Israel Walked Out During Iran Speech, US Followed

I haven't seen any accounts of this in the US media at all. It must have made a remarkable scene.

Geneva: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki accused Israel and the United States yesterday of posing the main threats to the security of the Middle East, prompting the US and Israeli delegations to walk out during the speech.

Mottaki told the world's top disarmament forum that Israel was the only country in the region that refuses to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty even though he said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last year acknowledged that his country had nuclear weapons - which Olmert denies doing.

A nuclear-armed Israel poses "a uniquely grave threat to regional and international peace and security and requires to be seriously dealt with by the international community taking practical measures", Mottaki told the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament.

Mottaki did not use the word Israel, but referred to the country as "the Zionist regime," which he said had "a long and dark record of crimes and atrocities such as occupation, aggression, militarism, state terrorism, crimes against humanity and apartheid".

Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon said he found the remarks so offensive that he and his delegation walked out during the speech.

"Everybody noticed that we left because we made a small noise, showing everybody that we disagree with his remarks," he said.

They were followed immediately by the US delegation, Levanon said.

"He went too far," Levanon told The Associated Press, adding that it was "a blatant insult" to the conference to stray in such a way from the disarmament issues the body is supposed to consider. "It seems the Iranians are under international pressure and this is what explains their undiplomatic behaviour," Levanon said.

"I can only regret such behaviour by a country which would like to be a member of the family of nations."

Officials at the US Mission to international bodies in Geneva confirmed that the American delegation also walked out.

"At a time when we're trying to find unity of purpose in the CD (Conference on Disarmament) such outrageous and divisive comments are not useful," said a statement from the mission.

Mottaki noted the growing pressure being exerted on Iran in the UN Security Council, with a series of sanctions aimed at forcing the country to suspend uranium enrichment, which Washington and some allies say is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.

The Iranian FM says some naughty words about Israel so they walk out (although one imagines they were most upset by being reminded that Israel gets a free ride on its nukes)...followed moments later by the US group? Are they on a leash or something?

Oh yeah, I forgot. The US is connected to Israel at the AIPAC-joint. And the tail wags the dog by simply offering up political bones.