[rmnunez]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051026/...ea/iran_israel

Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Wednesday said Israel should be “erased from the map” according to the oficial Iranian news agency. Support for the Palestinian cause is a pillar of Iranian policy which rejects any recognition of Israel’s right to existence. "Israel must be erased from the map," Ahmadinejad told the gathered assembly of 3 thousand students at the “World without Zionism” conference as they chanted “death to Israel and the US”. Under the rule of reformist Mohammad Khatami, whose 8 years in power ended at the beginning of this year, Iran showed signs of reducing its hostility towards Israel. Some Iranian authorities had expressed acceptance of any resolution to the conflict if this was what the Palestinians wanted. However, Ahmadinejad, a hard-line religious conservative former Revolutionary Guardian, maintained there was no let up in Iran’s hostility towards Israel. “The Muslim world will not allow its historical enemy to exist in its land. White House spokesman Scott McClellan, said Washington was concerned over these statements. “This underlines our worries over Iran’s nuclear intentions” he told news reporters. The US accuses Iran of nuclear weapons pursuit, while Iran maintains it needs nuclear materials for purely peaceful applications in power generation. Iran has developed ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel. French Foreign Minister, Douste-Blazy, acknowledged awareness of the reported Iranian statements and indicated he had summoned the Iranian ambassador for an explanation. “If these reported comments are factual,they are unacceptable and I firmly condemn them” he said.