Annan shocked by Iranian president's remarks

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday he was shocked by the remarks of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which cast doubt on the truth of the Holocaust and suggested Israel be relocated to Europe.

"The secretary-general recalls that only last month the General Assembly passed a resolution which 'rejects any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in fact," said a statement issued by UN spokesman Stephanie Dujarric.

"He urges all member states to combat such denial, and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered, along with members of other minorities,"the statement said.

Annan again reminded all UN member states that Israel is a long-standing member of the United Nations with the same rights and obligations as every other member, it said.

"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," the statement stressed.

Ahmadinejad, who in late October called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," sparked a new barrage of international criticism Thursday. Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, he said Israel should be moved from the Middle East to Europe and questioned whether the Holocaust took place.

Source: Xinhua