Wednesday September 23, 2009

Germany wants U.N. walkout if Amadinejad denies Holocaust

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will walk out of the U.N. General Assembly if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust in a speech he will give on Wednesday, and it wants other European Union countries to do the same, the foreign ministry said.

"We will leave the hall if President Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust or makes anti-Semitic statements ... we are making efforts towards a unified European position," a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks as Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari (R) attends a military parade to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in southern Tehran September 22, 2009. (REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi)

Ahmadinejad has, as recently as last week, called the Holocaust a lie, repeating his position just as world powers try to decide how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Denying the Holocaust, carried out by the Nazis in World War Two, is a crime in Germany. Last week German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned Ahmadinejad's latest denial and called him a disgrace to his country.

(Reporting by Brian Rohan; editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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