Ahmadinejad avoids controversial statements when visiting Congress
Iran President avoided repeating controversial statements recently made against sexual and religious freedom and acknowledged the Second World War massacre that slaughtered millions of Jews.
When visiting the presidents of the Chamber, Michel Temer, and of the Senate, José Sarney, Iran president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, avoided repeating controversial statements he recently made against sexual and religious freedom. Instead of denying the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad acknowledged the massacre that killed millions of Jews during the Second World War but he said that the Palestinians shouldn’t pay for an european mistake. He also said that the Brazilians wouldn’t accept to sacrifice their territory because of crimes comitted elsewhere in the world.
According to him, there is no solution so far for the Palestinian Conflict because all peace propositions for the region generated at the United Nations Security Council are not based on justice. Because of that, Ahmadinejad announced support for Brazil as permanent member of the Council.
International Moderator
Michel Temer, President of the Chamber, said that he hopes as an outcome of Ahmadinejad’s visit a stronger presence of Brazil as international moderator. Temer saw as natural the demonstrations which marked Ahmadinejad’s visit. “In the end, he is president of a country and there is no point in not receiving him. There may be critical remarks but one cannot let the institutional protocol apart”, he stated.
For the president of the Senate, José Sarney, the most important aspect of the visit is that he and the president of the Chamber, Michel Temer, had the opportunity to reinsure Brazil’s commitment with peace among all peoples and tolerance with differences. “We had the possibility of reaffirming everything we think about democracy, about religious freedom, practices that are permanent in Brazil”, Sarney said.
The president of the Senate reminded yet that at the encounter he and Temer also pointed out their position against nuclear proliferation and made wishes that peace come back to Middle East. “We also made clear our disagreement with a statement denying the Holocaust of Jewish people”.
PSDB deputies made demonstration
During the whole permanence at the Congress of the Iranian entourage, the PSDB deputies Marcelo Itagiba (RJ) and Zenaldo Coutinho (PA) used whistles devices and held a large ribbon saying “Holocaust never more”, protesting against the presence in Brazil of the Iranian president. Marcelo Itagiba presented Bill 987/07 that punishes with up to three years prison the one who denies Holocaust.
Reporting – Alexandre Pôrto/The Chamber's Radio Station
Edition – Paulo Cesar Santos
Translation – José Schneider