MEANWHILE, THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE UR'S FOREIGN POLICY...:

'Ahmadinejad Should Not Be Given a Platform': Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predictably lambasted Israel at the UN anti-racism conference, prompting a mass walk-out by Western diplomats. German newspapers on Tuesday praise Berlin for deciding to boycott the meeting. (Der Spiegel, 4/21/09)

Germany, on the other hand, had opted to boycott the UN meeting, sharing Washington's concerns that it could descend into a platform to criticize Israel.

German newspapers on Tuesday are united in their praise of the Berlin government's decision. Many lash out at the UN for giving Ahmadinejad a platform to air his anti-Israeli views.

The center-right Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

"On the very first day, the conference offered Holocaust denier Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a stage from which he predictably attacked Israel. Those who provide the Iranian president with an audience do not automatically agree with him. However they do risk allowing the tirades to be perceived as just one legitimate opinion among many. Many delegations therefore felt compelled to leave the hall."

...is that an Iran or a Venezuela is indeed just one more nation among many.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 21, 2009 7:27 AM