Iran invites Blair to Holocaust debate
TEHRAN: Iran has invited the British prime minister to Tehran to take part in a conference on the Holocaust, branded a myth by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Islamic republic’s president. Hamid Reza Asefi, a foreign ministry spokesman, said: "It would be good for Mr Blair to participate in the Holocaust seminar in Tehran.
"He can also contribute with an article. If he wants to defend the Holocaust in that article, he can do so. We will give him the time to read out his article so others can hear his point of view." The conference is scheduled for spring.
On Monday, Tony Blair attacked the meeting, saying it was "shocking, ridiculous, stupid". He said Ahmadinejad "should come and see the evidence of the Holocaust himself in the countries of Europe". Asefi went on: "In Mr Blair’s speech there was an invitation for the Iranian president to go there and see the places close up. We have to see when the president has time for it."
Iran’s foreign ministry has already said it is willing to send a team of independent investigators to visit former Nazi death camps across Europe. Ahmadinejad, a populist conservative who came to power in a surprise victory last June, has provoked international condemnation with a number of anti-Israeli remarks.
From The News, Pakistan
