It’s always nice to see a totalitarian propaganda show disappoint its sponsors. Thus it’s hard to avoid chortling at the embarrassment suffered by Iranian leaders today when the much-heralded meeting of the Nonaligned Movement in Tehran went off in an unscripted direction.
The ayatollahs had made much of the attendance of President Mohammad Morsi of Egypt–the largest Arab state–and of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations. But they could not have liked what they heard from the two prominent visitors. Morsi openly came out in support of the revolt being waged by the Syrian people against Bashar Assad–Iran’s closest ally in the regime. “The Syrian people are fighting with courage, looking for freedom and human dignity,” he said prompting the Syrian ambassador to walk out.
Ban also denounced the repression carried out by the Syrian government with Iranian help. Then, even better, he upbraided the Iranian leadership for threatening to annihilate Israel and for denying the Holocaust. “I strongly reject threats by any member state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts, such as the Holocaust,” he said.
The Iranian news media apparently did not report Morsi’s or Ban’s remarks but it seems certain that they will be become widely known within Iran, thus presenting a strong counterpoint to the propaganda line of the regime.
That said, we should not get carried away–ruthless dictatorships like the one that rules Iran can suffer a lot of embarrassment with impunity. And however discredited the regime becomes, it still yields considerable power both within Iran and outside of it–and that power will only grow unless something more is done to stop its nuclear weapons program, which has not been slowed in the slightest by the latest diplomatic efforts emanating from Washington nor even, so far, by a new round of sanctions. The Wall Street Journal reports, for example, that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientist, is back at work.
When President Mohammad Morsi of Egypt and Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations went to Iran, the damage was done. That they said words contrary to Iran's interests is next to meaningless. Once they went to the country, they gave legitimacy to that theocracy and thereby lent their prestige, such as it is, to Iran's leaders. n nA better approach would be for them not to go and release clear statements that Iran's influence and support for Syria would not be tolerated, that Iran's denial of the Holocaust is wrong and never permissible, and that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons is a threat to the world and that they would support whoever had the courage to stop Iran's nuclear development. n nNeither leader has to go to Iran to make that case. They can do it from the comfort of their homes and show the world that Iran is a pariah country with their current leadership.
Morsi – “I strongly reject threats by any member state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts, such as the Holocaust,” n nReally? Would he say that in Egypt. In Arabic? n nJust askin'…
He didn't say it. Ban Ki-Mon did.
morsi did not say that, neither in English nor Arabic. Ban said it. n nNow the UN charter states that its principles include refraining from "the threat or use of force against . . . the political independence of any state. . . " nOf course Iran has been breaking the principle for many years, and this seems to be the first time that Ban complains about it. n
it's sad that we feel so appreciative at this little crumb from the corruptocrats at the UN. Ban-Ki Moon tells Iran it's outrageous for one member state to threaten another–that the Holocaust was real and they should stop saying it wasn't–wow. n nthis is what passes for "Profiles in Courage" in the 21st century? n nwhy didn't ol' Banky say this years ago? why didn't it come up when Iran was angling for a seat on the UN's Human Rights commission? the hateful rhetoric has been coming for years. n nwe are wasting something like $22 billion every year on the UN, and giving them prime Manhattan real estate from which to carry out their anti-Western, pro-Islamic agenda. why are we doing this? let the oil sheiks and the mullahs take over; the organization is for their benefit now anyway. America can use the money much better elsewhere. let them meet in Jeddah; see how fun THAT is for the obscenely overpaid delegates.