Annan voices dismay at Iranian president's remarks about Israel

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday voiced dismay at remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.

"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," Annan stressed in a statement issued by his spokesman.

"He reminds all member states that Israel is a long-standing member of the United Nations with the same rights and obligations as every other member," the statement added.

It also announced that the secretary-general would visit Iran during the next few weeks.

"He now intends to place the Middle East peace process, and the right of all States in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force, at the top of his agenda for that visit," the statement said.

At an anti-Zionism rally in Teheran on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad said, "As the Imam (Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini) said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

Ahmadinejad's words has drawn sharp criticism from the European Union and Israel.

Source: Xinhua