New York, US
18 September 2009

President Ronald Lauder: "UN members must stand up against Iranian ruler"

World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder today strongly condemned the latest denial of the Holocaust by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and called it "another good reason for United Nations members to walk out on him" when he speaks before the United Nations in New York next week. At an anti-Israel rally in Tehran on Friday, Ahmadinejad had said that the "Holocaust is a false claim, a fairy tale, used as a pretext for crimes against humanity." In an NBC interview aired on Thursday, he failed to rule out that Iran will develop nuclear weapons.

Lauder said the Iranian president’s latest comments "are a giveaway of his true intentions" and they provided "more clear evidence that Ahmadinejad and his government are currently not a serious partner for diplomatic talks” with the West. He expressed concern that the meeting between the Six Nations group and Iran in October will only play into the hands of Iran as Tehran was being allowed to gain further time to advance its nuclear program.

The WJC President again called on UN member states to boycott Ahmadinejad's speech to the General Assembly next Wednesday. In letters to UN ambassadors Lauder urged them to stand up against Iranian ruler and "not to lend legitimacy to his hateful rhetoric" by their presence in the room. The World Jewish Congress has launched a petition on its website (www.worldjewishcongress.org/iran_campaign), which can be signed by everybody. The WJC campaign is part of a wider effort by non-governmental organizations, including a rally near the UN Headquarters in New York on 24 September 2009, at noon, calling for freedom in Iran (see www.StandForFreedomInIran.org).

In an opinion poll conducted via the WJC website, 75 per cent of respondents said the UN should not give the Iranian president a forum for his hate speech.

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 92 countries around the world. The WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations, including the United Nations. It has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Committee.