Iran's leader sparks Western walkout at UN meeting

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused Israel of being the "most cruel and racist regime," sparking a walkout by angry Western diplomats at a UN racism conference and protests from others. In a rambling speech, Ahmadinejad on Monday pointed the finger at the United States, Europe and Israel and said they were destabilizing the entire world. Some European diplomats immediately walked out of the room when Ahmadinejad said Israel was created on the "pretext of Jewish suffering" from World War II. A wigged protester shouting "Racist! racist!" threw a soft red object at Ahmadinejad, hitting the podium and interrupting his speech. The United States and eight other Western countries are already boycotting the weeklong event.