Iran's president returns to UN General Assembly

[September 23, 2008]  UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Iran's president, whose appearance at the U.N. General Assembly last year sparked thousands of protesters in the streets and an American walkout during his speech, returns to the United Nations on Tuesday amid heightened concerns over his country's nuclear ambitions.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech comes after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Monday that he cannot determine whether Iran is hiding some nuclear activities.

Ahmadinejad said in an interview with National Public Radio airing Tuesday that he does not want confrontation with the United States. He said he wants diplomatic relations to develop between the two countries and was willing, for example, to cooperate on upholding security in Iraq.

"We do not have confrontations with anyone," he said. "The U.S. administration interferes, and we defend ourselves."

But the Iranian leader warned over the weekend that the military would strike back against anyone targeting his country's nuclear facilities.

"If anyone allows himself to commit even a tiny offense against Iran's legitimate interests, borders and sacred land, our armed forces will break his hand before he pulls the trigger," Ahmadinejad said during a military parade Sunday.

Iran insists its nuclear activities are geared only toward generating power. But Israel says the Islamic Republic could have enough nuclear material to make its first bomb within a year. The U.S. estimates Tehran is at least two years away from that stage.

Last year, thousands rallied at the United Nations to protest Ahmadinejad's speech. When Ahmadinejad was ushered to the podium of the General Assembly to speak, the U.S. delegation walked out, leaving only a low-ranking note-taker to listen to his speech.

Ahmadinejad's speech Tuesday will come just hours after President Bush makes his final address to the General Assembly. After seven years of criticizing the U.N. for its huge, costly bureaucracy and indecisiveness in the face of grave problems, Bush is expected to stress the need for multinational diplomacy in a 15-minute speech.

Bush also is to meet Tuesday with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. Topping their talks will be the series of suspected U.S. missile attacks and an American-led cross-border ground assault in Pakistan's volatile northwest that have angered public opinion.

The vice president of Sudan and leaders from Georgia, Lebanon, Kenya, Somalia, France, Liberia and Argentina are also among those addressing the General Assembly on Tuesday.

On Monday, leaders gathered for a high-level meeting on Africa's development needs. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world's rich nations to spend $72 billion a year to help Africa achieve U.N. goals to fight poverty, improve health and ensure universal primary education.

A new report from the secretary-general said not a single African country is likely to achieve all the U.N. Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015.

Ban said last week he was deeply concerned that the current economic slowdown and turmoil on Wall Street could have a "very serious negative impact" on the ability of rich nations to help achieve the targets, first and foremost to cut extreme poverty by half.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who heads the African Union, added his concern, warning Monday that "if the crisis is to continue, it will certainly have serious, serious implications." But he was hopeful that the financial turmoil will be short-lived.

"There may not be easy answers, but I believe the U.S. will overcome, and the world will overcome this unfortunate situation," he said.

[Associated Press; By KRISTA LARSON]

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report.

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