Ahmadinejad blames US for financial crisis at UN forum

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Published: NOVEMBER 29, 2008 15:24
Iran's president said Saturday that the global financial meltdown has put an end to the "merciless and unjust" capitalist system. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also suggested that the crisis could be a "ploy" by the United States to "weaken its rivals and attract wealth" into its own battered economy. The hardline leader was speaking at a UN development conference in Qatar aimed at gaining commitments from rich nations to pump billions of dollars into developing countries. Ahmadinejad also cautioned developing countries against falling into a trap set by the "capitalist bloc," which he says is seeking solutions to the turmoil at the expense of the poor.