Iranian president denied access to WTC site

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Source: CCTV.com | 09-21-2007 14:43

Sept. 20: New York City officials reject a request by the Iran's President Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero.(File photo)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not be permitted to visit the site of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. The announcement comes from New York City's police commissioner. Earlier this month, the Iranian leader asked US authorities for permission to lay a wreath at Ground Zero during his upcoming trip to New York.

The city's authorities and the US Secret Service said the request for Ahmadinejad to enter the fenced-in site had been rejected because of ongoing construction and security concerns.

But in a more political response, a State Department spokesman said he considers Ahmadinejad as one of the world's leading state sponsors of terror and many people who lost loved ones in the attack may find it emotionally unacceptable for him to enter the site. President Ahmadinejad is scheduled to arrive in New York on Sunday to address the UN General Assembly session.

Editor:Yang Jie