(WASHINGTON) - U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the President requesting that neither Iran’s Ahmadinejad nor any member of the Iranian regime be allowed to enter the U.S. under the guise of attending the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly.  Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“Our responsibility as the UN’s host country is trumped by our national security.  The U.S. must not allow Ahmadinejad or any Iranian regime official into the U.S. for the September UN meeting.

“The Iranian regime oppresses its people; has long aided the global Islamist militant network; has called for the destruction of another UN member, Israel; and is engaged in the pursuit of longer range missiles and chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.
 
 “The focus for the U.S. as the UN General Assembly meeting approaches should be on securing the adoption and enforcement of broader and stronger UN Security Council sanctions on the Iranian regime, and on cutting off nuclear technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency to Iran.” 

Note:  In the letter, Ros-Lehtinen noted that the direct threat posed by Ahmadinejad to U.S. national security interests supersedes U.S. responsibilities under the United Nations Headquarters Act of 1947. Ros-Lehtinen also noted Ahmadinejad’s appointment of several cabinet ministers who are affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been designated by the U.S. for its involvement in proliferation activities and support for violent extremist groups.  Ros-Lehtinen also emphasized Ahmadinejad’s violation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by his denial of the veracity of the Holocaust and his repeated calls for Israel and the U.S. to be destroyed.

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