Text of Ahmadinejad's UN Speech

United Nations:

Statement by H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Before the High-Level Plenary of the General Assembly New York - 14 September 2005

In the Name of God, who based His creation of the heavens and earth on the principle of justice, and who founded the sustentation and propriety of human affairs on it; the God, who commanded human beings to cooperate in the path of righteousness and betterment and avoid ill-will, transgression and enmity; the God, who guided great prophets, including Moses and Jesus and the last of the prophets, Mohammad (peace be upon him) as well as all God-seeking and well-intentioned reformers to strive to establish justice and exalt the human status.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I wish to express my pleasure at participating at this august gathering of colleges, distinguished Heads of States and Governments and esteemed delegates, May I also register my deepest grief of the tragic incidents in Kadhemieh (Iraq) and hurricane Katrina, and also express my condolences and sympathies to the victims and their loved ones.

The United Nations must be the focal point of reliance, hope, and participation for all peoples and governments, and a form for dialogue, understanding and cooperation to achieve peace and tranquility throughout the globe.

Attainment of this objective requires:

1. Justice must reign supreme in the Organization, and in accordance with its Charter, all Member-Stats must have equal rights. Greater power or wealth should not accord expanded rights to any member.
2. The principles of democracy and ethics should prevail in all organs and functions of the United Nations, so that the Organization could become a manifestation of the prevalence of these two commonly shared values.
3. The United Nations should endeavor to fulfill its responsibility to promote and institutionalize justice at the international level.
4. The host country should not enjoy and right or privilege over the rest of the membership and the Organization and its headquarters must be easily accessible for all.

In recognition of these principles, the following will become essential: READ MORE

1. The greatest challenge of our age is the gradual spiritual depravation of human beings brought about by the distancing of the prevailing order from morality and unity of monotheism. The United Nations should lead in promotion of spirituality and compassion for humanity. Only through this, uniting of nations can in fact be realized.

2. Acceptance of unilateralism is exactly the negation of the United Nations and its raison detre. Therefore, the United Nations, in its entity, should confront this vicious malady.

3. Today, the physical and psychological security of p copies [sic] and nations is ever more endangered. Unilateralism, production and use of weapons of mass destruction, intimidations, resort to the threat or use of force and imposition of destructive wars on peoples for the sake of security and prosperity of few powers have indeed redoubled the historic responsibility of the United Nations to resolutely endeavor to institutionalize justice in all aspects of global interactions in the interest of human tranquility. In our view, it is impossible to achieve security, peace, stability, prosperity and progress in parts of the world at the expense of instability, militarism, discrimination, poverty and depravation in others.

4. The raison detre of the United Nations is to promote global peace and tranquility. Therefore, any license for pre-emptive measures -- which are essentially based on gauging intentions rather than objective facts and are in fact a modem manifestation of interventionist and war-mongering tendencies of the past -- is in blatant contradiction to the very foundations of the United Nations and the letter and spirit of its Charter.

5. The composition of the Security Council must gain a logical and democratic balance. If permanent membership is accepted for some, then an acceptable mix of representatives of all continents and major civilizations must acquire perm anent seats in the Council. I wish to underline our deep dismay that over fifty Islamic countries encompassing more than one 1.2 billion people do not have a permanent seat in the Security Council, nor does Africa with its huge capabilities and potentials, and that the vast continent of Asia with its ancient civilizations has only one permanent seat.

6. The United Nations must have the possibility to enable all governments, civil society organizations and NGOs from all over the world to freely travel to its headquarters without the selective hindrances of the host count ry and to engage without any fear in serious dialogue.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen'

In our view, these concerns can only be met if the prevailing discourse in international relations is transformed from one based on violence, disc rimination and domination to a discourse of peace and global stability based on justice and spirituality through dialogue, compassion and respect for human beings. The exalted Prophet of Islam says: "the highest state of wisdom, after faith in God, is seeking friendship with people and extending a helping hand to all fellow human beings." These words of wisdom underline the fact that the entire globe is but one body and the pain and ailment of each part disturbs the tranquility of all. In the words of a famous Iranian poet of thirteenth century:

"All human beings are members of one frame Since all, at first, from the same essence came. When time afflicts a limb with pain The other limbs cannot at rest remain.