Lets us start with a question here... why would we give this "thing", "thug" "terror sponsor" a visa to enter the US?
Ahmadinejad will be in New York to address the UN next week and planned demonstrations are already being announced to protest his visit.
But here in New York, the mood at Turtle Bay is less predictable than in the past, in part because, in sharp contrast to a former U.N. chief, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General Ban has signaled he may side with the West this time. And a Jewish community leadership, animated in part by the success Mr. Ahmadinejad has had in finding allies within the political debate in America, has scheduled a rally on Monday in front of the United Nations.
"It's a message to the world leaders about their responsibility," a vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein, said. "This is somebody who violated the United Nations charter and should not be given that platform."
Mitt Romney has it right and has released a letter this morning urging UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to revoke an invitation for Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak to the General Assembly next week.
"The only way he should be greeted in the United States is with an indictment under the Genocide Convention," Romney wrote.
"The Iranian regime under President Ahmadinejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah's terror campaign in the region and around the world, and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons – capabilities that make these threats even more ominous. As General Petraeus testified last week, Iran is also supporting Shia militia extremists and violence that is taking the lives of American soldiers and undermining the Iraqi government.
A failure by the United Nations to take a strong stand against Iran's President Ahmadinejad would be especially disturbing given the United Nations' record of failure to prevent genocide in other circumstances and the failure of the United Nations Human Rights Council to confront the Iranian regime and others among the world's worst human rights abusers."
Here is the PDF of Romney's letter.
TEXT: (I am manually typing it from the PDF, so any errors are mine, not Mitt Romney's)
To His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon,
With the disturbing news that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad is planning to address the United Nations General Assembly next week, I call on the United Nations to revoke any invitation to President Ahmandinejad to address the General Assembly. The only way he should be greeted in the United States is with an indictment under the Genocide Convention.
The Iranian regime under President Mahmoud Ahmandiejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah's terror campaign in the region and around the world, and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons- capabilities that make these threats even more ominous. As General David Petraeus testified last week, Iran is also supporting Shia militia extremists and violence that is taking lives of American soldiers and undermining the Iraqi government.
A failure by the United Nations to take a strong stand against Iran's President Ahmadinejad would be especially disturbing given the United Nations' record of failure to prevent genocide in other circumstances and the failure of the United Nations Human Rights Council to confront the Iranian regime and others among the world's worst human rights abusers. Failure to act would mean that the United States must reconsider its level of support and funding for the United Nations as we look to rebuild and revitalize effective international partnerships to meet 21st century threats.
If President Ahmadinejad sets foot in the United States, he should be handed an indictment under the Genocide Convention. This approach has been called for by experts as diverse as Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel, human rights advocate and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and law professor Alan Dershowitz.
The United States and the world must take a strong stand against the terrorist Iranian regime and the time for action is now.
Sincerely,
Mitt Romney
The text of the Genocide Convention which Mitt Romney refers to can be found here and it states: (The pertinent article is in red)
The Contracting Parties,
Having considered the declaration made by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 96 (I) dated 11 December 1946 that genocide is a crime under international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of the United Nations and condemned by the civilized world,
Recognizing that at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity, and
Being convinced that, in order to liberate mankind from such an odious scourge, international co-operation is required,
Hereby agree as hereinafter provided:
Article I: The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Article III: The following acts shall be punishable:
(a) Genocide;
(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
(d) Attempt to commit genocide;
(e) Complicity in genocide.
Article IV: Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.
Article V: The Contracting Parties undertake to enact, in accordance with their respective Constitutions, the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention, and, in particular, to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III.
Article VI: Persons charged with genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State in the territory of which the act was committed, or by such international penal tribunal as may have jurisdiction with respect to those Contracting Parties which shall have accepted its jurisdiction.
Article VII: Genocide and the other acts enumerated in article III shall not be considered as political crimes for the purpose of extradition.
The Contracting Parties pledge themselves in such cases to grant extradition in accordance with their laws and treaties in force.
Article VIII: Any Contracting Party may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action under the Charter of the United Nations as they consider appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III.
Article IX: Disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application or fulfilment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide or for any of the other acts enumerated in article III, shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice at the request of any of the parties to the dispute.
Article X: The present Convention, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall bear the date of 9 December 1948.
Article XI: The present Convention shall be open until 31 December 1949 for signature on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and of any nonmember State to which an invitation to sign has been addressed by the General Assembly.
The present Convention shall be ratified, and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
After 1 January 1950, the present Convention may be acceded to on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and of any non-member State which has received an invitation as aforesaid. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article XII: Any Contracting Party may at any time, by notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, extend the application of the present Convention to all or any of the territories for the conduct of whose foreign relations that Contracting Party is responsible.
Article XIII: On the day when the first twenty instruments of ratification or accession have been deposited, the Secretary-General shall draw up a proces-verbal and transmit a copy thereof to each Member of the United Nations and to each of the non-member States contemplated in article XI.
The present Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.
Any ratification or accession effected, subsequent to the latter date shall become effective on the ninetieth day following the deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.
Article XIV: The present Convention shall remain in effect for a period of ten years as from the date of its coming into force.
It shall thereafter remain in force for successive periods of five years for such Contracting Parties as have not denounced it at least six months before the expiration of the current period.
Denunciation shall be effected by a written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article XV: If, as a result of denunciations, the number of Parties to the present Convention should become less than sixteen, the Convention shall cease to be in force as from the date on which the last of these denunciations shall become effective.
Article XVI: A request for the revision of the present Convention may be made at any time by any Contracting Party by means of a notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General.
The General Assembly shall decide upon the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such request.
Article XVII: The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify all Members of the United Nations and the non-member States contemplated in article XI of the following:
(a) Signatures, ratifications and accessions received in accordance with article XI;
(b) Notifications received in accordance with article XII;
(c) The date upon which the present Convention comes into force in accordance with article XIII;
(d) Denunciations received in accordance with article XIV;
(e) The abrogation of the Convention in accordance with article XV;
(f) Notifications received in accordance with article XVI.
Article XVIII: The original of the present Convention shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
A certified copy of the Convention shall be transmitted to each Member of the United Nations and to each of the non-member States contemplated in article XI.
Article XIX: The present Convention shall be registered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the date of its coming into force.
Text: U.N.T.S. (United Nations Treaty Series), No. 1021, vol. 78 (1951), p. 277.
Romney is right.
Others protesting Ahmadinejad's address to the United Nation:
An official demonstration organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Communities Relations Council of New York in cooperation with the United Jewish Communities, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs will take place across the street from UN headquarters next Monday, a day after Ahmadinejad is expecteda to arrive here.
"We believe the rally is particularly significant this year, because of Ahmadinejad's continued escalation of rhetoric against Israel and Jews," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents. Hoenlein pointed to Ahmadinejad's statement in early September that Iran was operating over 3,000 centrifuges and that "every week a new [centrifuge] system is installed."
"He has used negotiations to advance their program without any intent to modify, let alone eliminate, nuclear activity, and at the same time Iran is undermining NATO, instigating in Iraq and supporting Hizbullah," said Hoenlein. "All these things bring greater urgency to the need to take him on, to show Ahmadinejad and the world that his presence here, at the UN, whose very charter he violates - we need to let them know we aren't getting tired, and only augment the activities, Jews and non-Jews alike."
Why would Ahmadinejad be issued a visa to enter the United States of America when he has been shown to be directly and indirectly responsible for America Military deaths in Iraq?
Ban's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said Monday she did not know whether the secretary-general had received the letter.
Asked about calls for Iran to be barred from the U.N. because of its threats against another member-state, Montas said any question about membership was dealt with "through the General Assembly. It cannot go through any other body."
Ban has in the past criticized Ahmadinejad for his stance on Israel. When the president said last June that the world would soon see Israel's destruction, Ban said he was "shocked and dismayed."
"Under the United Nations Charter, all members have undertaken to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," he said in a statement at the time. (Source)
Lets not forget the cost of protecting Ahmadinejad while he is here:
New York City Police Department officials said yesterday that the city would deploy thousands of its officers to protect Mr. Ahmadinejad, along with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan and other countries as they gather for the 62nd session of the General Assembly, which technically opens today. Streets will be blocked off to protect the dignitaries as they move through the city and also to accommodate dozens of protests.
The visits by the high-profile heads of state attending the U.N. meetings could set back city taxpayers millions of dollars that the federal government may — or may not — reimburse, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday.
"We'll do whatever we can, regardless of the cost, and then we'll try to get the federal government to pay the security costs, which they are obligated to do for U.N. visitors under an agreement in which they seldom do. But we're not going to spare any expense," he said.
So, we are allowing a president of a terror sponsoring state to come onto U.S. soil, we are paying, WE, the taxpayers, are paying for his security, and the UN, to whom he has been refusing to honor the charters as well as his international obligations, is allowing him to speak in front of the General Assembly again?
Something seem wrong with this picture to you?
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Terrorist to speak at UN General Assembly from Morning Coffee...
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