Ahmadinejad calls for 9/11 tribunal

Iran’s president describes as ‘naive’ the US government’s response to his earlier comments about the 9/11 attacks, calling for a special tribunal to investigate the incident.

“If certain individuals are responsible for the September 11 incident, a fair and independent tribunal must probe the matter,” IRIB News quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Tehran from week-long visit to New York on Saturday.

“Even these people should be allowed to appear in court and employ a lawyer. If they are found guilty, they should be punished. If they are not available for [prosecution], their names must be announced to regional nations,” he added.

He said few people, who deem themselves as the ruler of the world, make remarks on behalf of all nations and interfere in their affairs and added that the era of bullying has passed.

Ahmadinejad said he had sent a letter to the United Nations secretary general, calling for the formation of a truth-finding committee last year and added, “of course I knew if he is not under pressure from world public opinion, he will not have the ability to take action.”

He noted the US government made “one-sided claims” about the 9/11 attacks, saying it assumed the position of plaintiff and judge while demands others to accept whatever it says.

On Friday, US President Barack Obama denounced as hateful and inexcusable remarks by his Iranian counterpart that the US government may have been behind 9/11.

“It was offensive. It was hateful,” Obama said in interview excerpts released by the White House.

“And particularly for him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of Ground Zero, where families lost their loved ones,” he said. “For him to make a statement like that was inexcusable.”

The Iranian president had questioned the official account of the September 11 attacks on US soil, suggesting that US officials were involved in the matter.

“It is necessary to re-listen to the black box of [the plane used in] September 11 attacks,” Ahmadinejad said.

“If Americans have strong evidence proving the September 11 attacks have been carried out by terrorists, they should present them [to the tribunal],” he said.

“This is our legal right to ask for a truth-finding committee to investigate the incident,” Ahmadinejad said.

“September 11 became a pretext for pressuring Middle Eastern nations and for violating their rights.”

“You (American officials) caused the September 11 event and now you are accusing every nation that stands against you and seeks to maintain its independence of cooperating with terrorism,” he said.

“There is no logic and justification to use the presence of few terrorists as a pretext to send troops to Afghanistan, occupy Iraq and today bombard the Pakistani people,” he explained.

Ahmadinejad said the Iranian nation is a victim of terrorism and added, “Iranians will not permit terrorists to put Muslims and the entire Middle East under pressure through an event with ambiguous facts.”

The Iranian president arrived in New York on September 18 to attend the 65th United Nations General Assembly.