ISRAEL's SIMON PERES REBUKES IRAN's MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

MaximsNewsNetwork: 20 September 2010 -- UNTV: United Nations, New York - Israeli President Shimon Peres addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly today (20 September) on the first day of the High-Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); after his speech to the Assembly, he told reporters that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a "living declaration against the charter of the United Nations", who not only called for Israel's destruction of but also supplied arms to "every terrorist organization in the Middle East."

Peres opened his address saying that "history was written in blood" as nations fought over territory, but argued that today, science, creativity and knowledge have "replaced land as the most important source of wealth" and can help to find solutions to the world's problems and eradicate poverty.

Speaking about the latest round of talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas - which are being threatened by the expiration of an Israeli moratorium on the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - Peres said that "unfortunately" the ten month period had come to an end but negotiators were "looking now at how to redraw that."

He added that "as an old hand in negotiations" he was "not surprised that from time to time you encounter hurdles and impasses and you have to mobilize creativity and ingenuity to overcome it."

A permanent end of settlement activity is a requirement of the Quartet's road map plan for the Middle East peace process.

Commenting on a cancelled meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, he said that he had originally agreed to it, but Turkish conditions made the meeting, in his judgment, "not a positive one."

The Israeli President noted that his country hasn't changed its attitude to Turkey, but "maybe Turkey changed her mind, and that's for the Turks to decide."

The main condition presented by Turkey was that Israel apologizes for the deadly raid on a Turkish-led aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip, which intended to breach Israel's blockade.