A two-day international conference to review the world's concept of the Holocaust opened in Tehran Monday morning with an inaugural speech by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
The director-general of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Rassoul Moussavi, addressing the conference before Mottaki delivered his speech, said that it was aimed at creating an appropriate scientific atmosphere for discussing historical events, including the Holocaust. "Some people who had been asked to attend refused, saying it aims to deny the Holocaust. Others assumed the international conference was politically motivated and were reluctant to attend.
"Officials in charge of organizing the conference do not intend to deny or confirm it (Holocaust). What the IPIS considers its duty is to create a suitable atmosphere for discussing historical issues," he said.
The International Conference to Review the Holocaust Global Vision is attended by 67 intellectuals and researchers from 30 countries. According to Moussavi, researchers and intellectuals from Iran, Germany, the US, Austria, Jordan, Armenia, Australia, Indonesia, Britain, Italy, Bahrain, belgium, Portugal, Pakistan, Denmark, Russia, Japan, the Ivory Coast, France, Kenya, Malaysia, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and Egypt are scheduled to deliver speeches.
"Holocaust, a Modern Viewpoint," "Holocaust, Figures, Statistics and Realities," "Historical documents on the Holocaust," "Nazism, Holocaust and the Zionists" and "Holocaust: Consequences and the Global Vision" are among the speeches to be delivered.
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
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