Iran's Ahmadinejad pulls out of UN summit

Times of Oman:

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has pulled out of the UN's World Summit for the Information Society in Tunisia this week, the ISNA news agency said Monday.

The report did not give any reason for the cancellation of Ahmadinejad's appearance at Wednesday's summit, due to gather about 50 heads of state or government and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. READ MORE

In October, Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," comments that drew widespread international condemnation and led Israel to call for Iran's expulsion from the United Nations. Annan had been due to visit Iran last week, but pulled out in the wake of the diplomatic storm.

The IT summit is aimed at completing a two-year UN initiative to boost access to modern telecommunications and the Internet in the developing world.