Of course, the Iranian nation was gracious and never showed off to them. As a brother, I would like to say to them that it's to their advantage to be careful of satanic temptations and those created by the Zionists and imperialistic governments. It's in your interest to support your own people. The Iranian nation is by your side and supports you. You have to be in the service of your own people. You should have been by the side of your people during the Gaza incidents....
Related Post: Obama Press Conference: Thumbs-Up for Iran and Russia, Slapdowns for Petraeus and Pakistan
Update: During a trip to Iraq on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, ""We look positively on the slogan that Obama raised in the elections. The world has really changed. If the American administration wants to keep up with the changes, this will be happy news."
This is the transcript of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech on Tuesday at Tehran's Freedom Square, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The translation is provided by the US Government's Open Source Center via Juan Cole:
In the name of God, the Compassionate the Merciful. 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. . .
The new US government has announced that it wants to create change and follow the path of talks. It's very clear that true change should be fundamental and not tactical. It's clear that the Iranian nation will welcome genuine changes.
The Iranian nation is prepared to talk. However, these talks should be held in a fair atmosphere in which there is mutual respect.
They have said that they want to fight terrorism. The Iranian nation has been fighting terrorism for the past 30 years. If you truly want to fight terrorism come and cooperate with the Iranian nation, which is the main victim of terrorism, so that terrorism is uprooted. We can give you the addresses of terrorist dens in some European countries, the lands occupied by the Al-Quds occupying regime (Israel) and some other countries which in fact have good relations with you. Of course, we think that it's very unlikely that you don't have this information. If you want to dry the roots of aggression and murder, let's put those behind the recent wars in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, on trial and sentence them together. Everyone knows that Saddam (Husayn) was not the only person who caused the wars. Since the attack by Mr Bush's government some one million people have been killed and a few million people have been displaced. In order to uproot insecurity, those behind these killings including Mr Bush, his allies and government, have to be put on trial and sentenced. (Chants of indistinct slogans from the masses in support of the president's comments)
If you want to uproot crime, join the Iranian nation and other nations and let's put the criminal leaders of the Zionist regime on trial and sentence them together (chants of indistinct slogans from the masses).
If you want to genuinely fight against the proliferation of atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction, you have to join Iran and help it so that it can show you the right way. Yes, atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction are a serious threat. They have to be destroyed. The Iranian nation is the victim of chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
However, the only way (to counter them) is to implement justice and suitable planning. It's clear that the measures which have been taken up until now to destroy atomic weapons have been ineffective. If they are interested in destroying these weapons and if they genuinely want the world to become a peaceful place, they must resort to rational and just methods.
We told them that their behavior in Iraq was wrong but they didn't listen. As a result, these atrocities occurred and Mr Bush's government was humiliated. If they truly want to establish genuine security, let's reform the fundamentals of the UN's structure, which is the source of oppression and discrimination and is incapable of establishing security, together and establish justice there.
If you genuinely intend to uproot drugs, you should ask the Iranian nation, which has sacrificed more than 3,300 martyrs in its fight against drug smuggling. Of course, this development is in need of fundamental changes to their approach and behavior.
We hope that this happens. The world is not interested in the repetition of the dark ages created by Mr Bush. We don't even want the American nation to be humiliated and have a bad reputation. I believe that the fate of Mr Bush, who has the worst reputation in our contemporary history, should be a lesson to all of those who wish to dominate the world and impose themselves on other nations. Of course, some try to repeat that experience but in another shape, they must know that a fate worse than that of Mr Bush awaits them (chants of indistinct slogans).
The Iranian nation is the friend of regional nations and governments. Even though Iran is a great power, it is the brother of other nations, especially those in the region. Praise be to God, today the Iranian nation has brotherly and friendly relations with other regional nations.
The enemies don't like us to have such relations. They are determined to put some of the region's governments against other nations by imposing certain measures and behavior and humiliate and belittle them in the minds of other nations and make them an accomplice in their crimes. I would like to give them this friendly and brotherly advice and that is that some of them made the same mistake during the first decade of the revolution when Saddam was carrying out atrocities against the Iranian nation.
Then they regretted it. Of course, the Iranian nation was gracious and never showed off to them. As a brother, I would like to say to them that it's to their advantage to be careful of satanic temptations and those created by the Zionists and imperialistic governments. It's in your interest to support your own people. The Iranian nation is by your side and supports you. You have to be in the service of your own people. You should have been by the side of your people during the Gaza incidents....