Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN (Reuters):

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Europe was stirring up hatred in the Middle East by supporting Israel and warned it 'may get hurt' if anger in the region boiled over.

"You should believe that this regime (Israel) cannot last and has no more benefit to you. What benefit have you got in supporting this regime, except the hatred of the nations?" he said in a speech broadcast on state radio.

"We have advised the Europeans that the Americans are far away, but you are the neighbours of the nations in this region. We inform you that the nations are like an ocean that is welling up, and if a storm begins, the dimensions will not stay limited to Palestine, and you may get hurt."

Ahmadinejad caused outrage in the West last year by calling for Israel to be 'wiped off the map', echoing comments by the Islamic Republic's late founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

He has not since repeated that phrase but regularly launches verbal attacks on Israel, whose right to exist Iran has not recognised since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"Today, with the grace of God, the efforts to establish this fake regime have failed totally," he said in Friday's speech to mark Qods Day (Jerusalem Day) when Iranians are officially encouraged to demonstrate in support of the Palestinians.

Iran is accused by the West of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. It insists it wants nuclear power only to generate electricity. Ahmadinejad said in August Iran was not a threat to any country, "not even to the Zionist regime".

IRAN "'CONSISTENT'

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in response to Ahmadinejad's speech: "Unfortunately these remarks do not come as a surprise. They are consistent with what Mr Ahmadinejad has said for some time....