Ahmadinejad On Larry King

KING: But you have been regarded as a hostile state. And there are many things that Americans worry about with regard to Iran. You would agree that you are, for want of a better word, a controversial figure. Are you not?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Our country of Iran has a historical presence that extends to 7,000 years. And never has the Iranian nation taken a misstep against another nation.

Throughout history it has demonstrated that it is a nation that is for peace and friendly with others. The war that occurred in the past century -- the only war that confronted us in a major scale was Saddam Hussein's war against us.

That was, if you'll recall, supported by the U.S. government and a number of European governments against us, actually. And what we did was defend ourselves, innocently.

Of course, I will always defend the rights of my nation, the independence of my nation, with the rights -- the legal rights of my nation. And this is the responsibility of every president.

But this defense does not mean that we must infringe on the rights of other nations, not at all. You are aware that in the course of the US attack on Iraq, we were asked in fact to enter into the coalition or the war to some extent -- not the coalition, but the war, this to make up for the war that Saddam launched against us that went on for eight years.

So basically, getting to retaliate and revenge the war, in order words. So we refrained, we refused.

KING: You do not wish the Jewish people harm?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): No. You see, we have no problems with Jewish people. There are many Jews who live in Iran today. In Iran, for every 150,000 people, we have one representative at the parliament, or the Majles.

For the Jewish community, even though there are only 20,000 in Iraq, they still have one independent member in parliament who has the same prerogative as the other members of parliament.

But please pay attention to the fact that the Zionists are not Jews. They have no religion. They have no religion. They're neither Jews nor Christians nor Muslims. They just have -- wear masks of religiosity. How can you possibly be religious and occupy the land of other people?

How can you call yourself a religious person and kill women and children?


KING: Well, they come from a...

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Women and children, women and children were (INAUDIBLE) as a result, cannot have access to medicine.


KING: Mr. President, do they not -- I know you've denied this for some reason, but do they not -- the Zionists, as you call them, do they not come from some history of persecution? Do they not come from the death of millions of men, women, and children? Is there not a birth

(INAUDIBLE) -- there's no birth (INAUDIBLE) in that. You don't think that happened?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): First and foremost, they specifically don't allow anyone to freely discuss the history that happened. They just say, this is our telling of the history and this is what happened. And everybody just listen to it.

KING: You say it didn't happen?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Let's just assume -- what I'm saying is let more research be done on this -- that history. There is a claim that the extent of the calamity was what it was. There are people who agree with it. There are people who disagree. Some completely deny it. Some absolutely agree with the whole account of it.

What we're saying is that we should have an impartial group go do their own research about the extent of the calamity that occurred and then announce a result of that.

Now but what I'd like is really to put this debate aside for a moment. Let's assume that it happened, the extent of which everyone is speaking of. Where did it happen? Did it happen in Palestine? Or did it happen in Europe?

KING: Well, it created Israel.

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): If it happened -- it happened in Europe, if the crimes were committed in Europe, why should the Palestinian people be victimised as a result? Why don't the Europeans just give them a territory? Or in Alaska, perhaps. They could give them a territory anywhere they like.

But why pay from the pocket of some other people? It's as if somebody -- you throw a party from the pocket of someone else. The Palestinian people had no role in that crime. They're innocent, completely

KING: People protesting that they don't have the same rights as other people? Homosexuals, you said last year, you denied there were homosexuals - there's homosexuals everywhere.

AHMADINEJAD: I said it is not the way it is here. In Iran this is considered a very - obviously most people dislike it. And we have actually a law regarding it and the law is enforced. It is a law that was passed, it was legislated and it is an act that is against human principles. A lot of things can happen. It can cause psychological problems, social problems that affect the whole society.

Remember, that God rules our - to improve human life. In our religion this act is forbidden and the Parliament and legislature, not now, 70 years ago, something that happened 70 - before the Islamic Republic became ...

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