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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Iran set for Holocaust conference | Iran set for Holocaust conference |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Iran is hosting a two-day conference which it says will examine whether the Holocaust actually happened. | Iran is hosting a two-day conference which it says will examine whether the Holocaust actually happened. |
| Organisers say the event will offer a chance to discuss "questions" about the Holocaust without restrictive taboos. | Organisers say the event will offer a chance to discuss "questions" about the Holocaust without restrictive taboos. |
| The conference has been condemned by Germany - where denying the Holocaust is illegal - and by Israel and the US. | The conference has been condemned by Germany - where denying the Holocaust is illegal - and by Israel and the US. |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who backs the conference, has publicly questioned the scale of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. | Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who backs the conference, has publicly questioned the scale of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad has repeatedly downplayed the extent of the killing, describing it as a myth used to justify the existence of Israel and oppression of the Palestinians. | |
| Holding this conference... can give nations and governments a very negative impression of Iran Morris MotamedJewish Iranian MP | Holding this conference... can give nations and governments a very negative impression of Iran Morris MotamedJewish Iranian MP |
| He has called for the dismantling of Israel, branding its leaders "terrorists". | |
| Iran resolutely denies accusations of anti-Semitism, pointing to its 25,000-strong Jewish community. | Iran resolutely denies accusations of anti-Semitism, pointing to its 25,000-strong Jewish community. |
| However, Iran's one Jewish MP, Morris Motamed, told the BBC he opposed the conference. | However, Iran's one Jewish MP, Morris Motamed, told the BBC he opposed the conference. |
| "Holding this conference after having a competition of cartoons about the Holocaust has put a lot of pressure on Jews all over the world and it can give nations and governments a very negative impression of Iran," he said. | "Holding this conference after having a competition of cartoons about the Holocaust has put a lot of pressure on Jews all over the world and it can give nations and governments a very negative impression of Iran," he said. |
| Free speech? | Free speech? |
| A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, Manouchehr Mohammadi, said the conference would examine fundamental questions about the Holocaust. | A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, Manouchehr Mohammadi, said the conference would examine fundamental questions about the Holocaust. |
| "The first question to be posed is: did the Holocaust actually happen or not? And the second one is: if it did happen, what was the scale of it? | "The first question to be posed is: did the Holocaust actually happen or not? And the second one is: if it did happen, what was the scale of it? |
| Iran's president regularly speaks out against the Holocaust"The allegation that six million Jews were killed or burnt in this event, is it true or not?" | Iran's president regularly speaks out against the Holocaust"The allegation that six million Jews were killed or burnt in this event, is it true or not?" |
| Iran knows this conference is going to cause outrage abroad but it says it wants to test the limits of the West's commitment to freedom of speech, says the BBC's correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison. | Iran knows this conference is going to cause outrage abroad but it says it wants to test the limits of the West's commitment to freedom of speech, says the BBC's correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison. |
| Iran is drawing a parallel with the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which provoked outrage in the Islamic world but were defended by Western liberals, she adds. | Iran is drawing a parallel with the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which provoked outrage in the Islamic world but were defended by Western liberals, she adds. |
| The US state department described the conference "yet another disgraceful act on this particular subject by the regime in Tehran". | The US state department described the conference "yet another disgraceful act on this particular subject by the regime in Tehran". |
| Khaled Kasab Mahameed, an Israeli Arab who plans to attend the conference and runs a small museum about the Holocaust in his home in Nazareth, told the BBC that the concept was flawed. | Khaled Kasab Mahameed, an Israeli Arab who plans to attend the conference and runs a small museum about the Holocaust in his home in Nazareth, told the BBC that the concept was flawed. |
| "I think the Iranian president acknowledges the importance and the centrality of the Holocaust in shaping policies in the world. | "I think the Iranian president acknowledges the importance and the centrality of the Holocaust in shaping policies in the world. |
| "He thinks that Israel gets support because of the Holocaust, so his only weapon is to deny it, and that's not good." | "He thinks that Israel gets support because of the Holocaust, so his only weapon is to deny it, and that's not good." |