An Iranian press delegation slated to accompany President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad during his upcoming visit to New York have been denied US
visas.
The US government has refused to issue visas for the Iranian press
delegation that was scheduled to cover the president’s trip to New York
and his participation in a nuclear conference, Mehr News Agency reported
on Sunday.
Ahmadinejad, who is to attend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Review Conference at the United Nations headquarters, left for New York
on Sunday as the head of Iran’s high-ranking delegation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Senior Presidential
Advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, Chief of staff Esfandyar Rahim-Mashae,
and the Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi will
accompany Ahmadinejad during the visit.
Ahmadinejad is scheduled to be the third speaker on Friday, coming
after the opening statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and a
representative from the Non-Aligned Movement.
The twice-a-decade conference aims to monitor the global progress in
fulfilling disarmament obligations set out in the 40-year old treaty.
