In reaction to the January 26, 2007 U.N. resolution condemning Holocaust denial, the editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan, Hossein Shariatmadari, who is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, attacked the U.N. and accused it of acting against its own charter, and against human rights.
The following are excerpts from the article: [1]
"If the U.N. General Assembly's resolution of Friday was not the last nail in the coffin of this organization, then it [at least] drove one in, and it is preparing the U.N.'s corpse for burial in the graveyard of history… The draft of this resolution, which is clearly opposed to the most basic recognized principles of human rights, was brought before the U.N. General Assembly by the U.S. on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, and that same day it received the agreement of the majority of the countries, including Russia and China.
"The Holocaust, or the slaughter of Jews during of WWII by German Nazis, is a myth and a contrived story. Up until now, many well-known European and American historians have denied that it occurred, by presenting irrefutable historical documents and records. Despite the fact that Holocaust denial is considered a crime in some European countries, including France, and despite the fact that a number of famous researchers and historians, like Robert Faurisson and Roger Garaudy, have been tried and convicted on this charge in the French courts, their condemnation has not become an obstacle to the denial of this great historical lie by other famous researchers and historians, who see silence in the face of the myth of the Holocaust as a great crime. And despite the consequences of publishing their research, they do not refrain from expressing their scientific opinion on this topic.
"The myth of the Holocaust is an excuse [used by] West to establish the illegal Zionist regime, and denial of it is an irrefutable attestation - in addition to many other attestations - that clearly testify to the illegality of the existence of the Zionist regime.
"If America and its allies claim so fervently that the Holocaust should be considered a historical reality, they should provide proof and documents that prove their opinion, which [has become] the cause of the occupation of Palestine and the countless crimes of the Zionists… However, despite this rational and scientific [demand], not only have they not provided and are not providing documents and records to prove the Holocaust - as they have none - but they also threaten those who deny this myth with condemnation. The UNGA resolution on Friday was the most ridiculous example of this…
"In the 12 [sic] articles of the U.N. Charter, not only is there no prohibition against dealing with [the myth of the Holocaust] through scientific research, but it is even emphasized in the definition of the powers given to the UN and its General Assembly that governments must honor this unequivocal right of the nations. It is difficult to understand - on what legal basis was the UNGA's resolution on Friday proposed?
"There is no doubt that this resolution is an additional attempt to protect the regime that is occupying Jerusalem. In this situation, there is also no doubt as to the role that was placed on Israel, [namely to act] brutally against the Palestinian people and the rest of the Muslim nations. Not only can the U.N.'s Friday resolution not protect the role of 'the walking baton' for the collapsing Zionist entity, but it is a sturdy nail in the coffin of the U.N. The organization has long been on its deathbed, and it is not impossible that [even] before the collapse of the Zionist regime it will become a corpse, fit only for burial in the graveyard…"
[1] Kayhan (Iran), January 28, 2007.
