Editorial: More lunatic than leader

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005 | 7:30 a.m.

Calling the Nazi Holocaust "a myth" that the West created in order to create a Jewish state in the core of the Muslim world, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's outrageous public rants further cemented his extremist reputation and raised even more concerns about the Iranian regime's stability.

In a speech Wednesday before thousands of supporters in southeast Iran, which was broadcast live on state television, Ahmadinejad said, "If you say and insist it's true that you killed 6 million Jews in crematoria during World War II, then why should the Palestinians pay for that?" He went on to say that European countries, the United States or Canada should provide land for a Jewish state.

His comments came on the heels of those made Dec. 8, when Ahmadinejad first said Europe should provide space for Israel, and his ravings from Oct. 26, when the Iranian president declared that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

These remarks exacerbate and heighten concerns by the United States and European nations that Iran is secretly building nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad also said Wednesday that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and that Iran will not abandon uranium conversion, an initial step in creating weapons-grade material and fuel for atomic reactors. But who can believe him?

On Wednesday, Iran and the European Union are to resume talks, backed by the United States, to try to resolve the nuclear dispute. But it is hard to imagine reaching a diplomatic solution with a leader who speaks like a madman. An atomic bomb in the hands of this irrational president would not only be a danger to Israel but also to all of Western civilization.