IRAN JUST CAN'T SHUT UP ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST

Iran tells West to be tolerant of Holocaust views.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust is a matter for academic discussion and the West should be more tolerant of his views, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

Ahmadinejad last week called the Holocaust a myth and suggested Israel be moved to Germany or Alaska, remarks that sparked international uproar and threaten diplomatic talks with Europe over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi defended the president’s remarks, which also drew a rebuke from the U.N. Security Council.

“What the president said is an academic issue. The West’s reaction shows their continued support for Zionists,” Asefi told a weekly news conference. “Westerners are used to leading a monologue but they should learn to listen to different views,” he added.

Some 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their allies between 1933 and 1945.

Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guardsman who was elected president, also said in October Israel was a “tumour” that must be “wiped off the map”. A statement drafted by European Union leaders described last week’s Holocaust comment as “wholly unacceptable”. The White House termed the remarks “outrageous”.

Asefi denounced international condemnation as emotional and illogical. “The EU statement is not based on international diplomatic norms. They should avoid illogical methods,” he said.