Tough questions and protests for Ahmadinejad in New York

NEW YORK: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran faced questions Monday about his perspective on the Holocaust and Israel during an appearance at Columbia University that provoked anger and was overshadowed by protests even before he had taken the lectern.

In opening remarks, Lee Bollinger, the university's president, defended the decision to allow the Iranian president to speak at the Columbia University forum. But he also criticized at length Iran's human rights record, Ahmadinejad's call for the destruction of Israel and his description of the Holocaust as a myth, among other positions.

Ahmadinejad strode onto the stage in a packed auditorium, smiling slightly. Before he sat down, he held up his hands to the crowd, to some applause.

He then gave a speech that meandered from science and religion to the creation of human beings and the misuse of wisdom. But it was during the question-and-answer session that he was confronted about some of his most controversial positions.

He said that as an academic, he questioned whether there was "sufficient research" about what happened after World War II.

"We know quite well that Palestine is an old wound" for 60 years, he said at one point. "We need to still question whether the Palestinian people should be paying for it or not."

He was asked to answer directly whether he or his government seeks the destruction of Israel. He did not. But he said that to solve the "60-year old problem," "we must allow the Palestinian people to decide on its future itself." Earlier, the university had been the scene of protests as it came under criticism for giving Ahmadinejad a platform.

Before he turned the lectern over to Ahmadinejad, Bollinger said that he wanted to emphasize that "this is the right thing to do" to have him speak at the university, because of the American tradition of openness and free speech.

But addressing Ahmadinejad, he said, "You exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Just before Ahmadinejad began his speech, he responded to Bollinger's remarks, saying he did "not think it is necessary before the speech is even given to attempt" to "provide a vaccination" of sorts to students and faculty, according to a translator.

He described some of Bollinger's remarks as an "insult" and "incorrect, regretfully."

Earlier, Ahmadinejad spoke at the National Press Club at midday in Washington via a video link from New York.

Ahmadinejad has been trying to cast a positive light on his policies during his visit to a country where they have been criticized. Iran has been accused by the Bush administration of arming Shiite militias in Iraq as well as developing a nuclear weapons program, charges that the Iranian government denies.

At the National Press Club event, Ahmadinejad said that Iran sought only peace and security for Iraq; he appeared to deny that Iran was providing weapons for Iraqi insurgents; and he said that any talk of war with the United States was "a propaganda tool" by the West.

But Ahmadinejad, in his first real dialogue with the Washington press corps, expressed no great admiration for the United States.

"We oppose the way the U.S. government tries to manage the world," he said. "We believe it's wrong; we believe it leads to war, discrimination and bloodshed."

And he defended or repeated his earlier comments raising questions about the Holocaust, saying Iran could not recognize Israel "because it is based on ethnic discrimination, occupation and usurpation, and it consistently threatens its neighbors."

Ahmadinejad was participating in Columbia University's World Leaders Forum. He is also scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

At Columbia on Monday morning, protesters, including students bused in from other schools, gathered at the university grounds ahead of the speech. Student groups and individuals started covering the campus with fliers. Columbia security guards closed off the grounds to anyone without a campus identification card, and the police set up barriers outside of campus.

"The events in Iran are disturbing," said Lauren Steinberg, a political science major who was hanging up signs. "We don't want to turn a blind eye to them. I personally don't think he should have been invited to campus, but now that he's here, I see it as an important opportunity for free speech and for us to denounce his views."

The university has come under harsh criticism for the decision to have Ahmadinejad and for giving him a public stage, including from current presidential candidates in the United States, the New York City Council, Jewish organizations and others.

"With the amount of people we will have, we will most likely stretch down a couple of blocks," said Dani Klein, the campus director for StandWithUs, a pro-Israeli advocacy group and one of the sponsors of the protests.

Brian Knowlton contributed reporting from Washington and Leora Falk from New York.