Jewish leaders urge Brazil to cancel upcoming Ahmadinejad visit

Jewish leaders have criticized the Brazilian government’s plans to receive Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next month and urged it to condemn his denial of the Holocaust and "support of international terrorism." Brazil, which has defended dialogue and engagement with Iran, is due to get a visit from Ahmadinejad in late November. "For us, it is very sad to know that Brazil will receive a man who publicly says he wants to destroy our country," Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger told reporters after meeting with the chairman of the Brazilian Senate, José Sarney. Metzger, who participated in a religious seminar in the capital, Brasilia, urged Brazilian authorities to call off the visit. The Simon Wiesenthal Center urged Brazil to use the visit to condemn Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic rhetoric. US Congressmen Eliot Engel called the state visit by the Iranian leader a “disgrace” and said it would harm Brazil’s international standing.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the Jewish leaders' remarks but reaffirmed its position of promoting engagement with Iran. Last month, President Lula da Silva urged Western leaders to stop pushing Iran over its nuclear program and instead talk to it to foster peace. Israeli President Shimon Peres is expected to visit Brazil later this year.