Volley of insults fails to shake visiting leader

New York: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial appearance at Columbia University on Monday began with harsh, combative words from protesters, politicians and even the university president - who introduced the hard-line leader to a packed auditorium as "a petty and cruel dictator" with "a fanatical mindset."

"Today, I feel all the weight of the modern civilised world yearning to express the revulsion at what you stand for," Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said in a stinging rebuke of Ahmadinejad that also defended the university's decision to invite him to speak.

"We do not honour the dishonourable when we open our forums to their voices."

Combative and engaging, Ahmadinejad was quick to respond, contending that Bollinger's introduction contained "many insults and claims that were incorrect" and that the audience should be allowed to draw its own conclusions after hearing him speak.

"I think he was affected by the press and the media and the political pressure," the Iranian president said of Bollinger's remarks.

The appearance by Ahmadinejad, along with his request to visit Ground Zero, drew hundreds of protesters to the Columbia campus and to the United Nations, where the Iranian leader addressed the General Assembly yesterday. New York City police denied Ahmadinejad's Ground Zero request, citing security concerns.

Critics say that the university's invitation legitimises Ahmadinejad's views, which include questioning the Holocaust and calling for the destruction of Israel.

"Columbia is giving the impression that there's actually something to negotiate here," said Dana Sasouness, 20, a junior English literature major at Yeshiva University. "He's just a crazy man."

In his speech, Ahmadinejad described himself as an academic who continues to teach graduate and doctoral students at least once a week.

He said that further study of the Holocaust was necessary as an academic pursuit, and suggested that he had never denied its existence.

"I'm not saying it [the Holocaust] didn't happen at all," he said. "I said, 'The Holocaust, granted this happened, what does it have to do with the Palestinian people?'"

He also cast doubt on the official version of the September 11 attacks, explaining that in his attempt to visit Ground Zero he wanted to pay his respects to the victims and also encourage research into "who truly was involved."