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Leaders Sharply Condemn Statements by Iranian President

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned in the sharpest possible terms the most recent statements by the president of Iran about Israel and the Holocaust on December 14. Chancellor Merkel described the statements as “incomprehensible.” Members of the Federal Cabinet who were meeting on Wednesday found the remarks “shocking,” Government Spokesman Thomas Steg reported from the meeting. The German Government will redouble its efforts toward an international repudiation of remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The statements made Wednesday by President Ahmadinejad are “shocking and totally unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Steinmeier said. “The German Government condemns these renewed comments by the Iranian President in the strongest possible terms,” Steinmeier said. “I cannot deny that this will strain bilateral relations as well as the negotiations on Iran's nuclear programe.”

Both Merkel and Steinmeier said they would work for a clear signal of the condemnation from the European Union at the European Council meeting on Thursday. Moreover, Merkel said she would seek a European proposal that the United Nations take up the matter with the goal of achieving a clear condemnation of the remarks by the community of nations.

December 14, 2005

Government & Politics