Ahmadinejad: Israel 'will be removed'

Tehran (dpa) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that the
Palestinians and "other nations" will eventually remove Israel from the
region. 

Addressing a mass demonstration in Tehran - one of many organized throughout
Iran to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the Islamic revolution - he once
again questioned the Holocaust "fairy tale". 

"We ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do
not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other
nations will eventually do this for them," Ahmadinejad said in a ceremony
marking the 27th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. 

"Do the removal of Israel before it is too late and save yourself from the
fury of regional nations," the ultra-conservative president said. He once
again called the Holocaust a "fairy tale" and said Europeans have become
hostages of "Zionists" in Israel. 

He also accused Europeans for not allowing "neutral scholars" to investigate
in Europe and make a scientific report on "the truth about the fairy tale of
Holocaust." 

"How comes that insulting the prophet of Muslims worldwide is justified within
the framework of press freedom, but investigating about the fairy tale
Holocaust is not?" Ahmadinejad said. 

"The real Holocaust is what is happening in Palestine where the Zionists avail
themselves of the fairy tale of Holocaust as blackmail and justification for
killing children and women and making innocent people homeless," Ahmadinejad
said. 

The president said that the results of the parliamentary elections in
Palestine and the victory of the Hamas group "clearly showed what the people
really want." 

"You (the West) want democracy but do not respect the outcome," Ahmadinejad
said, referring to the election results in Iraq and Palestine. 

"It seems that you (the West) only want that form of democracy whose results
just repeat your standpoints and only follow your policies," he said. 

Ahmadinejad once again called on the West to adopt the "simple option" and
allow Palestinians to voice their political will through a referendum. 

Mass demonstrations organized by the state were held throughout Iran on
Saturday as the nation commemorated the 27th anniversary of the revolution
that established the Islamic Republic in Iran. 

According to state media, hundreds of thousands of people came into the
streets to show their solidarity with the government over pursuing the
country's nuclear programmes and voice their protest against publication of
cartoons deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. 

While chanting "Death to America", "Death of Israel" and "Nuclear energy is
our undisputable right", the crowd walked toward the Azadi (Freedom) Square in
Tehran where Ahmadinejad held his annual speech. 

In his speech the Iranian president warned that in case of harsh measures
against Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme, the country would
revise its commitment toward the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 

"The policy of Iran has so far been pursuing nuclear technology within the
framework of the NPT and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said. 

"But if you (the West) continue efforts to deprive the Iranian nation from
this (nuclear) right, then we would reconsider this policy," he warned. 

Ahmadinejad asked the crowd in the Azadi square to tell the world its message
and show its willingness to continue the nuclear programmes despite Western
pressure. 

"The era of military force is over, today is the era of nations, logic and
worshippers of God," the president said. 

He also referred to remarks by United States President George W. Bush who had
said that the Iranian people were different from the Islamic government in
Tehran, saying there was no distinction. 

"Look, this is the third generation standing here and they are even more
religious, more informed, more enthusiastic and more resistant (than the first
generation) to defend the ideals of the revolution," Ahmadinejad said. 

The president also referred to the cartoons and called it a "Zionist plot"
against not only Muslims but also those genuinely committed to Christianity
and Judaism. 

"Those who insulted the prophet should know that you cannot obscure the sun
with a handful of dust. The dust will just get back and blind your own eyes,"
he said. 

The crowd replied to his remarks with "Death to Denmark" slogans.