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Ahmadinejad to a Delegation of American Christian Leaders: U.S. President Should Replace His Circle of Advisors and Refrain from Making Decisions While Angry

The following are excerpts from coverage of a recent delegation of Christian leaders from the U.S. that visited Iran in February 2007. The footage of the meeting aired on Iranian Channel 1 on March 29, 2007.

Ahmadinejad: "Let's assume that Jesus were the president of America now-"

Translator: "Let's assume for the time being that Jesus Christ peace be upon him was the President of the U.S."

Ahmadinejad: "Life would be so beautiful."

Translator: "Life would have been beautiful"

Ahmadinejad: "The world would be full of peace."

Translator: "The world would have been full of peace."

Ahmadinejad: "All human beings would love one another."

Translator: "Human beings would have loved one another."

Ahmadinejad: "The best president is a divine prophet.
[…]

"Good concepts have always been abused."

Translator: "Good definitions have always been misused"

Ahmadinejad: "Aren't they abusing the concept of freedom now?

Translator: "Today we all know that the concept of freedom is constantly misused."

Ahmadinejad: "Many killings were carried out under the pretext of freedom and democracy."

Translator: "And in the name of freedom and democracy extensive massacres come about."

Ahmadinejad: "In the first and second world wars more than 100 million were killed."

Translator: "The first world war and the second world war piled up more than 100 million dead."

Ahmadinejad: "Who did this?"

Translator: "And who were the culprits?"

Ahmadinejad: "They did this under the slogan of freedom and democracy."

American Visitor #1: "I know that I speak for all of my colleagues here, when I affirm what you said that we agree that if the faithful stay silent, the tyrants will overrun us.

[…]

"As I'm sure you know we represent traditions and individuals – ourselves and many others – who have not remained silent during the occupation and continued war-making of our country in Iraq.

[…]

"Now we are beginning to see the fruits of those efforts, as most Americans now very much oppose the war, and changes in Congress offer us new opportunities.

[…]

"I want to ask you about your feelings about the Iraq study group's recommendation that to begin to include Iran in conversations over how we can together work to fix the problems that we've created in Iraq. So can you please answer that, and also, what advice would you give us, as we return and we work to further end this war. How do you feel about that recommendation?"

[…]

Ahmadinejad: "You can buy friendship with kindness."

Translator: "Friendship can only be bought for lack of a better word through kindness."

Ahmadinejad: "But you cannot buy it with bullets, shells and bombs,"

Translator: "One cannot again buy friendship with bullets, bombs and mortars, rather."

Ahmadinejad: "And you cannot impose it on others."

Translator: "And you cannot impose your friendship on others."

Ahmadinejad: "We cannot force anybody to love us.
[…]

"Last year, Mr. Bush sent us the following message: 'Help us to get out of the Iraqi problem.'"

Translator: "Mr. Bush last year sent us a message asking for our help to help the U.S. to rid itself, to find a solution for its problems inside Iraq."

Ahmadinejad: "Nobody believed him in Iran."

Translator: "In Iran, nobody trusted them anymore."

Ahmadinejad: "Nevertheless, I asked my friends to respond positively to this demand."

Translator: "Regardless, I asked my friends to positively respond to the president's request."
Ahmadinejad: "But this was not received well, and the response to our overture was inappropriate."

Translator: "But again, we never received a good response to that overture and despite the goodwill we decided to show they took a rather inappropriate action."

Ahmadinejad: "I believe that Mr. Bush is very angry now."

Translator: "I think that Mr. Bush right now is very angry."

Ahmadinejad: "Advise him not to make decisions while he is angry."

Translator: "You should ladies and gentlemen advise the president not to take decisions while angry, when he is angry."

Ahmadinejad: "Decisions made in anger are not good decisions."

Translator: "Because decisions taken when a person is angry usually are not good decisions."

Ahmadinejad: "He must replace his circle of advisors."

Translator: "And also change the circle of his counselors, advisors."

Ahmadinejad: "I am sure that the good news does not get published in America."

Translator: "I'm sure that good information are not being produced in the U.S."

Ahmadinejad: "Of course, you must advise him to have a little love for people."

Translator: "And of course, please tell him, ladies and gentlemen, to love other people a little bit."

American Visitor #2: "The question that I have is with regard to the nuclear program. We are very concerned that the conflict between the United States and Iran over the nuclear program could move to unintended consequences – possibly even war. We want to prevent that.

[…]

"I wonder if you know the saying in the United States, - He is preaching temperance from a bar stool."

Translator: "Barrels?"

American Visitor #2: "Bar… B-A-R."

Translator: "If I got it right, he means a preacher who does not practice what he preaches. He used this saying. He says that someone sitting at a bar where drinks are served cannot preach to others."

Ahmadinejad: "So he means that the U.S. government should not tell us what to do?"

Translator: "So you're referring to the American government?"

American Visitor #2: "I am. Yes. In the context that we know that our government is preaching temperance from a bar stool, when it urges Iran not to acquire nuclear weapon, we would nevertheless say that nuclear non-proliferation is important."

[…]

Translator: "You must appreciate that today Iran has the capability to produce nuclear fuel."

Ahmadinejad: "You should bear in mind that Iran now possesses the technology for nuclear fuel production."

Translator: "We have that technology right now as we speak."

Ahmadinejad: "It cannot be stopped."

Translator: "We are not going to close down that effort. It cannot be stopped."
Ahmadinejad: "This train is in motion."

Translator: "It is similar to a train moving forward."
[…]

Ahmadinejad: "Did the nuclear bomb manage to prevent Bush's failure in the [Congressional] elections?"

Translator: "Again, nuclear bomb could not help Mr. Bush win the elections."

Ahmadinejad: "It did not manage to prevent his failure in Iraq."

Translator: "They could not even help the gentlemen to overcome his problems, his failures inside Iraq."

Ahmadinejad: "Governments do not have the right to waste the people's money on nuclear bombs.

[…]

"They are saying that they are worried."

Translator: "They are saying that 'we're concerned, we're worried.'"

Ahmadinejad: "We're the ones who should be worried."

Translator: "Well the party that should rightfully be worried is us."

Ahmadinejad: "We are the ones being attacked."

Translator: "Because we are being attacked."

Ahmadinejad: "It is the American government that has the bomb."

Translator: "And the American government has various kinds of bombs."

Ahmadinejad: "It is the American government that used the nuclear bomb."

Ahmadinejad to a Delegation of American Christian Leaders: U.S. President Should Replace His Circle of Advisors and Refrain from Making Decisions While Angry (http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=1417)