(WASHINGTON) The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned Iran over remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he said that Israel should be “wiped off the map.”
Council members approved a draft resolution warning Iran that such offensive language is intolerable. The draft was distributed to all member-states of the world body.
The resolution affirmed the Council’s support for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan who slammed Ahmadinejad for his remarks, reminding the Islamic theocracy of the U.N. charter which forbids member states from threatening sovereign nations.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. Danny Gillerman welcomed the resolution saying the Council's condemnation is a proof that Iran is a dangerous state.
In a letter submitted to the organization earlier Friday Gillerman called for Iran’s removal adding that Tehran is a “threat not just to Israel but to the whole world."
“The U.N. aspires to unite peace-loving states, reflected in Charter when it calls to be ‘determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,’” the letter said.
“This outrageous statement contradicts the international community’s efforts to instill peace and security to the Middle East and learn the horrific lessons of war.
“This malicious statement warrants a resolute and strong response from the international community. No member state that calls for violence, death, and destruction, as the President of Iran did yesterday, deserves a seat in this civilized body, the United Nations,” Gillerman said.
A copy of Gillerman’s letter was included in the draft resolutions distributed to representatives of member states.
EU leaders react to Ahmadinejad remarks
Ahmadinejad's comments drew a series of condemnations wolrdwide with European Union leaders saying that no country which claimed to be a responsible member of the international community could make such a call.
"EU leaders ... today condemned in the strongest terms the comments in respect of the State of Israel attributed to President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad of Iran," E.U. leaders said Thursday in a statement issued at a one-day summit outside London.
"Calls for violence, and for the destruction of any state, are manifestly inconsistent with any claim to be a mature and responsible member of the international community," they said.
The Islamic Republic has never acknowledged Israel's right to exist. It denies training and arming Palestinian terror groups dedicated to Israel's destruction but says it gives them moral support.
Iranian official in Moscow tries to soften remarks
The Iranian embassy in Moscow, however, sought to soften the effect of the comments by Ahmadinejad, an outspoken former Tehran mayor with little diplomatic experience, propelled to power last year by strong support among the devout poor.
"Mr Ahmadinejad did not have any intention to speak up in such sharp terms and enter into a conflict," the embassy said in a statement, a first official reaction to the West's outrage.
"It's absolutely clear that, in his remarks, Mr Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, underlined the key position of Iran, based on the necessity to hold free elections on the occupied territories."
Reuters contributed to this report