On the second and last day of his working visit to İstanbul, the Iranian president gathered with a group of academics at a breakfast meeting. Today's Zaman learned from reliable sources that Ahmadinejad, with his remarks at the gathering, once more clearly showed that his firm stance concerning his country's nuclear program has not changed. During the meeting, he delivered a salvo of harsh remarks against both the United States and Israel.
While speaking about a recent conflict between Georgia and Russia, Ahmadinejad once more addressed the United States. "It is not possible for the United States, which even failed to protect its ally Georgia, to attack Iran. The US could not even protect its own ally. US clout in world politics is decreasing. Moreover, it is in a major economic depression," Ahmadinejad said.
"We will see that the US empire will crack and eventually collapse. There is nothing that the US can do against Iran," he added.
At a joint press conference following his meeting with his Turkish counterpart, President Abdullah Gül, Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that nuclear talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the US, Britain, France, Russia and China -- plus Germany (P5 Plus One) are on the right path and described the Geneva talks as "positive."
At the same press conference, Ahmadinejad reiterated that his country welcomes negotiations based on common aspects of the packages offered by Tehran and the West, which could be "a base for reaching an agreement over the Iranian nuclear issue." On July 19 Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, sat at the negotiating table in Geneva with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the representatives of the P5 Plus One to discuss the points common to the package of incentives offered by the P5 Plus One and the proposals put forward by Tehran.
The US and Israel, both possessors of nuclear weaponry, accuse Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Tehran rejects the allegations as baseless, saying it is only after peaceful nuclear energy.
When invited to comment on the Geneva talks, Ahmadinejad said: "There is no compromise that we will make. Their hands are empty. They can't even protect Georgia."
At a press conference later in the day, Ahmadinejad also said that regional nations should fill the security vacuum when the US withdraws its troops from Iraq, but added that there was no prospect of sending in Iranian forces. "The United States will soon leave the region; then regional countries should fill the security vacuum. There is no need for the interference of other countries," Ahmadinejad said. He added that Iraq's stability and territorial integrity must be protected.
Asked if this meant Iranian troops would go into Iraq after US forces leave, Ahmadinejad said: "I have never said such a thing. I have just said America is aggressive and it is cruel. And it will have to leave Iraq soon." The visiting president also lashed out at "the Zionist regime" in the Middle East, saying it was at the core of problems in the region -- in apparent reference to Israel, which he once said "should be whipped off the map."
"It is not possible to get involved in other problems in the Middle East as long as this problem is not solved. One should look at where this regime is coming from. We are not anti-Semitic or enemies of Jews. As a matter of fact, Zionists are not Jews, either; they are irreligious and atheists," he said.
Ahmadinejad said at the press conference the Israeli regime was at the heart of all regional problems and blamed Israel for all the three major wars that have taken place in the Middle East over the past six decades. He said Israel acted as a "station" for big powers in the Middle East and helps these powers advance their interests in the region. "The time is up for the Zionist regime. Many world nations do not want it anymore," he said.
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